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The Local Government Commission (LGC) is a 20-year-old nonprofit membership organization that offers education, training, and technical assistance to local areas seeking to implement innovative long-term solutions that further economically and environmentally sustainable land use patterns. The LGC also produces slide presentations, workshops, and conferences, and through the Center's hotline (800/290-8202), it offers resources, networking, and referrals.
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Community Image Survey CD
The Community Image Survey is a tool to help decision-makers and their constituents address community design, land use and transportation issues. It uses visual images to help participants evaluate their existing environment and envision their community's future. Tailored for the needs of each community, the survey provides a foundation for planning and implementation efforts. The Community Image Survey consists of 40 slides from a community or region. Approximately 80 percent of the slides come from the specific locale in which the survey is administered. Taken as a whole, the 40 slides present contrasting images of our living environment - its streets, houses, stores, office buildings, parks, open space and key civic features.
The Community Image Survey CD includes nine sample surveys in PowerPoint Format. LGC staff designed and administered each of these surveys for small and medium sized communities throughout California. The CD also includes instructions for administering a Community Image Survey, a sample participant response form, and a sample tally sheet.
Software Requirements: A complementary edition of PowerPoint 97/98 Viewer™ is included on the disk. However, to fully customize the presentations, users will need Microsoft's PowerPoint 97/98™ or later.
Published: 200
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Streets and Sidewalks, People and Cars: The Citizens’ Guide to Traffic Calming
This publication was written specifically for residents who want to create safer neighborhood streets. This hands-on guide gives citizens the tools they need to evaluate and improve the safety of their neighborhood residential and commercial streets. Prepared by Walkable Communities Director Dan Burden and published by the Local Government Commission's Center for Livable Communities, the easy-to-read, 52-page guide also details the collaborative public process through which residents can enlist the help of fellow community members and local government officials to diagnose problems and identify and prioritize workable solutions. The Citizens' Guide to Traffic Calming includes:
•A comprehensive toolkit with practical profiles of over 20 different traffic calming measures.
•Forms to audit street safety and traffic speeds and volumes.
•Steps to implement traffic calming measures.
•Helpful photographs and diagrams.
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Smart Growth Zoning Codes: A Resource Guide
Communities throughout North America are calling for development that creates human-scale neighborhoods and not "garage-scape" subdivisions. Unfortunately, many local governments' zoning codes are actually standing in the way of the type of development that residents want. Based on the Local Government Commission's research of more than 150 ''smart growth'' zoning codes from across the nation, this guidebook will help planners design a zoning code that encourages the construction of walkable, mixed use neighborhoods and the revitalization of existing places. Each chapter analyzes a critical issue -- such as design, streets and parking -- and highlights exemplary codes from across the country. The guidebook comes with a CD-ROM that contains copies of some of the best zoning codes in the United States and other resources.
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Designing Sustainable Communities: Learning from Village Homes
Village Homes in Davis, California, is one of the few time-tested examples of a sustainable community. Built between 1975 and 1981 on 60 acres of land, it features extensive common areas, community gardens, narrow streets, pedestrian and bike paths, solar homes and an innovative ecological drainage system. In this book published in January 2000 by Island Press, Judy and Michael Corbett the developers of Village Homes offer an inside look at the development of the project. They also describe design approaches and local government policies that help create sustainable communities. Available from Amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Designing-Sustainable-Communities-Learning-Village/dp/1559636866
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Participation Tools for Better Land Use Planning
Price: $20 plus S&H
This informative guidebook describes ways to improve the level and quality of citizen participation in land-use planning. It includes nine distinct, easy-to-understand techniques such as computer simulation, design charrettes, the Visual Preference SurveyTM, simulation exercises, facilitated meetings, guided tours, and formal neighborhood groups. The guidebook also features brief case studies from across the country.
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Building Livable Communities: A Policymaker's Guide to Transit-Oriented Development
This guidebook addresses how development around transit stops can be used to create places where we enjoy living, working and playing. It contains helpful advice, model examples, and resources to help create livable, transit-oriented communities in your region. The guidebook includes: Economic, social and environmental reasons for building near transit. The elements that make for good transit development. A summary of some of the best implementation tools. Options for financing transit-oriented development. Helpful examples of model transit-oriented developments from across the country. Extensive description of resources to help your community. Available free at http://www.lgc.org/freepub/index.html.
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Building Livable Communities: A Policymaker's Guide to Infill Development
Price: $20 plus S&H
This guidebook explains why infill development is critical to building more livable communities. It identifies the many barriers to building in cities and towns and goes on to suggest numerous ways in which local governments can help make infill development happen. Proposed strategies and incentives include: planning proactively, assuring public participation, using public facilities and development fees to attract investment, assisting with project financing, zoning for mixed use and higher-density development, and providing in-kind assistance. It also includes a bibliographical resource section.
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Street Design Guidelines for Healthy Neighborhoods
Price: $25 plus S&H
This guidebook will help communities implement designs for streets that are safe, efficient and aesthetically pleasing for both people and cars. It features helpful guidelines that specify street widths and implementation strategies developed by a team of experts under the leadership of Dan Burden, one of the nation's foremost experts on traffic calming and the creation of pedestrian- and bike-friendly communities. Burden's team included a traffic engineer, a transportation planner, an architect and a community activist. It includes an analysis of conventional and healthy street practices, and offers 25 helpful street design principles for healthy neighborhoods.
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REAL TOWNS: Making Your Neighborhood Work by Harrison Bright Rue (Local Government Commission and Citizen Planner Institute)
Price: $12.00; Discounts on bulk orders available: 25-99: $ 5.00 each; 100-199: $4.00 each; 200+ : $3.00 each -- plus shipping & handling.
Real towns and neighborhoods are the places most of us live -- small towns, downtown neighborhoods, older or new suburbs, high-rises, or historic districts. PLaces with history, with families, with people who plan to stay. This book is for people who care about their communities and want to make them better. Many of the ideas in this book have their origins in New Urbanism -- a movement best known for creating successful "New Towns" on undeveloped land in outlying areas, or large urban infill projects. This book gives local government officials and citizen activists the tools needed to apply the same principles of traditional neighborhood design to existing communities.
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Order by calling or writing to the following:
Local Government Commission
1303 J Street, Suite 250
Sacramento, CA 95814
Phone: (916) 448-1198
Fax: (916) 448-8246
E-mail: pubs@lgc.org
Or visit the LGC web site at: http://www2.lgc.org/bookstore/ for ordering information and other LGC publications.
Link to Free Resources
The Local Government Commission also has numerous fact sheets on smart growth issues that can be accessed free. Topics covered include: energy, water, climate change, economic development, form-based codes, compact development, street design, traffic calming, health and community design, crime prevention, urban greening, community gardens and urban forests. Several fact sheets are also available in Spanish. Available for free at: http://www.lgc.org/freepub/index.html
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