Long Island Planner Launches TheFoggiestIdea.Org
New site offers Long Island residents accessible, approachable information on land use and
development processes
SYOSSET, NY – If you live, work, develop, protect or represent Long Island, www.TheFoggiestIdea.org is your go-to resource for local land use issues and development processes.
Launched in October 2013, TheFoggiestIdea.org, was created to make Long Island’s development processes easily accessible for residents so they can help to make sound, informed policy decisions. The site was born from popular land use blog The Foggiest Idea, developed by Richard Murdocco, who started it three years ago while pursuing his Masters in Public Policy at Stony Brook University.
“I started The Foggiest Idea with the goal of making complicated local land use issues approachable to the public, while putting my education to work,” said Murdocco.
By providing commentary and policy analysis, The Foggiest Idea has become a go-to resource for policymakers, journalists and the media on land use issues across Long Island. “When I look at the analytics for the site, I am always glad to see a wide array of users who come to the site looking for answers to specific questions.” Murdocco said. “To me, as long as these issues are being discussed in a public forum, the process is working.”
The Foggiest Idea is an assembly of policy analysis articles on the issues of the day. The articles have appeared in print and online publications such as Newsday, Long Island Business News, The Long Island Press, the NYMuniBlog, local Patch.com sites and more, and serve as a research tool for people interested in anything Long Island-related.
“At Stony Brook, we were taught that sound government policies were created by an informed public,” added Murdocco. “To me, The Foggiest Idea is my contribution to making Long Island a better place for all who live here.”
Ela Dokonal, AICP, LEED and Director of the American Planning Association’s Long Island Section spoke on role of information and data for urban planning “The delicate balance of protecting our environment while promoting social equity and economic growth should be achieved at all scales, but the only way to maintain a balance is to keep looking at a big picture. Long Islanders are continuously searching for a go-to resource for regionally related issues presented in an approachable, easy to find manner. The APA Long Island Section is hoping to see TheFoggiestIdea.org becoming that resource.”
“The FoggiestIdea.org is important to the regional planning efforts of Nassau and Suffolk Counties and fills an unmet need for the public to be informed of the issues,” said Martin R. Cantor, CPA, Ed.D Director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy. “Only through public education as TheFoggiestIdea.Org can deliver will Long Island harness its resources to grow as a region.”
“Mr. Murdocco has spoken at the Long Island Chapter of the Institute of Internal Auditor’s Annual Conference, where he shared his insights with over 100 participants, who were quite impressed with his knowledge and passion for our region,” said Roy Garbarino, President of the Long Island IIA. “Rich is a valuable and spirited advocate for Long Island and works diligently to make it a better place, and I am sure TheFoggiestIdea.org will figure prominently in forming a bright future for Long Island.”
Mr. Murdocco is always available as a news source, for a quote, or for speaking engagements on policy issues.
The resource is currently live at www.TheFoggiestIdea.org.
About Richard Murdocco:
Murdocco graduated from Fordham University in 2009 with his BA in both Political Science and Urban Studies. In 2010, Murdocco received his MA in Public Policy from Stony Brook University, where he studied regional planning with Dr. Lee Koppelman, Long Island’s veteran planner. Murdocco writes regularly on regional land use issues. Murdocco serves on the American Planning Association’s Long Island Section Steering Committee, and is a proud Long Islander.
###
