Resources By Issue
Air & Climate
Biodiversity & Ecosystems
Community Development
Design
Economic
Energy
Environmental Protection
Farmland
Health
Historic Preservation
Housing
Open Spaces
Redevelopment
Regionalism
Rural
Schools
Smart Growth
Sustainable Development
Transportation
Urban
Waste
Water
Air & Climate
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Biodiversity & Ecosystems
Audubon Society
www.audubon.org
Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based Audubon nature centers and chapters, environmental education programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.
Center for Marine Conservation
www.cmc-ocean.org
With more than 900,000 members and volunteers, The Ocean Conservancy combines science-based advocacy, grassroots activism, litigation, education and outreach to find lasting solutions to issues affecting oceans and all marine life.
Clean Water Action
www.cleanwateraction.org
Clean Water Action is a national citizens' organization working for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, creation of environmentally-safe jobs and businesses, and empowerment of people to make democracy work. Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups, coalitions and campaigns to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life.
Clean Water Network
www.cwn.org
The Clean Water Network is an alliance of over 1,100 organizations that advocate for strong clean water safeguards in order to protect public health and the environment. The Clean Water Network includes a variety of organizations representing environmentalists, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, surfers, boaters, farmers, faith communities, environmental justice advocates, labor unions, urban communities, consumers, recreationalists and others.
Coast Alliance
www.coastalliance.org
The Coast Alliance is a non-profit organization concerned with the effects of development pressure and pollution on the coasts. Coast Alliance was founded to increase public awareness of the coast's value, to bring new and important scientific facts about coastal ecology to public attention, to encourage groups across the country to work to protect valuable coastal resources, and to urge federal, state and local governments to strengthen policies and programs to protect coastal ecosystems and habitats. The Coast Alliance works with more than 500 state, local, and national organizations dedicated to preserving ocean and coasts. The Coast Alliance provides outreach and technical support to these groups.
Defenders of Wildlife
www.defenders.org
Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. We focus our programs on what scientists consider two of the most serious environmental threats to the planet: the accelerating rate of extinction of species and the associated loss of biological diversity, and habitat alteration and destruction. Long known for our leadership on endangered species issues, Defenders of Wildlife also advocates new approaches to wildlife conservation that will help keep species from becoming endangered. Our programs encourage protection of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
National Wildlife Federation
www.nwf.org
The National Wildlife Federation is the nation's largest member-supported conservation group, uniting individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect wildlife, wild places, and the environment. The mission of the National Wildlife Federation is to educate, inspire and assist individuals and organizations of diverse cultures to conserve wildlife and other natural resources and to protect the Earth's environment in order to achieve a peaceful, equitable and sustainable future.
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Nature Conservancy
www.nature.org
The Nature Conservancy's mission is to preserve the plants, animals and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive.
World Wildlife Fund
www.wwf.org
World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is dedicated to protecting the world's wildlife and wildlands. WWF directs its conservation efforts toward three global goals: protecting endangered spaces, saving endangered species and addressing global threats.
Community Development
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org/
Founded in 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) invents and develops tools and methods to promote sustainable development and create livable urban communities. CNT works, among other things, to promote technical assistance to enhance regional cooperation, to develop and implement location-efficient mortgages, and to organize coalitions to develop a long-range transportation plans that promote smart growth. It has also led the way in using transit-oriented development as a redevelopment strategy in an urban setting, and it has created a financial intermediary to promote inner-city commercial development around transit.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Design
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
Congress for the New Urbanism
www.cnu.org/
Congress for the New Urbanism is a membership organization of interdisciplinary professionals, developers, elected officials, citizen activists and students which sponsors annual gatherings to discuss issues related to the health and vitality of cities. CNU works with architects, developers, and planners to implement principles of New Urbanism, including: coherent regional planning, walkable neighborhoods, and attractive, accommodating civic spaces. CNU encourages restoration of existing urban centers, reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, conservation of natural environments, and preservation of the built legacy. It works with governmental agencies and neighborhood activists to shape federal, state, and local policy and to promote the importance of neighborhood vitality, place-specific investments, and physical design.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Regional Plan Association
www.rpa.org
Regional Plan Association (RPA), is an independent regional planning organization, has been working since 1922 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area by creating with public involvement long-term comprehensive plans and promoting their implementation across political boundaries. RPA recommends policy initiatives and physical and human infrastructure investments and involves the public in considering and shaping its future. RPA takes positions on major current public policy issues and works constructively and cooperatively on a non-partisan basis with public and private sector interests to advance its agenda.
Economic
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
www.scag.ca.gov/livable/lani.htm
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative is a federally recognized national model for community-driven revitalization. It was founded in 1994 to bring back a sense of identity and ownership to main streets and transportation corridors throughout the city.
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
Northeast Midwest Institute
www.nemw.org/smartgrowth.htm
The Northeast Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit, and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states. This website has some excellent information, including:
National & state-level data on demographics, economic growth, employment, housing, income, energy consumption, and federal spending.
