Illinois Takes First Step to Support Local Planning

Abstract Updating a state's planning legislation is probably not an easy task anywhere in the nation. But a state like Illinois—which has had a great deal of local planning, but little tradition for state planning assistance—proved to be an especially difficult venue for reform. Planning advocates in Illinois had to convince the state's opinion leaders and its elected and appointed officials that there was even a need for a change. This article explores the four-year process that resulted in the passage of the first major planning law change in Illinois since the 1920s, the Local Planning Technical Assistance Act.