Land Use Planning
More than 10,000 Pennsylvanians serve on 1,700 municipal and county planning commissions. Another 6,000-7,000 serve on zoning hearing boards or are involved in the day-to-day administration of some 1,600 municipal zoning ordinances. These dedicated volunteers are the foundation of planning in the Commonwealth, but there are very few places where they can learn the planning skills and knowledge necessary for them to avoid potentially costly mistakes in their his role. Education is a key in preparing them to be leaders capable of effectively carrying out planning and land use regulations in their communities.
The Pennsylvania Municipal Planning Education Institute (PMPEI) was established in 1992 for the purpose of providing courses in community planning and land use regulations for planning commissioners, zoning hearing board members, zoning administrators, elected officials, and others with an interest or involvement in planning. Since 1992 more than 7,000 people have attended PMPEI courses.
PMPEI Mission
The mission of PMPEI is to develop in-depth, stimulating, and interactive educational experiences for citizen planners, zoners, appointed and elected municipal and county officials, and professionals involved in planning. PMPEI’s Planning and Zoning Course Program is committed to this goal and incorporates these features:
- A unified body of knowledge based on the PA Municipalities Planning Code
- In-depth instruction in the fundamentals of planning and land use regulation
- Accessible to students at convenient locations throughout the Commonwealth
- Taught by trained and experienced instructors who combine technical planning knowledge and teaching skills
PMPEI Educational Collaboration
The Institute is an educational collaboration of Penn State Cooperative Extension and the Pennsylvania Planning Association.
- Penn State Cooperative Extension extends Penn State University to the citizens of the Commonwealth through its network of county-based offices and provides non-formal education in the areas of community development, family and youth development, and agriculture. All of the resources of Penn State are made available through the Cooperative Extension System.
- The Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association is the state chapter of the national American Planning Association. Chapter members include citizen planners and zoning officials, professional planners, elected officials, and others who are involved in local planning activities. In addition to statewide activities, the Chapter offers programs through its six local Sections.
These two organizations established PMPEI to provide a unique educational service that would improve planning in Pennsylvania through education.
Supporting this educational collaboration is the Pennsylvania State Association of Boroughs which provides valuable administrative, monitoring, financial and scheduling assistance.
Learn more about PMPEI by viewing this informational presentation.
For more information, contact Stanford Lembeck, AICP or Terri Dickow
