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I love cities. Big or small, intensely urban or rural village, in this region or all over the world, I am fascinated by what makes them work – or doesn’t.

What I’d like to explore with you in this space every couple of weeks is the relationship of planning to the long-term vitality of our cities and towns, especially the quality of our communities. And I don’t just mean environmental quality or architectural quality, but the overall life experience of the residents of a given place. That certainly includes what people do to make a living and where they do it. It also includes where and how they live, recreate and interact with their family and friends.

I was raised in Southern California, got an undergraduate degree in architecture at Stanford University, served as an architect in the Peace Corps in Peru and got a masters in urban planning at the University of Virginia. My planning career started in Roseburg in 1977, progressed to Clackamas County and then to the Port of Portland. I then worked in private practice with PB Placemaking, and later I worked the city of Portland.

So I’ve had a variety of experiences in the planning arena and continue to be active both as a consultant and as the president of the Oregon Chapter of the American Planning Association. In these few words every other week I hope to share some of the new ideas that are being discussed in professional circles and be a bit provocative in challenging all of us to work harder to improve our communities and our lives through thoughtful planning.

Brian Campbell writes about planning issues in the Portland region and the Pacific Northwest.