National & state-level reports on agriculture, pollution, brownfields, energy, demographics, manufacturing, smart growth, transportation, and trade.
Of note: Smart Growth by Ann Eberhart Goode, Elizabeth Collaton, and Charles Bartsch, 1999. This is an article that provides an introduction to smart growth and addresses federal impediments, the role of local leadership and community involvement and financing.
Regional Plan Association
www.rpa.org
Regional Plan Association (RPA), is an independent regional planning organization, has been working since 1922 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area by creating with public involvement long-term comprehensive plans and promoting their implementation across political boundaries. RPA recommends policy initiatives and physical and human infrastructure investments and involves the public in considering and shaping its future. RPA takes positions on major current public policy issues and works constructively and cooperatively on a non-partisan basis with public and private sector interests to advance its agenda.
Urban Land Institute
www.uli.org/dk/index.cfm
The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. ULI's strategic direction is to extend its industry leadership to bring together the people able to influence the outcome of important issues related to land use and the built environment and provide relevant and current information about land use and real estate development. This website offers lots of smart growth news, reports, tools, and links; some information is only available to ULI members, but much is available for free, including:
Summaries of development case studies
Land use and real estate data
Books for sale
Energy
Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org/
Founded in 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) invents and develops tools and methods to promote sustainable development and create livable urban communities. CNT works, among other things, to promote technical assistance to enhance regional cooperation, to develop and implement location-efficient mortgages, and to organize coalitions to develop a long-range transportation plans that promote smart growth. It has also led the way in using transit-oriented development as a redevelopment strategy in an urban setting, and it has created a financial intermediary to promote inner-city commercial development around transit.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
Northeast Midwest Institute
www.nemw.org/smartgrowth.htm
The Northeast Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit, and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states. This website has some excellent information, including:
National & state-level data on demographics, economic growth, employment, housing, income, energy consumption, and federal spending.
National & state-level reports on agriculture, pollution, brownfields, energy, demographics, manufacturing, smart growth, transportation, and trade.
Of note: Smart Growth by Ann Eberhart Goode, Elizabeth Collaton, and Charles Bartsch, 1999. This is an article that provides an introduction to smart growth and addresses federal impediments, the role of local leadership and community involvement and financing.
www.nemw.org/ERsmartgrowth.htm
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Surface Transportation Policy Project
www.transact.org/
Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) is a foundation-funded initiative to ensure that transportation policy and investments help conserve energy, protect environmental and aesthetic quality, strengthen the economy, promote social equity, and make communities more livable. It emphasizes the needs of people, rather than vehicles, in assuring access to jobs, services, and recreational opportunities.
Some good information includes:
State-by-state statistics: www.transact.org/states/default.asp
An in-depth look at the national surface transportation law, TEA-3: www.tea3.org/
The Alliance for the New Transportation Charter, a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to using transportation as a tool to build livable, healthy, prosperous and just communities: www.antc.net/
Environmental Protection
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
Audubon Society
www.audubon.org
Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based Audubon nature centers and chapters, environmental education programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development
www.sustainable.doe.gov/
A division of the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network, this website offers information and services on how your community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for well-being. On this home page, you'll be able to read about other communities that have discovered the benefits of sustainable development; locate technical and financial resources that can help your community plan and carry out sustainable development projects; and access model codes and ordinances other communities have used to implement sustainable development.
Center for Marine Conservation
www.cmc-ocean.org
With more than 900,000 members and volunteers, The Ocean Conservancy combines science-based advocacy, grassroots activism, litigation, education and outreach to find lasting solutions to issues affecting oceans and all marine life.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org/
Founded in 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) invents and develops tools and methods to promote sustainable development and create livable urban communities. CNT works, among other things, to promote technical assistance to enhance regional cooperation, to develop and implement location-efficient mortgages, and to organize coalitions to develop a long-range transportation plans that promote smart growth. It has also led the way in using transit-oriented development as a redevelopment strategy in an urban setting, and it has created a financial intermediary to promote inner-city commercial development around transit.
Clean Water Action
www.cleanwateraction.org
Clean Water Action is a national citizens' organization working for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, creation of environmentally-safe jobs and businesses, and empowerment of people to make democracy work. Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups, coalitions and campaigns to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life.
Clean Water Network
www.cwn.org
The Clean Water Network is an alliance of over 1,100 organizations that advocate for strong clean water safeguards in order to protect public health and the environment. The Clean Water Network includes a variety of organizations representing environmentalists, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, surfers, boaters, farmers, faith communities, environmental justice advocates, labor unions, urban communities, consumers, recreationalists and others.
Coast Alliance
www.coastalliance.org
The Coast Alliance is a non-profit organization concerned with the effects of development pressure and pollution on the coasts. Coast Alliance was founded to increase public awareness of the coast's value, to bring new and important scientific facts about coastal ecology to public attention, to encourage groups across the country to work to protect valuable coastal resources, and to urge federal, state and local governments to strengthen policies and programs to protect coastal ecosystems and habitats. The Coast Alliance works with more than 500 state, local, and national organizations dedicated to preserving ocean and coasts. The Coast Alliance provides outreach and technical support to these groups.
