Hello All,
Welcome to South Jersey Planning! After returning to my home state a few months ago, I was inspired by a bunch of Greater Philly planning and community development blogs/websites (shout outs to ThisOldCity.com, PlanPhilly.com, FlyingKiteMedia.com, Stephen Danley's Local Knowledge Blog - http://danley.rutgers.edu/news/, and many, many more).
After months of searching, I haven't found a blog that covers South Jersey regionally in a planning context – one that discusses the difficulties facing Bridgeton's school system, attempts to send gas pipelines straight through the Pinelands, community development strategies for Atlantic City, and "says nice things" about Camden – all in one place. SJ Planner represents my attempt at just that.
A few disclaimers regarding what this blog is and is not:
1. This blog IS NOT a daily news feed. I've tried blogging in the past and made it a goal to write every single day. The only result was burnout after a couple of months and an abandoned journal-style blog. If I write when I am impassioned, which is often, I'm sure it will be enough!
2. This blog IS NOT a one man show. I would like to feature other voices from the region and from the networks I form working here. There are wonderful people doing wonderful work here and they deserve an outlet.
3. This blog IS an attempt at learning. I am just beginning my graduate education as a planner and, to be blunt, I feel I know very little. Research indicates that forming long-term knowledge and expertise can be fostered by synthesizing knowledge into a new form. I have chosen to blog my new forms. As I learn more about transit policy and analysis, housing, and economic development, I believe the opinions expressed here will grow more informed and more cogent.
4. And as a corollary, this blog IS a forum for informed debate. I am not infallible and I reserve the right to alter my opinions, and the fervency with which I defend them, as I see fit. I have no trouble admitting when I am wrong and this is an essential part of learning (see #3). In fact, if you spot a hole in an argument, you're obliged to tell me.
5. This IS a forum for expressing new ideas. I have lots of ideas, most of them half-baked and not given enough consideration. Others are fundamentally flawed. At their heart, however, are my genuine hopes and aspirations for our fine South Jersey. I've traveled internationally, and I've visited almost every state in the U.S., and there's nowhere I would rather engage, explore, advocate, and dwell. Okay, I love Perú just as much, but lets focus on one blog for now.
If these points resonate with you, please join me!
Best,
Lew
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