Citizen Planner Training Collaborative

The Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC) provides local Massachusetts planning and zoning officials with guidance and tools to make effective decisions regarding their community’s current and future land use. CPTC’s mission is to empower land use officials to make effective and judicious decisions in the areas of development, transportation, natural resources and the environment by providing training and educational opportunities, access to information and resources, and by enhancing cooperation among and integration of land use boards within local government.

CPTC plays an important role in the local planning and permitting process by training and educating Planning Board and Zoning Board of Appeals members in their roles and responsibilities as board members, the statutes they administer and enforce, and how to establish a sound and legally defensible decision-making process. Given that many communities do not have professional planning staff and that there is significant turnover in planning and zoning board membership, CPTC provides added capacity at the municipal level for these decision makers on an ongoing basis.

CPTC offers:

  • Training workshops delivering a Level I and Level 2 core curriculum, taught across the state by expert attorneys and professional planners.
  • Annual Conference addressing important land use issues on a more in-depth basis.
  • On Demand Training by request to any community wishing to focus on a specific topic.
  • Internet access to core training units, a bylaw collection, many planning related links, and training calendars.

Please visit www.masscptc.org to learn more.