Conservation Fund
www.conservationfund.org/
The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting America's land legacy. The fund purchases and protects land - almost 2 million acres since 1985. It also assists local communities, private land owners, and government agencies with a variety of programs that balance conservation with economic development. Current efforts involve sustainable forestry, ecotourism, greenway development, battlefield protection, watershed sensitive design, and community visioning.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Environmental Law Institute
www.eli.org/
For nearly three decades, the Environmental Law Institute has played a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and management, domestically and abroad. Today, ELI is an internationally recognized, independent research and education center. The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) Sustainable Use of Land Program is an on-going collaborative program devoted to promoting the sustainable use of urban, suburban, and rural land at the state and local levels. ELI works in collaboration with partners to formulate and implement options for overcoming barriers to sustainable land use found in local,state, and federal law, while developing creative alternatives to promote sound economic, community, environmental, transportation, public infrastructure and other strategies.
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Pennsylvania's Growing Greener Program
www.dep.state.pa.us/growgreen/
Pennsylvania's Growing Greener Program is a $650 million initiative over five years to preserve farmland and protect open space; eliminate the maintenance backlog in State Parks; clean up abandoned mines and restore watersheds; and provide new and upgraded water and sewer systems.
Portland: Sustainable Portland
www.sustainableportland.org/
Portland, Oregon's Office of Sustainable Development, created by Portland's City Council in 2000, is dedicated to researching and promoting social and economic health in the City. The Office of Sustainable Development creates policies and programs that integrate efforts related to energy efficiency, renewable resources, waste reduction, recycling, global warming, green building and sustainable practices, and education.
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
www.epa.gov/
Farmland
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Farmland Trust
www.farmland.org/index.html
American Farmland Trust, is a private, nonprofit organization that works to stop the loss of productive farmland and promote farming practices that lead to a healthy environment.
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
Conservation Fund
www.conservationfund.org/
The Conservation Fund is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting America's land legacy. The fund purchases and protects land--almost 2 million acres since 1985. It also assists local communities, private land owners, and government agencies with a variety of programs that balance conservation with economic development. Current efforts involve sustainable forestry, ecotourism, greenway development, battlefield protection, watershed sensitive design, and community visioning.
Michigan Land Use Institute
www.mlui.org/
Michigan Land Use Institute was founded in 1995 to establish a new approach to economic development that strengthens communities, enhances opportunity, and protects the state's unmatched natural resources. Their mission is to help Michigan avoid the patterns of suburban sprawl and over-development that cause traffic congestion, pollution, loss of community, rising costs to individuals and governments, and a deteriorating quality of life.
This site includes:
An activist's toolkit
Growth management information
Transportation information
Land and water conservation information
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
Pennsylvania's Growing Greener Program
www.dep.state.pa.us/growgreen/
Pennsylvania's Growing Greener Program is a $650 million initiative over five years to preserve farmland and protect open space; eliminate the maintenance backlog in State Parks; clean up abandoned mines and restore watersheds; and provide new and upgraded water and sewer systems.
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Health
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
Clean Water Action
www.cleanwateraction.org
Clean Water Action is a national citizens' organization working for clean, safe and affordable water, prevention of health-threatening pollution, creation of environmentally-safe jobs and businesses, and empowerment of people to make democracy work. Clean Water Action organizes strong grassroots groups, coalitions and campaigns to protect our environment, health, economic well-being and community quality of life.
Clean Water Network
www.cwn.org
The Clean Water Network is an alliance of over 1,100 organizations that advocate for strong clean water safeguards in order to protect public health and the environment. The Clean Water Network includes a variety of organizations representing environmentalists, commercial fishermen, recreational anglers, surfers, boaters, farmers, faith communities, environmental justice advocates, labor unions, urban communities, consumers, and others.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Historic Preservation
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Housing
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Northeast Midwest Institute
www.nemw.org/smartgrowth.htm
The Northeast Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit, and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states. This website has some excellent information, including:
National & state-level data on demographics, economic growth, employment, housing, income, energy consumption, and federal spending.
National & state-level reports on agriculture, pollution, brownfields, energy, demographics, manufacturing, smart growth, transportation, and trade.
Of note: Smart Growth by Ann Eberhart Goode, Elizabeth Collaton, and Charles Bartsch, 1999. This is an article that provides an introduction to smart growth and addresses federal impediments, the role of local leadership and community involvement and financing.
www.nemw.org/ERsmartgrowth.htm
Urban Land Institute
www.uli.org/dk/index.cfm
The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. ULI's strategic direction is to extend its industry leadership to bring together the people able to influence the outcome of important issues related to land use and the built environment and provide relevant and current information about land use and real estate development. This website offers lots of smart growth news, reports, tools, and links; some information is only available to ULI members, but much is available for free, including:
Summaries of development case studies
Land use and real estate data
Books for sale
Open Spaces
Audubon Society
www.audubon.org
Audubon is dedicated to protecting birds and other wildlife and the habitat that supports them. Our national network of community-based Audubon nature centers and chapters, environmental education programs, and advocacy on behalf of areas sustaining important bird populations engage millions of people of all ages and backgrounds in positive conservation experiences.
