Smart Growth Links
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Contents
Smart Growth & New Urbanist Sites
Consulting, Planning, Design Firms
State and City Initiatives Across the USA
L I Organizations Helping to Advance Smarter Growth
Portals and other Sources for More Information
Flash!
Movies and Pictures
National Geographic Viirtually explore a Smart Growth town center.
Natural Resources Defense Council Visually explains the difference between sprawl and smart growth.
Sierra Club Offers computer-generated simulations of Smart Growth community transformations.
Subdivide and Conquer: A Modern Western Looks at the causes of sprawl and it's devastating consequences while offering suggestions for better policies and practices.
Smart
Growth, Livability & New Urbanist Sites
Congress for the New Urbanism Their annual conference convenes planners, architects, developers and activists from across the nation and around the world to advance best practices in planning and development.
Growth Management Leadership Alliance (GMLA) Regional leaders from the United States and Canada coming together to institute Smart Growth policies and actions.
Livable Communities Task Force Hosted by Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer, the website of the U.S. House of Representatives Task Force provides a clear overview of Livability issues, as well and information on relavant legislation.
National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education, University of Maryland “A non-partisan center for research and leadership training on Smart Growth and related land use issues nationally and internationally.”
National Geographic Examines sprawl and Smart Growth Includes excerpts, opinion forum, photo gallery, and a US map highlighting the spread of development since 1993.
National Main Street Center A project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation focussed on the revitalization of commercial centers.
New Urbanism: Creating Livable Sustainable Communities "Giving more people more choices about where and how they want to live."
The Seaside Institute Using Seaside, Florida as a living example, the Seaside Institute studies the benefits of new Urbanist communities and how to improve upon that model.
The Sierra Club & Sprawl Advances Smart Growth education and policy through their informative "Challange to the Sprawl Campaign".
Smart Growth Alliance (SGA) An education and research institute advancing responsible leadership in land-use.
Smart Growth America A coalition of nearly 100 advocacy organizations supporting community-based Smart Growth planning.
Smart Growth Online An extraordinary resource for anyone looking to advance higher quality land use and development.
Sustainable Communities Network Considers Sprawl and Smart Growth as they pertain to the broader notion of sustainability.
U.S. Department of Energy's Smart Communities Network Promotes Smart Growth as a long-term solutions to protect the environment, conserve resources, ensure economic vitality and to improve the public's overall health and quality of life.
Urban Land Institute "Facilitates the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among local, national and international industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places.”
Fighting
Sprawl
James Howard Kunstler (The Geography of Nowhere) Impassioned commentary on life and land-use in America. Strong language and irreverent ranting may be downright offensive to some viewers.
Sprawl-busters “Sprawl-Busters Consultants help local community coalitions on-site to design and implement successful campaigns against megastores and other undesirable large-scale developments.”
Consulting,
Planning, Design Firms
A Nelessen Associates "An award winning visioning, planning, and design firm that believes in the development of high quality communities of place"
Dover, Kohl & Partners "Focused on revitalizing traditional towns, growing neighborhoods, and fixing sprawl -- by design"
Duany-Plater Zyberk & Company "In addition to its design work, the firm is widely recognized as a leader of the international movement against the proliferation of suburban sprawl."
National Charrette Institute "A nonprofit educational institution that helps communities achieve healthy transformation through collaborative planning processes that harnesses the talents and energies of all interested parties to create and support a buildable plan."
Urban Advantage Envisioning Smart Growth "Working with architects, planning staff, and citizen groups, we create visions of pedestrian-friendly, socially-interactive communities by transforming photographs with photo-editing software."
Walkable Communitites "Organized for the express purposes of helping whole communities, whether they are large cities or small towns, or parts of communities...become more walkable and pedestrian friendly."
White Mountain Survey "Constantly investigating new methods for providing innovative solutions to today's land development problems."
State
and City Initiatives Across the USA
1000 Friends of Maryland "A coalition of business and development companies, architectural and historical preservation organizations, community and environmental groups. Our mission is twofold: to preserve what is best about Maryland and to encourage sensible growth."
Austin City Smart Growth Initiative ."The City of Austin's plan to preserve and enhance the livability of Austin by managing our future growth."
Coalition for a Livable Future "A network of 60 non-profit and community-based organizations working together to create a more equitable and sustainable Portland metropolitan region."
Citistates "A network of journalists, speakers and civic leaders focused on building competitive, equitable and sustainable 21st century metropolitan regions."
Envision Utah "Keeping Utah beautiful, prosperous, and neighborly for future generations"
Florida Sustainable Communities Center "a catalyst for promoting best practices in community and facility design and usage"
Maryland Smart Growth Office of the Maryland Department of Planning.
New
York State Guide to Planning & Zoning Laws
New
Jersey Future "The state's largest smart-growth advocacy
group."
Vancouver, BC The city's official website
The Vermont Forum on Sprawl Works to " preserve Vermont's unique working landscape and quality of life while encouraging economic vitality in community centers."
L
I Organizations Helping to Advance Smarter Growth
Middle Country Road Renaissance Project "Helping lead the way for progressive planning on Long Island."
William Floyd Community Summit "Our goal is develop an ecologically sensible beautification plan for our community. Preserving the essence of a rural beach community enriched with country charm and steeped in history."
Long Island Neighborhood Network Improves Long Island quality of life by advancing natural resource conservation, environmental health and safety, and open and ethical government practices.
Lake Ronkonkoma Civic Organization Organized by community members and transportation advocates to educate about and advocate for Smart Growth alternatives to Suffolk County's proposal to widen CR16.
