Louisiana Municipal Review

Louisiana Municipal Association publication
August 2010
Author: Patrick Moore, FASLA, APA
Article Text:

Smart planning attracts funding for communities

Attracting public and private investment is one of a municipal leader’s most important jobs, since it affords cities and towns the chance to launch new initiatives or to bring long-awaited projects to completion. However, as critical as these funding opportunities are, it’s not uncommon to wait until the last minute to prepare a proposal or to pitch an investor. There’s a better way to go after funding, and that is to stay prepared.

Strategize for readiness
Just like disaster or crisis preparation, in which we create a set of strategies that will help us endure business interruption scenarios, we should live in a state of readiness for possible funding. How do we do this? By taking the time to create dynamic community master plans, and to prioritize the steps required to implement them. Too often plans sit on shelves, and fail to attract the funding necessary to get them off the ground.

Instead, a community master plan with a thoughtful implementation strategy provides the right “magnet” for funders. A good plan is fresh, relevant, and shows that a city has a dream and an idea about how to get there. It demonstrates an awareness of the resources and the partners required to bring physical improvements to fruition. It points out that a city is keenly aware of its own transportation infrastructure, economic development, housing, green space, and quality of life needs. It reveals that residents have participated in the future design of their hometown and collectively agree on the plan’s content. It benchmarks where a city is now, and illuminates its ideal five-, 10-, and 20-year growth trajectory. When a city has a master plan and all its accompanying research, it can attract state and federal grants and private investment more often and with greater success.

Go for goal-focused planning
Cities face urgent needs – often with limited resources – so it’s tempting to minimize the importance of investing in a master “action” plan. However, a well-crafted plan is an effective, money-saving strategy. Without clear direction on transportation, housing, green space, and more, cities find themselves using a scattershot approach, burning through valuable staff time and resources to chase down funding that doesn’t always help the city advance in the right direction.

Instead, a good plan provides a tactical approach. It should include a clear economic and resource development strategy that paints a realistic picture about how to fund the parks, waterfront pavilions, bike paths, and other items the community has requested. In most cases, funds will come from both public and private sources, like state and federal grants, and investment from developers or foundations which want to be on the front end of an exciting, innovative opportunity.

Work through key steps to reach goals
As cities work through the planning process, then seek funds for projects, they will rely on the plan to help them through four important steps:

1. The Vision. The plan provides a crystal-clear answer to a funder or investor’s most important question: “What are you selling?”
2. The Deal. Through the planning process, the city should have considered how to structure partnerships that protect its best interests and promote the vision of its citizens.
3. Stakeholder Support. In attracting both public and private funding, it’s crucial for investors to know that stakeholders – including merchants, landowners, residents, and public officials – are all behind the project.
4. Construction. A city will have a better chance of construction staying on time and on budget if the plan includes an assessment of existing infrastructure, and if the partners, such as engineers, site planners, architects and others, share the overall vision.

Attracting funding is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes preparation and endurance. To borrow another metaphor, it’s like water placed in a pipe droplet by droplet. Once it builds momentum, it flows, and will keep flowing as long as the structure is sound.
A good strategy is magnetic – it provides the structure needed to attract and maintain a steady flow of alternative funds for villages, towns, and cities to flourish.

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