DVRPC Lets You Play Amateur Regional Planner and Help Guide Our Region's Development

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) is in the process of developing their 2040 Long Range Plan. To help them along they have developed a nifty online planning tool called Choices and Voices that allows the public to suggest their preferred vision for regional development. Its one of those nifty simulations where you decide the revenue streams and then have to make tough choices about how to allocate limited funds.

Choices and Voices is a savvy variation of a planning exercise game called Dots and Dashes, which DVRPC designed to help prioritize future transit projects by having a team draw dots (bus routes) and dashes (rail lines) on a regional map without exceeding a set budget. Choices and Voices expands that to cover all transportation spending over the next 27 years. Choices are made regarding the type of land use development you want to see and what projects and policies you support. Your choices affect the acreage of development, the number of people bicycling and walking, vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gases emitted, open space etc. A graph on the right hand side of the screen charts your progress.

You can spend 5 minutes on it or 25 minutes. When you're finished, you can submit your vision to DVRPC who will average out the submitted proposals and allow the collected wisdom of the (engaged) masses to inform their decisions. So go to town, amateur (or professional) planners!

Further Reading:

• Connections 2040 Transportation Investments Scenarios 
• Connections 2035 (Current Long Range Plan)

Screen shot of the survey