Coast Alliance
www.coastalliance.org
The Coast Alliance is a non-profit organization concerned with the effects of development pressure and pollution on the coasts. Coast Alliance was founded to increase public awareness of the coast's value, to bring new and important scientific facts about coastal ecology to public attention, to encourage groups across the country to work to protect valuable coastal resources, and to urge federal, state and local governments to strengthen policies and programs to protect coastal ecosystems and habitats. The Coast Alliance works with more than 500 state, local, and national organizations dedicated to preserving ocean and coasts. The Coast Alliance provides outreach and technical support to these groups.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Redevelopment
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
Congress for the New Urbanism
www.cnu.org/
Congress for the New Urbanism is a membership organization of interdisciplinary professionals, developers, elected officials, citizen activists and students which sponsors annual gatherings to discuss issues related to the health and vitality of cities. CNU works with architects, developers, and planners to implement principles of New Urbanism, including: coherent regional planning, walkable neighborhoods, and attractive, accommodating civic spaces. CNU encourages restoration of existing urban centers, reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, conservation of natural environments, and preservation of the built legacy. It works with governmental agencies and neighborhood activists to shape federal, state, and local policy and to promote the importance of neighborhood vitality, place-specific investments, and physical design.
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
www.scag.ca.gov/livable/lani.htm
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative is a federally recognized national model for community-driven revitalization. It was founded in 1994 to bring back a sense of identity and ownership to main streets and transportation corridors throughout the city.
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Regional Plan Association
www.rpa.org
Regional Plan Association (RPA), is an independent regional planning organization, has been working since 1922 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area by creating with public involvement long-term comprehensive plans and promoting their implementation across political boundaries. RPA recommends policy initiatives and physical and human infrastructure investments and involves the public in considering and shaping its future. RPA takes positions on major current public policy issues and works constructively and cooperatively on a non-partisan basis with public and private sector interests to advance its agenda.
Regionalism
Joint Center for Sustainable Communities (U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Association of Counties)
www.usmayors.org/uscm/sustainable/
The Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), provides a forum for cities and counties to work together to develop long-term policies and programs that will lead to job growth, environmental stewardship and social equity - the three pillars of sustainable communities. The Joint Center helps local elected officials build sustainable communities by promoting community leadership initiatives, providing technical assistance and training, and conducting community policy and educational forums. The goal of the Joint Center is to provide local elected officials with assistance in using the policies and tools necessary for creating sustainable communities. In particular, local elected officials are interested in finding more cost-effective and comprehensive ways to address such issues as transportation management, brownfields revitalization, environmental protection, energy conservation, job training and public safety. To this end, the Joint Center is providing technical assistance, training, sustainable development literature and materials, and funding toward community visioning (or collaborative planning).
Maryland: Smart Growth Program
www.op.state.md.us/smartgrowth/index.html
Maryland is famous for its successful smart growth initiatives. The 1997 General Assembly adopted several specific programs, which together form the Smart Growth initiatives. Collectively, these initiatives aim to direct State resources to revitalize older developed areas, preserve some of Maryland's valuable resource and open space lands, and discourage the continuation of sprawling development into our rural areas. Maryland's landmark Smart Growth legislation allows the State to direct its programs and funding to support locally-designated growth areas and protect rural areas.
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
Northeast Midwest Institute
www.nemw.org/smartgrowth.htm
The Northeast Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit, and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states. This website has some excellent information, including:
National & state-level data on demographics, economic growth, employment, housing, income, energy consumption, and federal spending.
National & state-level reports on agriculture, pollution, brownfields, energy, demographics, manufacturing, smart growth, transportation, and trade.
Of note: Smart Growth by Ann Eberhart Goode, Elizabeth Collaton, and Charles Bartsch, 1999. This is an article that provides an introduction to smart growth and addresses federal impediments, the role of local leadership and community involvement and financing.
www.nemw.org/ERsmartgrowth.htm
Regional Plan Association
www.rpa.org
Regional Plan Association (RPA), is an independent regional planning organization, has been working since 1922 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area by creating with public involvement long-term comprehensive plans and promoting their implementation across political boundaries. RPA recommends policy initiatives and physical and human infrastructure investments and involves the public in considering and shaping its future. RPA takes positions on major current public policy issues and works constructively and cooperatively on a non-partisan basis with public and private sector interests to advance its agenda.
Rural
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
Schools
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
Smart Growth
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development
www.sustainable.doe.gov/
A division of the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network, this website offers information and services on how your community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for well-being. On this home page, you'll be able to read about other communities that have discovered the benefits of sustainable development; locate technical and financial resources that can help your community plan and carry out sustainable development projects; and access model codes and ordinances other communities have used to implement sustainable development.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org/
Founded in 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) invents and develops tools and methods to promote sustainable development and create livable urban communities. CNT works, among other things, to promote technical assistance to enhance regional cooperation, to develop and implement location-efficient mortgages, and to organize coalitions to develop a long-range transportation plans that promote smart growth. It has also led the way in using transit-oriented development as a redevelopment strategy in an urban setting, and it has created a financial intermediary to promote inner-city commercial development around transit.
