Planning Tools

The Anacostia Waterfront Initiative will unite the city economically, physically, and socially as the center of 21st century Washington and a cornerstone of the National Capital Region. The destiny of the city as the nation’s capital and a premiere world city is inextricably linked to re-centering its growth on the Anacostia waterfront and making its long-neglected parks, environment, and infrastructure a national priority.

The Framework Plan is a flexible tool to inform future planning and development decisions. It is neither a prescriptive master plan nor an implementation program; rather, it identifies immediate and long-term opportunities to coordinate land use, urban design, public space, and transportation improvements, and to improve environmental management.

The Framework Plan is a flexible tool to inform future planning and development decisions. It is neither a prescriptive master plan nor an implementation program; rather, it identifies immediate and long-term opportunities to coordinate land use, urban design, public space, and transportation improvements, and to improve environmental management.

Lonsdale Energy district energy system delivers high-efficiency, cost-effective sustainable energy to North Vancouver customers, while reducing community-wide GHG emissions.

In 1992 the New Jersey State Planning Commission adopted a blueprint for growth that designated certain "smart growth areas." The core principles of that plan combined with new technologies helped shape an innovative planning tool. The New Jersey Smart Growth Locator is a free online service that allows people to type in a street address and find out whether the property lies in a designated smart growth area and thus eligible for certain benefits. Prospective buyers can now find where their new home might fall and developers can make smarter business decisions.

City planners, students, and community organizers partnered on the project, using input from 600 residents. The plan addresses infrastructure, safety, education, and funding, with implementation actions assigned to both the city and community groups. The plan is a guide for City staff, community members, and organizations to move the city towards a more walkable and bikeable vision.

Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project between the University of Minnesota, Cornell University, and the University of Colorado that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities of local government planning. The Design for Health program integrates human health issues into planning and environmental design using innovative, practice-oriented tools.