How Can You Make Your Comprehensive Plan Better Support Economic Development? Municipal and county land use regulations, plans and policies must accommodate the various needs of people, households and business. However, many comprehensive planning efforts, while well intentioned, often provide cursory treatment to the interests of current and prospective business investment – development, expansion, and   …

Webinar: Easement Made Easy - Applying Conservation Easements on the Landscapes and Greenways of  Pennsylvania's Communities Conservation easements are increasingly being used for a private land trust or government to limit certain uses of land for the purpose of achieving a particular conservation objective while keeping the land in the landowners control An introduction to   …

How Can Planners Work to Enhance Community Food Systems? Efforts to address community problems (e.g. health issues, environmental issues, or social concerns) result in varying degrees of success. What works in one community can fail miserably in another. The Community Readiness Model (CRM) provides an innovative approach to assessing a community’s awareness of a problem   …

Planning for Healthy Communities: Making the Healthy Choice the Easy Choice The United States ranks 37th amongst industrial nations with regard to a healthy population. Communities nationwide are recognizing the critical link between our built environments and public health. How well we plan land use, food systems, transportation, and natural resource protection will have dramatic   …

Engaging Your Community's Generations in Planning Communities consist of a variety of generational cohorts, with each of these groups having distinct characteristics. Understanding these characteristics is vital for effectively engaging all age groups of people in planning processes, and later encouraging their volunteerism for the implementation of planned community projects. Descriptions of considerations and options   …