Links

Links for Learning About the Issues, Plus Key Organizations

This list of links is not meant to be exhaustive or comprehensive. Rather, it gives a few key resources at the regional, state and federal levels.

ClimatePlan is a network of leading organizations focused on promoting land use policies that will help achieve California's AB 32 greenhouse gas emission reduction targets

Greenbelt Alliance. Since 1958, Greenbelt Alliance has been an incredible advocate for open spaces and vibrant places in the Bay Area.
Urban Habitat is increasingly focused on transportation and land use issues, and facilitate the Bay Area's Transportation Justice Working Group
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California. NPH has resources for promoting affordable housing that are relevant anywhere in California, with a special focus on the Bay Area.
The Great Communities Collaborative brings together residents and local organizations to participate in community planning processes across the San Francisco Bay Area. The site includes excellent tools and resources and an interactive map of all of the transit-oriented development planning sites in the Bay Area.

Smart Growth America is a coalition of national, state and local organizations working to improve planning in towns, cities and metro areas across the country. They offer great resources for your local planning efforts, and opportunities to get involved on critical federal initiatives.
Transportation for America is working to dramatically shift funding within the federal transportation bill towards supporting a world-class rail and transit network and neighborhoods that require less driving, while keeping our current transportation infrastructure in great shape.
Reconnecting America is a national non-profit organization that is working to integrate transportation systems and the communities they serve. They are a great technical resource on transit-oriented development, and have been a leader in explaining the benefits of TOD in clear terms.
Sierra Club's Sprawl Pages have a wealth of resources, including a "healthy communities" calculator in which you can use real communities and explore how healthy growth requires us to use land, public transportation, roadways and other public infrastructure efficiently, and that this results in less pollution.
NRDC's Smart Growth Page. The Natural Resources Defense Council is incresaingly working to promote smart land use, and helped lead the effort for California's landmark SB 375.

Urban Advantage creates green visions of walkable, socially-interactive communities by transforming photographs with photo editing software. The results are photo-realistic visualizations that make development visions palpably real and understandable. These are fabulous for sprucing up general presentations on smart growth and the online library lets you choose from very affordable options and download it right there.

City CarShare offers the mobility of driving while minimizing the expense and the environmental impacts of owning a car. Carsharing can also be an important part of new developments that reduces the demand for vehicle ownership, and the need for parking.

Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research organization dedicated to developing innovative and practical solutions to transportation problems. They provide a variety of resources available free to help improve transportation planning and policy analysis. They are funded primarily through consulting and project grants. Their research is among the most current available and has been widely applied.

Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) is the transportation planning, coordinating, and funding agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. FOCUS. Four Bay Area regional agencies have joined forces in a Joint Policy Committee (JPC) to encourage focused growth through a voluntary, incentive-based program. The program provides an opportunity for local governments and the regional agencies - Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) - to work together to create complete, livable communities.

Have a link you think should be listed above? Send it to Marta Lindsey.