by Frank Hebbert, Associate Planner, RPA
If you were a member of RPA in the '30s, your regional planning news was delivered monthly by mail in the Bulletin of the Regional Plan Association. I have several volumes on my desk, and dip into them when I want to put some of today's efforts in context. The Bulletin was beautifully produced. The print is crisp, the black and white photos sharp, and the tone grand: "Two Great Plans Are Outlined", "Close Up of Plan Makes Great Hit - Extra Copies In Demand - Colleges, Schools, Businesses and Clubs All Want It", "Tidying Up New York: Regional Plan Endorses Movement and Makes Suggestions."
Things are a little different these days. For about a decade now, our updates have been electronic. Spotlight on the Region hits your email inboxes every two weeks, containing three staff-written articles on the day's topics, including project updates, personal reflections and topical opinion pieces. Past issues are also accessible on our website where you can leave criticism and feedback on each article, engaging us in two-way dialog in ways that the Bulletin - or even the email version of Spotlight - could not. We're not slacking off between Spotlights either: we post brief updates on rpa.org each week, and our lively Twitter feed gives the daily buzz in our offices and updates from around the region.
Our latest innovation is an experimental podcast version of Spotlight. Podcasts combine the timeless excellence of radio with the convenience of portable music players and cell phones. You can listen to Spotlight anytime, anywhere on your mp3 player. RPA staff will record their articles and save them to iTunes; you can subscribe to Spotlight Podcasts and your iPod will automatically fetch fresh editions as they are added. We're not yet experienced with this medium, so we welcome your feedback on what you're hearing and missing.
From the Bulletin in the mail to the podcast in your earbuds. Quite a journey. Whether you're reading or listening, we hope Spotlight continues to entertain and inform you.
Subscribe to the RPA Spotlight Podcast (iTunes Link)
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