planning

The Farmland Protection Action Guide: 24 Strategies for California

The Farmland Protection Action Guide: 24 Strategies for California (2002) was created to help decision-makers evaluate the policy options available to protect farmland and select strategies that best fit community needs.Read more »

Understanding the Habitat Conservation Planning Process in California

Understanding the Habitat Conservation Planning Process in California (2004) was designed to provide those who are involved in projects or planning efforts an understanding of the regulations and issues affecting protected species, focusing on the requirements for habitat conservation plans, and advice and recommendations regarding best approaches to project planning and regional conservation planning for protected species.Read more »

An Ounce of Prevention: Best Practices for Making Informed Land Use Decisions

An Ounce of Prevention focuses on the underlying procedures that are common to all land use decisions. It walks through the typical decision-making process - from design and drafting ordinances to issuing a final decision and hearing appeals - and identifies practical strategies to reduce the risk of litigation.Read more »

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Public Participation Tool for Land Use Decisions

Land use planning decisions involve technical terminology that many are unfamiliar with. The Institute has developed a series of plain-language descriptions of common land use decisions.Read more »

Healthy Planning Policies: A Compendium from California General Plans

Check out language from general plans that have gone a step beyond the traditional to build healthier communities

California Planners’ Book of Lists

Each year, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) conducts the Local Government Planning Survey to compile the latest information on local planning activities and special issues.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

The HUD website is the portal to federal housing and urban resources.

Planetizen

Planetizen is an information exchange for the urban planning and development community. To get their daily report about planning issues, go to their website and sign up by clicking on "e-mail" in the upper right-hand corner.

LUPIN: Land Use Planning and Information Network.

This website is part of the California Environmental Resources Evaluation System and features an extensive collection of zoning codes, plans, reports, and other resources.

Addressing California's Housing Shortage: Lessons from San Mateo County

Read more about the County of San Mateo's Threshold 2008, an ambitious public engagement initiative to address the shortage of affordable housing in the county. Read more »

Tackling Tough Issues with Civic Engagement: Affordable Housing

Involving the public in local decision-making may be more comfortable for local officials when addressing small or noncontroversial issues, but what happens when community leaders face a deeply divided community and anticipate many tense and difficult discussions? This is precisely the kind of situation where civic engagement strategies can make the largest contribution - in terms of exercising leadership and also in achieving community consensus and making wise decisions.Read more »

Richmond Plans for a More Healthy Future

The City of Richmond is using innovative methods to involve a diverse cross section of residents in updating its General Plan. The resulting plan will be one of the first in the nation to include an element that addresses the link between public health and the built environment.Read more »

Community Visioning Helps Guide City Plans

Community visioning processes help local governments involve residents in answering the questions, "What kind of community do we want to have?" and "Where do we want to go from here?" These processes differ from public engagement in crafting an area-specific plan or General Plan because the goal of visioning is to more broadly explore the values and priorities of residents related to the future of their communities, rather than considering the implementation of more specific planning-related strategies or projects.Read more »

Involving the Public in City Planning

Civic participation is receiving a great deal of attention from municipal policy-makers who want to get more people involved in the local decision-making process -- particularly the planning process. Why should decision-makers seek the public’s involvement?Read more »

Regulatory Takings and Land Use Regulation: A Primer for Public Agency Staff

To what extent does land use regulation really amount to an unconstitutional taking of property? That is the subject of Regulatory Takings and Land Use Regulation: A Primer for Public Agency Staff. This primer, funded by McDonough Holland & Allen, PC and the Resources Legacy Fund, examines the development of takings law and provides a nuts-and-bolts approach to adopting land regulations that will withstand judicial review. See a link to the primer in the Documents & Resources window at right.

Richmond Plans for a More Healthy Future

Western City, September 2008

Climate Change, the California Environmental Quality Act, and General Plan Update FAQs

A resource prepared by the Attorney General's office for local agencies.

Healthy Children, Healthy Communities

This publication by the Cities, Counties and Schools Partnership provides recommendations for addressing the problem of childhood obesity. It includes guiding principles and strategies for local communities to adopt and implement.

Burbank Secondhand Smoke Ordinance

San Diego County Childhood Obesity Action Plan (2006)

The Action Plan recommends policy changes to reduce childhood obesity.

American Farmland Trust

The American Farmland Trust's website provides information and resources on farmland preservation efforts nationwide.

Carfree Cities

The Carfree Cities website offers solutions to the many urban problems caused by cars and trucks.

Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy's website provides resources on land use regulation and taxation.

National Trust for Historic Preservation

The National Trust for Historic Preservation's website provides resources for documenting, preserving and protecting diverse historic and cultural places.

Project for Public Spaces

PPS offers technical assistance, research and education to create and sustain public places like parks, plazas and cultural squares; transportation; public buildings, architecture and public markets.

Sierra Club

The Sierra Club's website offers a variety of tools and information to promote responsible use of the earth’s ecosystems and resources.

U.S. Geological Survey

The U.S. Geological Survey's website offers a large collection of data, information, and maps related to geology, biology, water, topography, and more.

Environmental News Network

The Environmental News Network's website offers daily news coverage of major environmental issues.

Brookings Institution Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy

A compilation of articles and policy research regarding neighborhoods, cities, and metropolitan regions published by the respected Brookings Institution.

Development Agreement Manual: Collaboration in Pursuit of Community Interests

The goal of this 2002 manual was to help local agencies in understanding development agreements and to provide them with practical tools to assist them in using development agreements within their jurisdiction.Read more »