By JIM GENARO

Through a group process that brings together people of diverse and conflicting interests, the City of Asheville could develop and implement a master plan that would promote vitality and economic growth while improving quality of life, Edward Starkie told an audience of about 100 people at the Asheville Community Theater last Thursday evening.

Starkie, a consultant based in Portland, Ore., has won three awards from the American Planning Association and has helped several cities develop master plans. His talk was sponsored by the Asheville Downtown Association.

He began by saying that Asheville ìlooks like a great place. Why do yíall need a master plan?î

Answering his own question, Starkie noted that the city is undergoing intense development pressure, which has surpassed the expectations of residents.

He compared the perspective of Ashevillians who have lived here for years to watching a wave start to gather.
ìAnd then you realize itís a tidal wave,î he said. ìThat economic-development pressure is a real good reason for putting a master plan together.î

Specifically, Starkie said, the city should focus on its downtown.

ìEmployers view downtown as an indicator of civic engagement,î he told the audience. ìThe expression for having a good time is ëweíll go to town,í not ëweíll go to the strip malls.íî

Among the factors that contribute to a vital downtown, Starkie said, are good mass transit systems, a mix of uses, a diversified tax base and ìsuperbly walkable streetsî ó meaning streets with trees, wide sidewalks and awnings.

ìStreets actually are cultural artifacts that help sell the business district,î he elaborated.

Starkie acknowleged the fears that many residents have about the rapid development the city is experiencing.
ìThey fear they are going to lose the beautiful place that you all have built up for the past 25 years, and thatís not an unfounded fear,î Starkie said.

To avoid such an outcome, he added, the city needs to ìcreate a vision of change over time through a public process that engages all parties and results in a physical design that can be implemented.î

It is important, he said, for people with widely different opinions to meet and debate and come up with solutions together. By doing so, the city will come up with better solutions than by consulting with experts.

He cited studies that have shown that when a large number of people make educated guesses about a puzzle ó such as the number of jelly beans in a jar or the weight of an object ó their collective average is usually far more accurate than any expertís opinion.

ìDiversity minimizes errors,î he added.

Therefore, he argued, the city should bring together environmentalists, urban planners, developers, affordable-housing advocates and regular citizens, as it seeks a master plan that meets everyoneís needs.

In typical planning sessions that he organizes, Starkie puts people with such contrasting positions together to work on specific issues.

That way, ìyou donít get to just complain or deal with a single issue,î he added.

Stakie noted that as plans are laid for specific area, a ìsensitivity to the context of the placeî needs to be considered. Infill development can be an excellent way of using space better, if it is sensitive to the historical and topological context of the area.

Once a plan is in place, with specific recommendations as to what type of development would be allowed in each part of the city, it would not be mandatory, but could serve as a guide for developers, he suggested.

By demonstrating that a plan fits the master plan, developers could get approval much faster than by going the traditional route of applying for permits, thus giving an economic incentive for compliance, Starkie noted.