Coast Alliance
www.coastalliance.org
The Coast Alliance is a non-profit organization concerned with the effects of development pressure and pollution on the coasts. Coast Alliance was founded to increase public awareness of the coast's value, to bring new and important scientific facts about coastal ecology to public attention, to encourage groups across the country to work to protect valuable coastal resources, and to urge federal, state and local governments to strengthen policies and programs to protect coastal ecosystems and habitats. The Coast Alliance works with more than 500 state, local, and national organizations dedicated to preserving ocean and coasts. The Coast Alliance provides outreach and technical support to these groups.
Congress for the New Urbanism
www.cnu.org/
Congress for the New Urbanism is a membership organization of interdisciplinary professionals, developers, elected officials, citizen activists and students which sponsors annual gatherings to discuss issues related to the health and vitality of cities. CNU works with architects, developers, and planners to implement principles of New Urbanism, including: coherent regional planning, walkable neighborhoods, and attractive, accommodating civic spaces. CNU encourages restoration of existing urban centers, reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, conservation of natural environments, and preservation of the built legacy. It works with governmental agencies and neighborhood activists to shape federal, state, and local policy and to promote the importance of neighborhood vitality, place-specific investments, and physical design.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Environmental Law Institute
www.eli.org/
For nearly three decades, the Environmental Law Institute has played a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and management, domestically and abroad. Today, ELI is an internationally recognized, independent research and education center. The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) Sustainable Use of Land Program is an on-going collaborative program devoted to promoting the sustainable use of urban, suburban, and rural land at the state and local levels. ELI works in collaboration with partners to formulate and implement options for overcoming barriers to sustainable land use found in local,state, and federal law, while developing creative alternatives to promote sound economic, community, environmental, transportation, public infrastructure and other strategies.
Joint Center for Sustainable Communities (U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Association of Counties)
www.usmayors.org/uscm/sustainable/
The Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), provides a forum for cities and counties to work together to develop long-term policies and programs that will lead to job growth, environmental stewardship and social equity - the three pillars of sustainable communities. The Joint Center helps local elected officials build sustainable communities by promoting community leadership initiatives, providing technical assistance and training, and conducting community policy and educational forums. The goal of the Joint Center is to provide local elected officials with assistance in using the policies and tools necessary for creating sustainable communities. In particular, local elected officials are interested in finding more cost-effective and comprehensive ways to address such issues as transportation management, brownfields revitalization, environmental protection, energy conservation, job training and public safety. To this end, the Joint Center is providing technical assistance, training, sustainable development literature and materials, and funding toward community visioning (or collaborative planning).
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
www.scag.ca.gov/livable/lani.htm
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative is a federally recognized national model for community-driven revitalization. It was founded in 1994 to bring back a sense of identity and ownership to main streets and transportation corridors throughout the city.
Maryland: Smart Growth Program
www.op.state.md.us/smartgrowth/index.html
Maryland is famous for its successful smart growth initiatives. The 1997 General Assembly adopted several specific programs, which together form the Smart Growth initiatives. Collectively, these initiatives aim to direct State resources to revitalize older developed areas, preserve some of Maryland's valuable resource and open space lands, and discourage the continuation of sprawling development into our rural areas. Maryland's landmark Smart Growth legislation allows the State to direct its programs and funding to support locally-designated growth areas and protect rural areas.
Michigan Land Use Institute
www.mlui.org/
Michigan Land Use Institute was founded in 1995 to establish a new approach to economic development that strengthens communities, enhances opportunity, and protects the state's unmatched natural resources. Their mission is to help Michigan avoid the patterns of suburban sprawl and over-development that cause traffic congestion, pollution, loss of community, rising costs to individuals and governments, and a deteriorating quality of life.
This site includes:
An activist's toolkit
Growth management information
Transportation information
Land and water conservation information
National Neighborhood Coalition
www.neighborhoodcoalition.org/
The National Neighborhood Coalition (NNC) provides a link to Washington for neighborhood and community-based organizations and is a networking resource for representatives of regional and national organizations involved in community development, housing, smart growth, and a wide range of other neighborhood issues. For organizations that are concerned about neighborhood issues, the NNC provides relevant and timely information about programs and trends, a policy voice in Washington, and a support network of organizations and individuals with similar goals. The website also has many articles and information on smart growth.
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Northeast Midwest Institute
www.nemw.org/smartgrowth.htm
The Northeast Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit, and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest states. This website has some excellent information, including:
National & state-level data on demographics, economic growth, employment, housing, income, energy consumption, and federal spending.
National & state-level reports on agriculture, pollution, brownfields, energy, demographics, manufacturing, smart growth, transportation, and trade.
