The Best Laid Plans explores the often byzantine world of planning and affordable housing development, in simple, readable terms. It exposes the fallacies and examines the history and unintended consequences of an antiquated, "top down," decision-making process, largely controlled by unaccountable government bureaucracies, that produces outsized financial gains for the few at the expense of small communities. As we move into an era when sustainable solutions are no longer optional, the lessons of this book resonate far beyond the small towns of Marin County, California.