An Introduction

Hello.

The mission of my writing is to inform the public about the principles of good planning and design on Long Island. Good planning means that plans are based on the best available data-based science and that true community/public participation occurs throughout the whole process.

I am a lifelong Long Islander, and it is my goal to ensure that moving forward, policymakers develop Long Island in accordance with sound planning principles.

As for my background, I studied both Political Science and Urban Studies at Fordham University. My senior thesis was entitled Land Use and Development on Long Island and can be found on Fordham's website. I worked within the New York City Mayor's Office of Capital Project Development, where I conducted research. I decided to return to school, and went to SUNY Stony Brook for my Masters in Public Policy (MAPP). There, I focused my studies on both regional and environmental planning under Dr. Lee Koppelman, Long Island's veteran planner. I am very interested in land use and planning issues, and find that the topics are both hobbies and my profession. My writing on planning has been published in various media, including local papers and online. Currently, I work for the Long Island Pine Barrens Society. The views of my writing are my own, and do not represent the Pine Barrens Society in any way.

Thank you for reading this blog. If you have topic suggestions, please feel free to email me at rich.murdocco@gmail.com, or leave a comment below. A collection of my published work can be found at http://richmurdocco.blogspot.com/.

Also, be sure to follow me on Twitter on @TheFoggiestIdea, which led Newsday to highlight me as a "Long Islander to follow."

Thanks for reading,
Richard J. Murdocco (RJM)