Of note: Smart Growth by Ann Eberhart Goode, Elizabeth Collaton, and Charles Bartsch, 1999. This is an article that provides an introduction to smart growth and addresses federal impediments, the role of local leadership and community involvement and financing.
www.nemw.org/ERsmartgrowth.htm
Planning Commissioner's Journal Planner's Web
www.plannersweb.com/
The Planning Commssioner's Journal is a publication designed for citizen planners, including members of local planning commissions and zoning boards. The website has some good general information on planning issues, including smart growth, and provides updates of what's going on around the country.
Regional Plan Association
www.rpa.org
Regional Plan Association (RPA), is an independent regional planning organization, has been working since 1922 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area by creating with public involvement long-term comprehensive plans and promoting their implementation across political boundaries. RPA recommends policy initiatives and physical and human infrastructure investments and involves the public in considering and shaping its future. RPA takes positions on major current public policy issues and works constructively and cooperatively on a non-partisan basis with public and private sector interests to advance its agenda.
Smart Growth America
www.smartgrowthamerica.com/
Smart Growth America is a nationwide coalition promoting smart growth. This website offers good general information on smart growth, and information about federal legislative activity on issues related to smart growth, sustainable development, and environmental protection.
Smart Growth Online
www.smartgrowth.org/
Developed and funded through a cooperative agreement between the US EPA and several non-profit and government organizations, this tool is designed to advance public understanding of smart growth and how growth can improve community livability. The Smart Growth Network works to encourage development that serves the economy, community and the environment. It is a forum for:
Raising public awareness of how growth can improve community quality of life;
Promoting smart growth best practices;
Developing and sharing information, innovative policies, tools and ideas;
Cultivating strategies to address barriers to and advance opportunities for smart growth.
Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse
www.sprawlwatch.org
The Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse mission is to make the tools, techniques, and strategies developed to manage growth, accessible to citizens, grassroots organizations, environmentalists, public officials, planners, architects, the media and business leaders.
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Sierra Club's "Challenge to Sprawl" Campaign
www.sierraclub.org/sprawl
This website is the Sierra Club's resource on all matters related to smart growth and sprawl prevention. It includes yearly reports, resources for activists, and exploration of various land-use issues that affect our economy, environment, and quality of life.
Surface Transportation Policy Project
www.transact.org/
Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) is a foundation-funded initiative to ensure that transportation policy and investments help conserve energy, protect environmental and aesthetic quality, strengthen the economy, promote social equity, and make communities more livable. It emphasizes the needs of people, rather than vehicles, in assuring access to jobs, services, and recreational opportunities.
Some good information includes:
State-by-state statistics: www.transact.org/states/default.asp
An in-depth look at the national surface transportation law, TEA-3: www.tea3.org/
The Alliance for the New Transportation Charter, a national network of organizations and individuals dedicated to using transportation as a tool to build livable, healthy, prosperous and just communities: www.antc.net/
Tennessee: Smart Growth for Tennessee Towns and Cities: A Process Guide
eerc.ra.utk.edu/smart/title.htm
While this guide was developed for Tennessee's non-urban municipalities and counties with limited budgets, it will be useful for any community undertaking a smart growth effort. It provides a wealth of information about the smart growth process, related concepts, and alternative political models, techniques for planning, computer-based tools, and indicators. It also has very valuable lists of resources, including internet sites.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Encouraging Smart Growth"
www.epa.gov/livability/
Offers some descriptions of what smart growth is, information on funding for smart growth projects, and updates on federal smart growth policies.
Urban Land Institute
www.uli.org/dk/index.cfm
The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance the total environment. ULI's strategic direction is to extend its industry leadership to bring together the people able to influence the outcome of important issues related to land use and the built environment and provide relevant and current information about land use and real estate development. This website offers lots of smart growth news, reports, tools, and links; some information is only available to ULI members, but much is available for free, including:
Summaries of development case studies
Land use and real estate data
Books for sale
Sustainable Development
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
ANJEC
www.anjec.org
The Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions, a nonprofit organization, has helped New Jersey's local environmental commissions and concerned citizens preserve and protect the state's natural resources since 1969. They provide hands-on local planning assistance and sample ordinances.
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development
www.sustainable.doe.gov/
A division of the Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Network, this website offers information and services on how your community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for well-being. On this home page, you'll be able to read about other communities that have discovered the benefits of sustainable development; locate technical and financial resources that can help your community plan and carry out sustainable development projects; and access model codes and ordinances other communities have used to implement sustainable development.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org/
Founded in 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) invents and develops tools and methods to promote sustainable development and create livable urban communities. CNT works, among other things, to promote technical assistance to enhance regional cooperation, to develop and implement location-efficient mortgages, and to organize coalitions to develop a long-range transportation plans that promote smart growth. It has also led the way in using transit-oriented development as a redevelopment strategy in an urban setting, and it has created a financial intermediary to promote inner-city commercial development around transit.
