Equal access to job and housing opportunities. Optimal health outcomes. An expanding economic landscape. These are all qualities of vibrant, connected communities—made possible by well-designed, achievable plans.
Harris & Associates’ Community Planning services factor in all the diverse elements contributing to a community’s well-being, with careful consideration of resources at every step. Our strategic advisors and planners, drawing on our firm’s vast experience in engineering, construction management, and housing, collaborate with municipal leaders and communities to establish a vision along with the goals, policies, actions, and financing options for making it a reality.
Planning for a Sustainable Future
Across the entire spectrum of community improvements, Harris draws from a unique breadth of expertise with complex, interconnected systems to account for the domino effect today’s planning decisions will have far into the future. We bring climate change, resilience, technology, and sustainability to every aspect of planning to support thriving communities that meet the most stringent requirements.
Given the importance of public participation in community planning, Harris also garners support from residents to develop equitable plans that meet the entire community’s needs.
Related People
Brochure
Urban Footprint
Harris is proud to partner with UrbanFootprint—a cloud-based scenario planning tool designed to help land use planners, the public, and decision makers understand and communicate the impacts and trade-offs of land use decisions using scientific research and data about real places where people live and work.
Envision® Sustainable Infrastructure Rating System
Harris & Associates is a proud charter member of the Envision® sustainable infrastructure rating system. This system provides a holistic framework for evaluating and rating the community, environmental, and economic benefits of all types and sizes of infrastructure projects.
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General Plans
General Plans
Harris helps communities convert lessons learned and vision into comprehensive plans that anticipate future challenges and align with statewide goals. Using state-of-the-art data and scenario planning tools, our planners analyze the impacts and benefits of numerous land use and mobility planning scenarios to help leaders shape their communities of the future. We also catalyze productive public engagement throughout the planning process to account for each community’s unique priorities.
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Community Plans
Community Plans
In alignment with the General Plan, Harris helps deliver Community Plans that resolve local conflicts and determine effective paths forward. Our services include support for housing element strategies and implementation plans, along with state and local funding application assistance.
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Specific Plans
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Master Plans
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Long-Range Development Plans (LRDP)
Long-Range Development Plans (LRDP)
Focused on the what, how, and where of buildings and open spaces, Harris advises clients on plans that comply with current regulations while anticipating future needs. For UC San Diego’s Hillcrest Campus and others, our detailed environmental studies and technical analyses inform vital decisions.
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Risk + Resilience
Risk + Resilience
Harris delivers a tailored approach to help cities create resilient communities. We factor societal and economic systems, regulations, and data into the process to identify potential risks and improve communities’ ability to recover from shocks to critical systems from natural disasters and exacerbating impacts caused by climate change.
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Climate Action Plans
Climate Action Plans
Cities and counties today are actively accounting for the impacts of climate change and the greenhouse gas emissions quantification monitoring, reporting, and verifications required to address a communities contribution to climate change. Harris’ climate change analysts help create climate action plans that reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce vulnerability, increase resilience, and streamline the CEQA process.
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Housing
Housing
Harris assists local governments in assessing community housing needs for all income levels and in developing responsive housing element strategies. We also conduct pro forma analyses and financial reviews of housing development proposals, including property tax projections, and help with funding applications and reporting.