Long Range Planning Choose a topic: Contacts Comprehensive Plan Overview (pdf) Community Facilities Plan (pdf) General Land Use Plan (pdf) Transportation Plan (pdf) Frequently Asked Questions (Facts About Mobile) General Information Location and Driving Directions and Map Links of Interest Office Business Hours Staff Photos Web Mapping A Consolidated Plan and Strategy 2003 (pdf) Smart Growth for Mobile Policy Document (pdf) General Information: As more and more people begin to accumulate on less and less land, individual will and enterprise cannot meet the growing demand for growth and order; thus, planning becomes necessary. Planning as a profession arose during the 1890’s as a result of the urban reform movement. City planning examines the physical, social and economic aspects of an urban community and strives to establish a comprehensive framework for community development. While Mobile progressed for two centuries without the benefits of planning, it did become essential to establish a City Planning Department in the late 1940’s. Today, problems of crime, conflict, congestion and pollution threaten to overwhelm our cities. Therefore, planning has evolved to meet the changing needs of these cities, whereby helping to provide a healthy social and economic environment. Long Range Planning became a section of the Urban Development Department as a result of a merger of the Land Use and Code Administration Department with the Comprehensive Planning Department. This strategic merger was undertaken in September of 1996 to better coordinate the services of long range planning and regulatory and code enforcement. Combining these resources allows the City to maximize its resources, improve services and implement a focused/progressive state-of-the-art planning model that will take Mobile into the 21st Century. One of the ways the Long Range Planning Section of the Urban Development Department strives to meet the challenges faced by our City is by developing and maintaining the City’s Comprehensive Plan (pdf), which consists of three components: Community Facilities Plan (pdf) General Land Use Plan (pdf) Transportation Plan (pdf) The Long Range Planning Section also produces and stocks a wide variety of reports and studies that are accessible to the public including information on land use, population, comprehensive plans, and environmental housing reviews. In addition, the Long Range Planning Section maintains an extensive planning library of informative books, documents, census bureau publications and journals available for on-site use. A professional planning staff is available to assist with these resources and provide written/verbal information concerning a wide variety of planning and related topics. For further information please contact our office by calling (251) 208-7444 or via e-mail at hoffmanb@cityofmobile.org. Reports & Studies Available for Sale and/or Review: 1995 Comprehensive Plan (pdf) 1998 Consolidated Planning Strategy 2001 Action Plan 1996 MLK Redevelopment Plan 1996 Downtown Redevelopment Plan (“String of Pearls”) 1971 The Plan for Fort Conde Plaza 1974 Nineteenth Century Mobile Architecture - An Inventory of Existing Buildings (back to top) Location Government Plaza Building 205 Government Street 3rd Floor, South Tower Mobile, AL 36644 Driving Directions and Map Go south on I-65 South Merge onto I-10 East via exit number 0 - on the left Continue East take exit - exit number 26B, Water Street Turn left onto US-90/US -98 Government Street Government Plaza is on the Southeast corner of Government Street and Joachim Street. (click for map) (back to top) Contacts Contact Information   Phone Number E-mail Bert Hoffman (251) 208-5895 hoffmanb@cityofmobile.org Fax (251) 208-5986   (back to top) Links of Interest: www.census.gov www.mobcham.org (back to top) Office Business Hours 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday Staff hours for telephone contact purposes: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday (back to top) Frequently Asked Questions (Facts About Mobile): Choose a topic: What is the area of Mobile in square miles? What is the population of Mobile? What is the annual average growth rate of Mobile? What is the U. S. Population Rank (2000) for Mobile? What is the population by race and ethnicity of Mobile? What is the median household income for Mobile? What information is available regarding housing in Mobile? What is the median family income for Mobile? The following is a general list of frequently asked questions in the Long Range Planning Section and should not be considered comprehensive. Information should be verified with the Department before making any business decisions. If you have further questions please contact us by phone at (251) 208-7444 or via e-mail at hoffmanb@cityofmobile.org Area in Square Miles (Source: City of Mobile, GIS Department) Mobile City 156.9 Square miles (Land and Water) (back to top) Population (Source: U. S. Census Bureau) 2000 198,915 1990 196,278 1980 200,452 (back to top) Annual Average Growth Rate (Source: Urban Development Department, Long Range Planning Section) 1980 to 1990 -2.10% 1990 to 2000 1.30% (back to top) U. S. Population Rank (2000) (Source: U. S. Census Ranking of Incorporated Places of 100,000 or more, Ranked by Population) 89 Montgomery, AL 90 Shreveport, LA 91 Augusta-Richmond County, GA 92 Lubbock, TX 93 Chesapeake, VA 94 Mobile, AL 95 Des Moines, IA 96 Grand Rapids, MI 97 Richmond, VA 98 Yonkers, NY 99 Spokane, WA (back to top) Population by Race and Ethnicity (Source: U. S. Census Bureau, 2000 Restricting Data) White 50.4% Black or African American 46.3% American Indian and Alaska Native 0.2% Asian 1.5% Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander 0.0% Other Race 0.5% Of Hispanic Origin 1.4% (back to top) Median Household Income (Source: 2000 Census of Population and Housing) $31,445 (back to top) Housing (Source: 2000 Census of Population and Housing) Total Housing Units 86,152 Median Value of Single Family House $81,400 (back to top) Median Family Income (Source: 2000 Census of Population and Housing) $39,752 (back to top) Staff Photos Bert Hoffman Planner II (back to top)