Coast Alliance
www.coastalliance.org
The Coast Alliance is a non-profit organization concerned with the effects of development pressure and pollution on the coasts. Coast Alliance was founded to increase public awareness of the coast's value, to bring new and important scientific facts about coastal ecology to public attention, to encourage groups across the country to work to protect valuable coastal resources, and to urge federal, state and local governments to strengthen policies and programs to protect coastal ecosystems and habitats. The Coast Alliance works with more than 500 state, local, and national organizations dedicated to preserving ocean and coasts. The Coast Alliance provides outreach and technical support to these groups.
Congress for the New Urbanism
www.cnu.org/
Congress for the New Urbanism is a membership organization of interdisciplinary professionals, developers, elected officials, citizen activists and students which sponsors annual gatherings to discuss issues related to the health and vitality of cities. CNU works with architects, developers, and planners to implement principles of New Urbanism, including: coherent regional planning, walkable neighborhoods, and attractive, accommodating civic spaces. CNU encourages restoration of existing urban centers, reconfiguration of sprawling suburbs into communities of real neighborhoods and diverse districts, conservation of natural environments, and preservation of the built legacy. It works with governmental agencies and neighborhood activists to shape federal, state, and local policy and to promote the importance of neighborhood vitality, place-specific investments, and physical design.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Environmental Law Institute
www.eli.org/
For nearly three decades, the Environmental Law Institute has played a pivotal role in shaping the fields of environmental law, policy, and management, domestically and abroad. Today, ELI is an internationally recognized, independent research and education center. The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) Sustainable Use of Land Program is an on-going collaborative program devoted to promoting the sustainable use of urban, suburban, and rural land at the state and local levels. ELI works in collaboration with partners to formulate and implement options for overcoming barriers to sustainable land use found in local,state, and federal law, while developing creative alternatives to promote sound economic, community, environmental, transportation, public infrastructure and other strategies.
Florida Sustainable Communities Network
sustainable.state.fl.us/
Resources on sustainable community development with a focus on communities in Florida.
Joint Center for Sustainable Communities
(U.S. Conference of Mayors and National Association of Counties)
www.usmayors.org/uscm/sustainable/
The Joint Center for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between the U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) and the National Association of Counties (NACo), provides a forum for cities and counties to work together to develop long-term policies and programs that will lead to job growth, environmental stewardship and social equity - the three pillars of sustainable communities. The Joint Center helps local elected officials build sustainable communities by promoting community leadership initiatives, providing technical assistance and training, and conducting community policy and educational forums. The goal of the Joint Center is to provide local elected officials with assistance in using the policies and tools necessary for creating sustainable communities. In particular, local elected officials are interested in finding more cost-effective and comprehensive ways to address such issues as transportation management, brownfields revitalization, environmental protection, energy conservation, job training and public safety. To this end, the Joint Center is providing technical assistance, training, sustainable development literature and materials, and funding toward community visioning (or collaborative planning).
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
www.scag.ca.gov/livable/lani.htm
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative is a federally recognized national model for community-driven revitalization. It was founded in 1994 to bring back a sense of identity and ownership to main streets and transportation corridors throughout the city.
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
New Jersey Future
www.njfuture.org/
New Jersey Future, the manager and coordinator of the Smart Growth Gateway, is the state's largest smart-growth advocacy group. This nonprofit organization is leading the fight for better-managed growth under the State Plan, and for sustainable development: a strong economy, a healthy natural environment and a just society for all New Jersey citizens and future generations.
Regional Plan Association
www.rpa.org
Regional Plan Association (RPA), is an independent regional planning organization, has been working since 1922 to improve the quality of life in the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut metropolitan area by creating with public involvement long-term comprehensive plans and promoting their implementation across political boundaries. RPA recommends policy initiatives and physical and human infrastructure investments and involves the public in considering and shaping its future. RPA takes positions on major current public policy issues and works constructively and cooperatively on a non-partisan basis with public and private sector interests to advance its agenda.
Sierra Club
www.sierraclub.org
The Sierra Club's mission is to protect the earth's wild places; practice and promote the responsible use of the earth's ecosystems and resources; educate and enlist humanity to protect and restore the quality of the natural and human environment; and use all lawful means to carry out these objectives.
The long list of issues the Sierra Club focuses on includes:
Clean Air (www.sierraclub.org/cleanair/)
Ecoregions (www.sierraclub.org/ecoregions/)
Energy (www.sierraclub.org/energy/)
Environmental Justice (www.sierraclub.org/environmental_justice/)
Genetic Engineering (www.sierraclub.org/biotech/)
Marine Wildlife and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/marine/)
Species and Habitat (www.sierraclub.org/wildlands/species/)
Sprawl (www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/)
Nuclear Waste (www.sierraclub.org/nuclearwaste/)
Pollution (www.sierraclub.org/pollution/)
Toxics (www.sierraclub.org/toxics/)
Trash Transfer (www.sierraclub.org/trashtransfer/)
Wetlands (www.sierraclub.org/wetlands/)
Sustainable Portland
www.sustainableportland.org/
Portland, Oregon's Office of Sustainable Development, created by Portland's City Council in 2000, is dedicated to researching and promoting social and economic health in the City. The Office of Sustainable Development creates policies and programs that integrate efforts related to energy efficiency, renewable resources, waste reduction, recycling, global warming, green building and sustainable practices, and education.
