planning

Whether you’re walking, riding a bike, in a car, truck, 18-wheeler, or futuristic hovercraft, we all want to get to our destination safely and efficiently. Not only are the ways we might travel unique, but our abilities can also vary due to age, health, and other challenges. Unfortunately, roads often do not accommodate all the different ways we might travel. Paths that were once traversed by sure-footed cows became narrow rural roads to accommodate speedy cars and trucks.

As New Hampshire emerges from its warmest winter on record[1], it is becoming abundantly clear that the impacts of climate change are already here. Across New Hampshire, communities are experiencing a wide range of impacts – including sea level rise, catastrophic storms, flooding, and impacts to tourism and agriculture. When confronted by a problem of such enormous complexity and scale as climate change, it can be difficult for communities to know where to begin or what might be done.

One of NHMA’s major initiatives for 2024 is establishing a strategic plan to guide the organization’s direction over the next several years. According to the NH Center for Nonprofits, strategic planning is “big picture thinking” about the direction the organization is taking and the way it is fulfilling its mission. Often, specific goals, objectives, strategies, and resources are included in the strategic plan as a means to deliver on the mission, and the perspective of a broad range of stakeholders is often included.

What is Planning?

It may surprise you to know that land use planning topics can come up in the dentist chair, when talking with a neighbor, reading the paper, or in whispers by your hairdresser. How is that true? Simple, people talk about change, growth, and preservation of the land, water, and even air. Whether it is a new brewery coming to town, a small subdivision down the street, or when a building had been vacant – now a new furniture repair and antique store is moving in: people talk about land use changes all the time.

The information contained in this article is not intended as legal advice and may no longer be accurate due to changes in the law. Consult NHMA's legal services or your municipal attorney.