At a February 2011 meeting, Upper Holmesburg residents review neighborhood plans. Civic Association member Paul DeFinis (not pictured) is a graduate of the Citizens Planning Institute. File Photo/Shannon McDonald

Philadelphia has a relatively new citywide comprehensive plan, Phila2035, and a new zoning code. To help residents better understand both and put their lessons to use in their neighborhoods, the City Planning Commission introduced its Citizens Planning Institute.

Thirty people graduated from the program recently, bringing the total number of citizen planners to 89 since the courses began last Fall. PlanPhilly has a list of the most recent graduates. Most hail from parts of South, West and Southwest Philadelphia, with a few North Philadelphia residents sprinkled in. None of the 3o new members is from the Northeast.

By our count, just one Northeast resident has completed the program — Upper Holmesburg Civic Association board member Paul DeFinis.

“His participation in the CPI led directly to the Upper Holmesburg Goals and Strategies Report,” City Planning Commission community planner Ian Litwin told NEast Philly.

That report was developed in partnership with the Planning Commission and UHCA during a series of meetings at which residents discussed ways to improve Torresdale Avenue, the Delaware River waterfront and other neighborhood aspects.

The next round of CPI courses begins in April and applications will be available March 1. Not everyone is accepted and preference is given to those already involved in their neighborhoods, but all are encouraged to apply.

Have you applied for a spot in the Citizens Planning Institute? Tell us why (or why not) you’re interested in the program in the comments section below.

Editor’s note: We’ve corrected the name of the city’s comprehensive plan, which is still called Phila2035.