A community that plans is a community that shapes its future instead of simply letting it happen. This forward-thinking can be as broad as a 20-year plan for the entire city to an immediate need to address issues along a corridor or in a neighborhood.

Melissa works with communities and their stakeholders to understand the issues, establish a vision for the future, and identify actions to achieve that vision. Her work includes many types of planning: comprehensive, land use, transportation, area or neighborhood, military facility, parks, and hazard mitigation.