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Why we need leadership development in urban planning
and community development
The Leading Institute is not just a leadership initiative; it is designed to
improve outcomes in community development and planning. The
Leading Institute addresses three key problems: the leadership crisis
in the community development field, the lack of diversity at the top levels
of community development and planning, and the schism between the
two fields.
According to research reported in Building the Organizations that Build Communities, the community development field is facing a “looming
leadership crisis” with the retirement of first and second generation
executive directors. Few second level professionals are prepared to
replace the charismatic leaders who built and grew organizations.
There are many good managers—but the skills that make someone
an effective steward of budgets and programs differ from those used to motivate and inspire others. Retention of talented staff is also a major
concern to executive directors, according to the researchers. APA/
LeadershipPlenty addresses these problems in two ways. Participants
learn leadership skills that are distinct from management skills—systems
thinking, alliance building, and strategic communications. The program
also helps participants overcome the feeling of powerlessness that is
both demoralizing and disruptive. By building participants’ sense of
confidence and showing them different tools for leadership, the program
encourages participants to take steps that benefit themselves, their organizations, and their communities.
Another problem noted in Building Communities—and this affects
planning and community development—is the lack of diversity in
leadership. It is not just a matter of there being too few African-
Americans, Latinos, and Asian-Americans in executive and supervisory positions. “The industry’s leadership and senior management staff
reflect their communitiesless and less and often are separated by a
cultural, racial and/or educational gap. (p. 101)” The authors of
Lagging behind: a Study of Ethnic Diversity in the Planning Profession
in the APA New York Metro Chapter found few planners of color
in senior level positions. APA/LeadershipPlenty promotes diversity
in many forms, including a retreat on race and diversity. By marketing
the program to various audiences through multiple networks, we
encourage ethnic, cultural, geographic and professional diversity.
Seeking diversity—not just accepting it— is a core value of the
program’s teachings.
There is an unfortunate and unnecessary divide between the community development and planning fields, especially in the New York area.
Since the days of Robert Moses, there has been great tension between
formally trained planners who work in government agencies, and
others who work in community based organizations. In fact, there
appear to be many people in the nonprofit sector who work as
community planners, but do not consider themselves as such because
of stereotypes and misunderstandings. At a recent Planners Network conference, an event moderator who had been a community activist
since the 1950s told the audience of planners that “you all work for
the enemy.” By bringing community development planners together
with planners in a learning community, they can break down these
barriers and share knowledge that will improve both fields. Planners
and community development practitioners have benefited from their
work together. A model now used for wide-scale community
planning—known in some areas as comprehensive community
initiatives—is modeled on master planning techniques used for planning
for cities and counties. By hearing from community development
practitioners, planners are more aware of how large-scale changes in
land uses can affect local residents and businesses. Still, misunder-
standing and prejudice persists.
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