Long Island Campaign for Affordable Rental Housing A broad consortium of public, private and not--for-profit groups working to address the critical need for affordable and workforce rental housing on Long Island. Provides clear facts and opportunities to get involved..
Long Island Pine Barrens Society Advocates for the preservation of the Long Island Pine Barrens.
Long
Island Progressive Coalition "A community-based organization
dedicated to promoting
sustainable development, revitalizing local communities, enhancing
human dignity, creating effective democracy, and achieving economic
and social justice."
Regional Plan Association "An independent, not-for-profit regional planning organization that improves the quality of life and the economic competitiveness of the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region through research, planning, and advocacy."
Long Island Housing Partnership Provides "housing opportunities for those persons who otherwise would be unable to afford decent and safe homes...through mortgage counseling, housing development, and promotion of affordable ownership and rental units for low and moderate income Long Islanders.
Long Island Builders Institute "An association of building industry professionals who are dedicated to making Long Island a better place to live and work, by creating a balance between the economy, the environment and the achievement of the American Dream of Home Ownership in all our communities"
Issue-Specific Links
Affordable
Housing
HUD's Regulatory Barriers Clearinghouse Information on laws, regulations, and policies affecting the development, maintenance, improvement, availability, and cost of affordable housing.
Brownfields
The Brownfields Center Provides information geared toward helping citizens take an active and effective role in the clean-up and redevelopment of brownfields in their community.
Building
National Town Builders Association Serves builders and developers working to build traditional neighborhoods and town centers.
Civic Action
The Brownfields Center Provides information geared toward helping citizens take an active and effective role in the clean-up and redevelopment of brownfields in their community.
Joint Center for Sustainable Communities (United States Conference of Mayors; National Association of Counties) A forum where Cities and counties work together to develop long-term policies and programs
Local Government Commission (LGC) A great resource forl elected officials and community leaders working to create healthy, walkable, and resource-efficient communities.
National Civic League and the Alliance for National Renewal "The nation's oldest and most prestigious community recognition program”
National Neighborhood Coalition "A convener of people and organizations concerned about neighborhoods, a conduit of information about programs and policies, and an advocate for neighborhoods and community and neighborhood-based organizations.”
Reclaiming the Streets Helping communities tame traffic.
Environment
National Resources Defense Council Facts, images, legislation, how-to's and how-comes of Smart Growth from an environmental perspective.
NYS Audubon Society The Audubon Society hosts a variety of conferences advancing Smart Growth and leads the New York State Smart Growth Working Group.
Growth Management Institute Promotes strategies and practices to achieve sustainable urban development and redevelopment in harmony with conservation of environmental qualities and features.
Sierra Club Advances Smart Growth education and policy through their informative "Challange to the Sprawl Campaign"
US DOE -- Smart Communities Network "Green Development Success Stories"
Historic
Preservation
National Main Street Center A project of the National Trust for Historic Preservation focussed on the revitalization of commercial centers.
Townscape Institute "A non-profit, public interest planning organization concerned with place making and place meaning through conservation and visual enhancement of the built environments."
Planning
American Planning Association "Growing Smart Publications"
NYS Guide to Planning & Zoning Laws
Planetizen Urban planning news, editorials, classifieds and events.
Planners Web City & Regional Planning Resources.
Public
Health
Active Living by Design Establishes and evaluates methods of promoting healthy, active lifestyles through commuinity design, public policies, and communication strategies.
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Learn more about the connection between sprawl and public health. Includes a checklist you can use to evaluate the walkability of your area.
Public
Space
Projects for Public Spaces Helping create and sustain the centerpieces of our communities.
Walkability
& Transportation
Center for Transit-Oriented Development- (PDF file) "Inside the Blackbox: Making Transportation Models Work for Livable Communities"
Florida Sustainable Communities Center Why TND Traffic Systems Work.
Reconnecting America Working to join transportation networks to communities
Surface Transportation Policy Project Advancing safer communities and smarter transportation choices.
Tri-State Transportation Campaign "An alliance of public interest, transit advocacy, planning and environmental organizations working to reverse deepening automobile dependence and sprawl development in the New York/New Jersey/Connecticut metropolitan region."
Walkinginfo.org Pedestrian and bicycle information center
Webzines,
Newsletters
Katarxis Produced in Portugal, this webzine offers an international perspective on traditional architecture, urbanism, and New Urbanism.
New Urban News Geared toward design professionals and others interested in "human-scale communities.”
Planetizen Urban planning news, editorials, classifieds and events.
Terrain Magazine A bi-annual journal seeking the "interface—the integration—among the built and natural environments, that might be called the soul of place.”
The Town Paper Community based planning, new urbanism and traditional neighborhood design.
ULI Smart Growth News A bi-weekly review of news and issues related to Smart Growth culled from over 1400 sources nation-wide
Portals
and other Places for More Information
Active Living By Design Links and Resources
Cyburbia "The Internet's oldest portal site for urban planners and others interested in cities and the built environment" Includes an image hosting gallery, mailing list and newsgroup information, and a very active message board.
Resource for Urban Design Information “an independent unbiased resource which commissions, researches and creates materials, and also re-publishes significant documents contributed by professional and government bodies, practitioners, academics and community organisations.”
Sierra Club Smart Growth links
Smart Growth Network's Smart Growth Resource Library
Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse An extensive resource for books, websites, organizations and reports covering a broad variety of topics.
Together Foundation's Best Practices Database Solutions database for common social, economic and environmental problems of an urbanising and globalising world.
This section is under perpetual construction. All captions in quotes are taken directly from the target site's own description. To report a broken link or to suggest a link, please email info@visionlongisland.org.