American Planning Association AICP Exam - Topic 7 Question 58 Discussion

Question

ScenarioYou are a planner in a city that has recently opened a new shelter for homeless people. The shelter opens each evening during the winter and provides a place for people to sleep during the night in dormitory-style rooms with cots. Some community members would like the shelter closed because they feel that the large number of people who congregate on the sidewalks near the shelter as they wait for it to open pose a threat to public safety. Your planning director decides to address these concerns by classifying the shelter as a hotel. The planning director knows that the zoning ordinance specifies that a hotel must provide private sleeping quarters, which the shelter does not. By classifying the shelter as a hotel, the planning director is taking steps to close the shelter based on the ground that it is in violation of the zoning ordinance. Suppose you believe that the planning director has assumed a position that is not politically feasible and consequently will be reversed. What might you do?

Cordelia · Accepted Answer

A) See the solution below
You might choose to take no action. However, waiting until a higher authority reverses poor or unethical planning decisions is not the best course of action for a professional planner. Also, remember that a professional planner does have a special responsibility to plan for the needs of the disadvantaged (Ethical Principle 1)

Cordelia · Answer

B) See the solution below
You might choose to take no action. However, waiting until a higher authority reverses poor or unethical planning decisions is not the best course of action for a professional planner.