ECOLOGICALLY BASED MUNICIPAL LAND USE PLANNING http://www.crcpress.com

A new book that provides nuts and bolts solutions for controlling urban sprawl, emphasizing the integration of federal, state, and local land use plans. The book discusses ecological resources and provides practical solutions that municipal planners can implement immediately and how scientific data can be applied to the local land use planning process. (December 1999, CRC Press, ISBN 1566704065)

COMMUNITIES BY CHOICE http://www.communitiesbychoice.org

A virtual community made up of people who share a common interest in building sustainable communities. The purpose is to foster learning among sustainable community development practitioners by providing them with access to the best sustainable community development resources available. The site features:

• Communities by Choice: An Introduction to Sustainable Community Development;
• Thinking About Forever: A Living Workbook for Sustainable Communities;
• Choosing a Different Path: 10 Steps for Building a Sustainable Community Community Center; and
• Resources for sustainable decision-making.

CREATING QUALITY PLACES: SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITIES BY DESIGN http://www.marc.org/cqp.htm

An initiative of the Mid-America Regional Council intended to offer an opportunity for planners, developers, builders, architects, civic leaders, elected officials, and private citizens to engage in a regional dialogue on how to encourage quality development in all parts of the Kansas City metro area. A series of draft principles for homes and neighborhoods, commercial development, and transportation and open space systems have been developed for use in a series of public forums. Creating Quality Places is made possible in part by a grant from EPA¹s Sustainable Development Challenge Grant program.

SMART GROWTH: MYTH AND FACT http://www.uli.org/Pub/Media/A_issues/A_SmL4_Myth.pdf

Dealing with misconceptions about smart growth? This booklet investigates eight common myths and counters them with data and examples of development and public policies that work. Myth and Fact doesn¹t offer solutions, but provides information to elevate the level of the smart growth discussion. Published by the Urban Land Institute.

TURNING BROWNFIELDS INTO GREENBACKS http://www.uli.org/Pub/Pages/d_search/books/T05.cfm

A practical guide to redeveloping brownfields, this book offers realistic methods and techniques you can use to turn contaminated land into a profit opportunity. Both developers and public officials will learn which brownfields are good candidates for redevelopment, and what subsidies and other inducements are needed to encourage it. The guide describes more than 50 tools and strategies will help you maneuver through government regulations, secure sources of financing, reduce liability, undertake remediation, and get loan guarantees and assurances. The book also includes expert advice on managing the brownfields redevelopment process and features thirteen case studies. Published by the Urban Land Institute.

SMART GROWTH MATCHMAKER PROGRAM http://www.lgc.org/clc/matchmaking/info.html

Sponsored by the Center for Livable Communities, this program is intended to bring developers and local government officials together to design and build Smart Growth projects in local communities.

COVERING URBAN SPRAWL: RETHINKING THE AMERICAN DREAM http://www.rtndf.org/shop/sprawl/index.html

Intended to help reporters and producers cover issues related to urban sprawl, this guide provides a host of story ideas, a comprehensive list of national and local contacts, key statistics, and valuable background information. Published by the Radio and Television News Directors Association.

NATIONAL SHOWCASE WATERSHEDS http://www.epa.gov/owow/showcase/

This site recognizes exemplary stream corridor restoration projects under EPA¹s Clean water Action Plan. These projects focus on improving water quality, the natural environment, and the local community. Selected projects represent a variety of geographic locations and conditions, a balance of management and design, strong local, tribal and state leadership, public and private land use mix, and partnerships in stream corridor restoration. This website celebrates these successful projects as examples of accomplishments through restoration.

MAPPING THE JOURNEY: CASE STUDIES IN STRATEGY AND ACTION TOWARD SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com/catalogue/mapping.htm

This new book presents a series of in-depth case studies from around the world based on numerous personal interviews with organizational leaders, focusing on their journey toward sustainability. The book is intended to provide visions of a more sustainable future and to shed light on the path, milestones, and solutions to provide direction for others to follow. Mapping the Journey features both public and private organizations, including Sony Corporation, SC Johnson, Patagonia, Volvo, Interface, DaimlerChrysler, and the Dutch National Environmental Policy Plan.

PEDESTRIAN- AND TRANSIT-FRIENDLY DESIGN: A PRIMER FOR SMART GROWTH http://bookstore.icma.org

This primer, based on a manual prepared for the Florida Department of Transportation, illustrates features both essential and desirable to encourage pedestrian- and transit-friendly design. Published by the International City/County Management Association.

WATERSHED EVENTS: SMART GROWTH http://www.epa.gov/owow/info/WaterEventsNews/fall99/eventf99.html

The Fall 1999 issue of Watershed Events (a newsletter published by EPA¹s Office of Water) focuses on Smart Growth as an emerging concept that promotes better stewardship of land and water resources to make our communities more livable and sustainable. Articles include ³Smart Growth and the Watershed Approach: What's the Connection?² and ³What is Smart Growth?². The newsletter also features Tools for Smart Growth.

NATIONAL NEIGHBORHOOD INDICATORS PARTNERSHIP http://www.urban.org/nnip

A collaborative effort by the Urban Institute and local partners to further the development and use of neighborhood-level information systems in local policymaking and community building.

TOOLKIT FOR SMART GROWTH http://www.tea21.org/smartgrowth/default.htm

Developed by the Surface Transportation Policy Project and the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Toolkit for Smart Growth is a multi-year program of research and advocacy to stem the spread of automobile-dependent sprawl and promote more efficient patterns of metropolitan growth in the United States. The Toolkit offers fact sheets, research reports, bibliographies, planning guides, essays, and internet links to help local leaders and concerned citizens make more informed decisions about land use, infrastructure, and fiscal decisions, all of which affect growth in their communities. Features include:

• The Path to Smart Growth Links and Resources;
• PracticingSmart Growth: Familiar Problems, Innovative Solutions;
• LandUse and Planning Tools for Smart Growth;
• A Transportation Planner¹s Guide to Smart Growth; and
• A Taxpayer¹s Guide to Smart Growth.

