Green Communities Demonstration Program

Resources*

Community Environmental Visioning Process

Web Resources

• Communities by Choice
• Community Based Environmental Protection
• Education for Sustainable Communities in Ohio
• Measuring Community Success and Sustainability
• National Civic League, Community Resources
• Sustainable Communities Network
• Sustainable Development Tool Kit
• Sustainable Measures
• Tools for a Sustainable Community, One-Stop Guide for U.S. Local Governments
• U.S.EPA Green Communities

Community Visioning Examples

• A Plan for the Future of Greater Lafayette, Vision 2020, Greater Lafayette, Indiana
• Community Visioning Report, City of Brentwood
• Martin County, FL
• Tampa Bay A Livable Region
• The Livable Tucson Vision Program
• Vision 2020, The City of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Print Resources

Developing a Community Strategic Plan: A Guidebook for Local Officials 2004. The Illinois Association of Regional Councils, in partnership with the Department of Economic Opportunity has developed a new resource to help local officials, planners, and citizens through a strategic planning process. The publication provides a comprehensive tool to creating a sustainable vision and action plan for communities with three primary components: visioning, goals and objectives, and the plan process. This 52-page guidebook, written in an easy-to-read format, contains all of these components and offers a step-by-step approach to walk the reader through the community planning process. Copies of the guidebook and accompanying CD-ROM are available for loan from regional council lending libraries. It is available in free Adobe Acrobat Reader format on the Web at Illinois Regional Councils. The printed publication is available for purchase from ILARC for $7.50 (plus shipping and handling). To order, call: 217/528-5331 or iacbm@msn.com.

Ames, Steve C. A Guide to Community Visioning: Hands-On Information for Local Communities. APA Planners Press. Chicago, Illinois. 1998; rev. ed. Available from Planners Book Service, 122 S. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60603; 312-786-6344 or Fax: 312-431-9985; Website: www.planning.org/bookstore

Community-Based Environmental Protection: A Resource Book for Protecting Ecosystems and Communities. United States Environmental Protection Agency. July 1997. Available on-line at: www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/tools/resourcebook.htm.

Communities By Choice: An Introduction To Sustainable Community Development. Mountain Association for Community Economic Development. 1997. Available on line at: www.communitiesbychoice.org

EPA's Framework for Community-Based Environmental Protection. United States Environmental Protection Agency. February 1999. Available from National Service Center for Environmental Publications, Cincinnati, Ohio, 1-800-490-9198 or fax: 513-489-8695. When ordering, refer to publication number EPA 237-K-99-001.

Building Our Future: A Guide to Community Visioning. Green, Gary, Haines, Anna, and Halebsky, Stephen. Cooperative Extension Publications. 2000. Available from: Cooperative Extension Publications, 45 N. Charter Street, Madison, WI 53715, 1-877-947-7827, http://www.drs.wisc.edu/personnel/faculty/green/docs/communityvision.pdf.

The Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook. National Civic League Press. Denver, Colorado. Third Printing. 2000. Copies available for $23/each: www.ncl.org/publications/descriptions/community_visioning.html

Vision To Action, Take Charge Too. North Central Regional Center for Rural Development. Iowa State University, Iowa. February 2001. Copies available for $25/each. Contact: North Central Regional Center for Rural Development, 515-294-8321 or fax: 515-294-3180.

Resources for Locating Community Visioning Facilitators

Government Assistance Program
DePaul University
243 S. Wabash, Suite 9200
Chicago, IL 60604
Contact: Mary Ann Sullivan
312-362-6670 Fax: 312-362-5988

National Civic League
Community Services
1445 Market Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80202-1717
Contact: Amy Swiatek
1-800-233-6004

Laboratory for Community and Economic Development
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
222 Bevier Hall
905 South Goodwin Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
Contact: Anne Heinze Silvis
217-333-5126

Ohio State University Extension
Public Issues Education
Community Development
700 Ackerman Road, Suite 235
Columbus, OH 43202
Contact: David B. Patton
614-292-6618

MAPPING The Future of Your Community
(Management & Planning Programs Involving Nonmetropolitan Groups)
Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs
Western Illinois University
518 Stipes Hall
1 University Circle
Macomb, IL 61455-1390
Contact: Nancy Richman
309-298-2648

* Note: This is not meant to be an inclusive list.