Hello City

Our friend Clint regales us with tales of being a regional planner. Hear about holding public meetings in rural areas and what happens when your trail count counts cows instead of people. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic.

In this episode, Lisa continues her rant about poorly-written RFQs.  She also gives suggestions for how to write better RFQs to maximize the potential consultant pool and allow the consultants to present selection committees with their best work. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic and Lost Shoe by Blue Dot Sessions.

In this episode, Lisa gathers common complaints about poorly-written RFQs.  She also gives suggestions for how to write better RFQs to maximize the potential consultant pool and allow the consultants to present selection committees with their best work. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic and Lost Shoe by Blue Dot Sessions.

Our wonderful friend Kevin tells us the story of the Amish Yacht Club in his rural county.  It is a heartwarming tale of two opposing sides coming together and an interesting update on the changing demographics of some rural American counties. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic

By popular demand, in this episode, Lisa compares zoning in Japan to zoning in the United States.  Theories for the differences center around geographical, cultural, and economic reasons. References: Story, Paige. Understanding Japanese Land-Use: Helping Ball State undergrads find their own conclusions about the land-use zoning practices in Japan. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Japan marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2016/08/the-japanese-zoning-system.html marketurbanism.com/2019/03/19/why-is-japanese-zoning-more-liberal-than-us-zoning/ Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic and Lost Shoe by Blue Dot Sessions.

A young planner asks: what factors should I consider when negotiating a salary for a new job?  Lisa has a list of factors that will change what your salary really is and several examples of things she did right and wrong as a young professional.

Lisa compiles a list of the most common workplace pet peeves from her friends and colleagues.  Whether or not you work in the built environment professions, it's likely hearing this will help you be a better coworker, boss, and/or employee. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic, Lost Shoe by Blue Dot Sessions, and City-State by Nick Corbo.

A planner asked Lisa how she started her business.  While Lisa didn't take a typical approach to starting her consulting firm, there are general pieces of advice she has for someone thinking about starting their own consulting gig. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credits: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic and Lost Shoe by Blue Dot Sessions.

In the second regular episode, our guest Andrew teaches us a number of important things that are the basis for understanding how your local planning office works.  Notably, he covers planning commissions: who they are, how they work, and why they are important.  He also explains the importance of educating your commissioners, as an urban planner, so that your commissioners can make better decisions for their resident's quality of life. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credit: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic and City Life by Lobo Loco.

A young planner sees a posting for the exact job he wants.  The problem is, he doesn't quite meet all the requirements.  He wonders if he should still apply...?  In this first installment of HelloCityHelp, Lisa explains why you really should not apply for jobs for which you are not qualified.

In the first episode, our guest Patty tells a story about the importance of de-escalating angry residents when you're a public servant.  In this story, a resident built an illegal structure in the public right-of-way, didn't pay his violation fees, got sent to court, and ultimately took his anger out on Patty.  Moral of the story: you need to be a professional and pleasant servant to the public when you're an urban planner, but sometimes you just can't stop the crazy. Host: Lisa Dunaway, AICP, LEED AP Song credit: Minimal Uplifting Background by MagneticMusic.