On this date five years ago, I started The Foggiest Idea with the goal of “making Long Island’s complex land use issues approachable to the public.”
My first piece was published in my local hometown paper, the Three-Village Times Beacon Record, and was entitled Redevelopment ‘Comprehensive Plans’ Mislead the Public. The piece, inspired by my graduate studies at Stony Brook University, argued for data-backed urban planning that is comprehensive in scope, and local in implementation.
Since then, I am proud to say that my work on land use and development has appeared in Long Island Business News, Newsday, Pacific Standard, New York Daily News, Crain’s New York Business, New York Magazine, New Geography, and anywhere else that I’ve written to promote policymakers to #ThinkRegionally, and capture the values of #SoundPlanning.
Five years later, I still work every day to make these complex issues approachable to the public. There is still much work to be done. Unfortunately, the words I wrote in 2010 still are relevant in today’s development climate:
“Other downtowns seek revitalization and growth, but their collective approach is haphazard. It is one thing to draft a comprehensive plan, but it is another to draft a plan that is smart, practical and feasible. It is frustrating to witness, and as Dr. Lee Koppelman, Long Island’s veteran master planner has said countless times, “They don’t have the foggiest idea!” He’s right. We, as Long Islanders, deserve better.”
Thanks to your continued readership – and constant support – perhaps one day they will.
Richard Murdocco
You can read my original piece here. #GetaFoggyIdea
