Do a web search for "sustainable development" and you get millions of hits. Everyone wants sustainability; green is the new black.The word is so overused it means everything and nothing. In 1987 the United Nations said sustainable development "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." But in recent years, greenwashing has made the term ubiquitous—and suspect.Assessing Sustainability tackles two of the biggest questions facing planners today: What is sustainable development, and how do we know when it's working? Does it benefit the environment? Build community equity? Boost the economy? This report strips away the rhetoric to show how local communities can benchmark sustainability and make it a measurable goal.

Assessing Sustainability: A Guide for Local Governments

Politics & Social Sciences

Feiden FAICP, Wayne M.

Hamin, Elisabeth

Social Sciences

APA Planning Advisory Service

Communities across the country want to take advantage of wind energy. But how?  Planning for Wind Energy gives communities the tools to get started. It describes the benefits, debunks the myths, and provides point-by-point checklists for incorporating wind energy into planning and zoning. Real-world case studies share success stories and lessons learned from communities where wind energy is already at work. This practical guide will put wind power within reach for cities, counties and regions across the United States. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy

Planning for Wind Energy

Planning for sustainability is the defining challenge of the 21st century. More than any other single endeavor, it confronts the critical perils to our future, from energy shortages and environmental stress to climate shifts and population surges. That's the argument of a forward-looking new report from the American Planning Association. In plain language, authors David R. Godschalk, FAICP, and William R. Anderson, FAICP, show how cities, towns, and regions can work together to meet the challenge. These leading planners put forward eight principles for developing comprehensive plans that address today's needs without compromising the needs of the next generation. Case studies demonstrate sustainability planning at work in cities including Seattle and San Diego and smaller communities like Keene, New Hampshire, and Union County, Pennsylvania. Sustaining Places gives planners, local officials, and involved citizens a practical framework for understanding today's concerns and a roadmap for moving toward a better future. The report culminates the American Planning Association's multiyear, multifaceted Sustaining Places Initiative.

Sustaining Places: The Role of the Comprehensive Plan

Anderson, William R.

Godschalk FAICP, David R.

A useful introduction to site design and review. It explains design principles and environmental factors that should be considered when evaluating a development plan. Illustrations and maps on almost every page make it both practical and easy to understand. Covers such topics as ecologically sensitive areas, topography, and soil types and introduces design principles that deal with lotting arrangements, access, utility placements, and other issues.

Caring for the Land: Environmental Principles for Site Design and Review

Arts & Photography

Hendler, Bruce

Architecture

Almost every city and county in the nation uses zoning to regulate the development of private property. Yet zoning standards have consistently failed to address issues of visual quality and community character. This report examines a viable solution: design review. Design review seeks to achieve good design through community consensus and cooperation.The report guides planners throught the design review process—from pre-application to post-guideline enforcement. It shows how to craft nonambiguous design review guidelines for parking lots and structures, buildings, signs, and more. Numerous diagrams, charts, and photographs illustrate the many benefits of design review. A great primer for planners, officals, or citizens interested in preserving or upgrading their city's environment.

Design Review

Hinshaw, Mark L.

How can we reform the nation's planning statutes to meet the needs of the next century? Find out what the experts suggest in this authoritative report. Modernizing State Planning Statutes pulls together 26 papers prepared for Growing Smart(SM), APA's multiyear project to modernize state planning enabling laws. The papers explore ways to reform state planning statutes and recommend provisions to include in the next generation of model planning laws. Topics include judicial review of land-use decisions, state and regional fair-share housing planning, and interlocal approaches to land-use decision making. Each paper is clearly written and addresses a different topic. Great for planners or legislators who want to understand the failings of the current system. The first volume of a planned three-volume set.

Modernizing State Planning Statutes: The Growing Smart Working Papers (Volume 1)

American Institute of Certified Planners

Uniform street-naming and property-numbering systems enable residents to find addresses quickly and easily. This PAS classic is a comprehensive guide to establishing or revising street-naming and house-numbering systems. It shows how to number individual properties; suggests ways to implement a new numbering system; reviews the legal aspects of street naming and numbering; and discusses systems suitable for larger jurisdictions such as rural and metropolitan areas or even entire states. The appendices provide sample ordinances and subdivision regulations.

Street-Naming and Property-Numbering Systems

Corwin, Margaret A.

Every year hundreds of local governments hire consultants for planning projects. But few officials go through the process often enough to feel confident in choosing consultants wisely, working with them effectively, and getting the best results. The author, an experienced planning consultant, knows firsthand the perils and pitfalls of the process. In five easy-to-follow chapters, he maps out a path from the decision to hire a consultant to the victory lap at its successful completion. He shares sources to find qualified consultants, five ways to structure the selection process, what to include in a Request for Proposal, and how to manage the project once the consultant is on board. His practical guide also covers the nitty-gritty of payment, legal and ethical issues, and dispute resolution. An appendix is packed with handy resources, including a sample consulting agreement, scope of services document, and evaluation form.

Working with Planning Consultants: Planning Advisory Service Reports

Business & Money

Kelly, Eric Damian

Education & Reference

Signs do more than guide people; they help create safe and vibrant places. Street Graphics and the Law points the way to a better system of designing, displaying, and regulating signs. Completely updated, the fourth edition of this influential text has the latest on the evolution of digital signs and the last word on legal points every planner should know. Introductory chapters cover the elements of street graphics systems and five criteria for successful signs. Readers also will find best practices from the United States Sign Council and a new model street graphics ordinance, along with a primer for protecting sign regulations from attacks. Every community, from crossroads to major metro area, needs effective, aesthetic street graphics that tell people where to find what they want and send them safely on their way. This must-read report shows planners how to steer their street graphics programs in the right direction.

Street Graphics and the Law

How can we reform the nation's planning statutes to meet the needs of the next century? Find out what the experts suggest in these authoritative reports. Modernizing State Planning Statutes pulls together papers prepared for Growing Smart(SM), APA's multiyear project to modernize state planing enabling laws. Volume 2 topics include the land-use and transportation elements of a local comprehensive plan, integrating state environmental policy acts into local planning, land supply monitoring systems, and benchmarking. A special feature of Volume 2 is a digest of comprehensive planning requirements in all 50 states. This is the second volume in a planned three-volume set.

Modernizing State Planning Statutes: The Growing Smart Working Papers (Volume 2)

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Books by APA Planning Advisory Service