Going to Print: Washington By and By

Washington State’s Graphic Novel About Planning

Extra! Extra! Read all about it! Washington By and By, the educational graphic novel about community planning in Washington state, is going to press, and the more copies we print, the less expensive each copy will be. Now is your organization’s opportunity to partner with the APA’s Washington Chapter and get low-cost printed copies of the book’s beautiful artwork depicting the rich diversity of our state. Contact the APA-WA office at [email protected] before February 28 to express interest in partnering.

The full-color, 48-page story follows the adventures of four teens from around the state as they grapple with the complex issues of development, equity, displacement, and preservation in their communities. It encourages readers to examine some critical questions about growth management: How does planning happen? Why does it matter? What is the role and responsibility of youth in shaping where they live – now and in the future?

Engaging youth in your planning processes reaps multiple rewards. Not only are your plans informed by fresh minds from a diversity of perspectives, your community has also sown seeds of civic participation and responsibility, which can flourish into active residents, community leaders, and professional planners of tomorrow. The graphic novel, with its appeal to young people, is a tool to help show that planning is not some mysterious thing but an accessible process that works best when people of all ages participate. Communities updating their Comprehensive Plans understand the importance of public engagement and reaching out to underrepresented groups.

Again, please contact the APA Washington Office at [email protected] by February 28 to learn how you could partner with the Chapter to get low-cost printed copies of Washington By and By.