SUSTAINABLE CITY http://www.global-vision.org/cities.html

A collaborative research endeavour to create a computer simulation program for any town or city to see itself ­ and its surrounding environment ­ as a whole system. Intended to facilitate the local implementation of Agenda 21, the Sustainable City project is being developed by Global Vision Corporation, an NGO affiliated with the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development.

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: SUGGESTED SOURCES FOR PRACTICE AND THEORY http://comm-dev.org/sections/practice/biblio.htm

A bibliography on sustainable community development published by the Community Development Society.

SMART GROWTH INDEX http://www.crit.com/smartgrowth.htm

A GIS sketch model for simulating alternative land-use and transportation scenarios, and evaluating their outcomes using indicators of environmental performance. Sketches can be prepared and analyzed for: regional growth management plans; comprehensive land-use plans; transportation plans; neighborhood plans; land development proposals; environmental impact reports; and special projects, such as brownfield redevelopment and annexation.

SEVEN WONDERS: EVERYDAY THINGS FOR A HEALTHIER PLANET http://www.northwestwatch.org/sevenwonders.html

What do ladybugs, clotheslines and condoms have in common? They are all simple everyday objects that can make the Earth a healthier place. In Seven Wonders: Everyday Things for a Healthier Planet, author John Ryan presents "the seven sustainable wonders of the world": seven practical tools that can improve our lives and help reduce our colossal environmental impacts to a level the earth can support. The Seven Wonders pass what Ryan calls the Dalai Lama test: everyone on Earth can use them without overwhelming the natural world ­ a feat that few artifacts of our modern society can match. Published by Northwest Environment Watch.

BUILDING YOUR COMMUNITY'S PROBLEM SOLVING CAPACITIES http://www.ncl.org/ncl/cat1.htm

A series of articles offering insights from the National Civic League¹s Community Assistance Team. The articles provide advice to communities on how they can build their capacity for problem solving, and thus help resolve difficult local challenges. Topics include citizen participation, community leadership, government performance, community information sharing, volunteerism and philanthropy, community vision and pride, and capacity for cooperation and consensus building.

MARYLAND SMART GROWTH CODES & ORDINANCES http://www.op.state.md.us/smartgrowth/smartcode/smartcode.htm

In July of 1999, Maryland Governor Parris N. Glendening created the Smart Codes Strategy Group and a smaller Steering Committee to develop Smart Growth recommendations for Maryland's existing building codes and development regulations. The Governor charged the Group to find innovative ways to strengthen existing communities through redevelopment and reduce the land and infrastructure costs of new Smart Growth development. Based on proposals generated during meetings of the Strategy Group, the Steering Committee is recommending two pieces of legislation to address rehabilitation of existing buildings and promote infill and compact mixed use developments.

O, SAY CAN YOU SEE: A VISUAL AWARENESS TOOL KIT FOR COMMUNITIES http://www.scenic.org/pubslist.htm

A collection of visual assessment exercises to help members of your community to open their eyes, assess local visual assets and think about how to preserve and enhance them. Published by scenic America.

DECISION-MAKING SOFTWARE FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY http://www.pnl.gov/edo/license/programs/fliers/feds.stm

The critical need to identify the best energy-saving systems and retrofits for companies, schools, state buildings, and federal facilities extends across the United States. The Facility Energy Decision System (FEDS) is a new software program that provides a comprehensive method for quickly and objectively identifying energy improvements that offer maximum savings. The FEDS 3.0 software makes assessments and analyzes energy efficiency in multiple buildings and at multiple sites. It provides an easy-to-use tool for identifying retrofits, selecting minimum life cycle costs, determining payback, and enabling users to prioritize options. FEDS provides the information needed to meet energy-efficiency project goals. Developed by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.

GREENPRINT GALLERY 1999 http://www.tpl.org/tpl/greenprint/gallery99.html

Highlights efforts nationwide to use land conservation as a smart- growth strategy. Today a record number of states and communities are working to preserve lands threatened by sprawl or inappropriate development. The Trust for the Public Land has singled out a few of these that have taken the next step of creating an integrated, long-term, land conservation program to meet smart growth goals. These programs protect drinking water, revitalize cities, help shape development, and preserve regional and community character in the face of growth. They reveal the many ways land conservation is becoming an essential smart growth tool.

EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES IN OHIO http://www.ag.ohio-state.edu/~esco/index.html

An Ohio State University Extension effort to help Ohio communities adopt and expand sustainable development initiatives. This effort emphasizes the development of creative processes to assist communities as they approach sustainable development.

EPA COLLECTION OF SOLID WASTE RESOURCES ­ FALL 1999 UPDATE http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/osw/cdoswpub.htm

EPA¹s Office of Solid Waste recently updated its guide to solid waste resources, adding over 40 publications developed over the past year. Topics include: municipal solid waste management, household hazardous waste, pay-as-you-throw, buying recycled, composting, and source reduction. The guide is published on CD- ROM.

FEDERAL INDEX OF INFORMATION RELEVANT TO SOURCE WATER ASSESSMENT AND PROTECTION http://www.epa.gov/safewater/protect/feddata.html

As part of the 1997 Clean Water Action Plan, Federal Agencies agreed to make relevant Federal information and analyses tools more accessible to state, tribal and local interests for completing source water assessment. The Federal Index is a compilation of readily accessible resources and is divided into four categories, paralleling the steps of an assessment and local protection: delineation, inventory, susceptibility, and protection.