Sustainable Communities Network
www.sustainable.org
The Sustainable Communities Network provides links to information on sustainable development and sustainable communities. The site has some case studies offering examples of sustainable communities around the country.
Tennessee: Smart Growth for Tennessee Towns and Cities: A Process Guide
eerc.ra.utk.edu/smart/title.htm
While this guide was developed for Tennessee's non-urban municipalities and counties with limited budgets, it will be useful for any community undertaking a smart growth effort. It provides a wealth of information about the smart growth process, related concepts, and alternative political models, techniques for planning, computer-based tools, and indicators. It also has very valuable lists of resources, including internet sites.
Transportation
American Planning Association
www.planning.org/
The American Planning Association is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. This website offers legislative updates on planning issues, links to many of APA's planning publications, planning news, and other good smart growth information.
The APA is a nonprofit, public interest organization representing 30,000 practicing planners, elected and appointed officials, and citizens involved in urban and rural planning issues. APA's members believe that sound planning is essential to meeting our nation's economic, environmental, and community development needs. Sixty-five percent of the members work in state and local government agencies, helping citizens define the kind of community they want to live in and developing policies, plans, and land use regulations that respond to those desires. APA works to disseminate "best practice" techniques for encouraging citizen participation, reforming state and local planning frameworks, and promoting sustainable development patterns.
American Planning Association: New Jersey Chapter
www.njapa.org/index.shtml
The mission of the New Jersey Chapter of the American Planning Association is to promote sound planning as a process essential to improving the quality of life of the citizens of New Jersey by:
Helping the public and the local and state officials become more aware of planning processes, issues, techniques; and
Providing opportunities for increasing the knowledge, skills, and commitment of those in the planning practice.
Center for Neighborhood Technology
www.cnt.org/
Founded in 1978, the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) invents and develops tools and methods to promote sustainable development and create livable urban communities. CNT works, among other things, to promote technical assistance to enhance regional cooperation, to develop and implement location-efficient mortgages, and to organize coalitions to develop a long-range transportation plans that promote smart growth. It has also led the way in using transit-oriented development as a redevelopment strategy in an urban setting, and it has created a financial intermediary to promote inner-city commercial development around transit.
Environmental Defense
www.edf.org
Environmental Defense is dedicated to protecting the environmental rights of all people, including future generations. Among these rights are clean air and water, healthy and nourishing food, and a flourishing ecosystem. Through their program areas, Environmental Defense brings together experts in science, law and economics to tackle complex environmental issues that affect our oceans, our air, our natural resources, the livability of our man-made environment, and the species with whom we share our world.
Environmental Defense's Program Areas include:
Ecosystem restoration
Environmental alliances
Environmental health
Global and regional air/energy
International
Living cities
Oceans
Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative
www.scag.ca.gov/livable/lani.htm
The Los Angeles Neighborhood Initiative is a federally recognized national model for community-driven revitalization. It was founded in 1994 to bring back a sense of identity and ownership to main streets and transportation corridors throughout the city.
Michigan Land Use Institute
www.mlui.org/
Michigan Land Use Institute was founded in 1995 to establish a new approach to economic development that strengthens communities, enhances opportunity, and protects the state's unmatched natural resources. Their mission is to help Michigan avoid the patterns of suburban sprawl and over-development that cause traffic congestion, pollution, loss of community, rising costs to individuals and governments, and a deteriorating quality of life.
This site includes:
An activist's toolkit
Growth management information
Transportation information
Land and water conservation information
Natural Resources Defense Council
www.nrdc.org/
NRDC is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve the environment, protect the public health, and ensure the conservation of wilderness and natural resources. NRDC pursues these goals through research, advocacy, litigation, and public education.
NRDC's issue areas include:
Clean Air & Energy
Global Warming
Clean Water & Oceans
Wildlife & Fish
Parks, Forests, & Wildlands
Toxic Chemicals & Health
Nuclear Weapons & Waste
Cities & Green Living
Environmental Legislation
New Jersey Planning Officials
www.njpo.org
New Jersey Planning Officials (NJPO) is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization providing educational services, support and information to municipal planning boards and zoning boards of adjustment. Associate members include citizens groups and corporations interested in planning, individuals who are not members of a group, and professionals (lawyers, planners, engineers, etc.). The purpose of the New Jersey Planning Officials, as stated in its Constitution, is: "to promote public interest in municipal and regional planning; to foster the cooperation of planning boards and boards of adjustment throughout New Jersey in furthering the aims of planning; to assist local planning boards and boards of adjustment with advice; and to encourage the development of regional, county and state planning as an aid to local planning."
Northeast Midwest Institute
www.nemw.org/smartgrowth.htm
The Northeast Midwest Institute is a Washington-based, private, non-profit, and non-partisan research organization dedicated to economic vitality, environmental quality, and regional equity for Northeast and Midwest |
