Non-governmental Organizations

Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities (BAASC)

The Bay Area Alliance for Sustainable Communities is a coalition of business, environmental, social equity and government leaders who forge collaborative solutions to improve the quality of life in the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. To advance regional sustainability, one of BAASC’s main functions is to facilitate dialog to identify shared goals and develop joint action strategies for the area. One of BAASC’s ongoing projects is the Community Capital Investment Initiative (CCII). The CCII goals are to reduce poverty, increase opportunity for residents, and promote smart growth in these neighborhoods by using market forces. http://www.bayareaalliance.org/

Public Health, Law, and Policy: An NGO that provides tools on incorporating health related issues into land use planning. IncludesEconomic Development: A Toolkit on Land Use and Health: http://www.healthyplanning.org/toolkit_edrd.html

Farmland Information Center. American Farmland Trust (AFT). Acts as a clearinghouse for information about Cost of Community Services studies. http://www.farmland.org/services/fiscalplanning/default.asp

AFT Fact Sheet on COCS Studies: http://www.farmlandinfo.org/documents/27757/FS_COCS_11-02.pdf

Planning for the Future: A Sierra Nevada Land Use Index and Saving Sierra Places: An Activist’s Toolkit for Winning Land Use Campaigns. Sierra Nevada Alliance: www.sierranevadaalliance.org.

The Local Government Commission: http://www.lgc.org/ - A Sacramento-based non-profit with numerous reports and resources on community design and smart growth. Specific resources are available addressing water resources, energy, and climate change.

American Planning Association: http://www.planning.org/. This professional organization for planners has a variety of resources and reports.

American Planning Association – California Chapter: http://www.calapa.org/. Provides planning information and policy review specific to California.

Smart Growth Network: http://www.smartgrowth.org/. – a national level collaborative between government agencies and non-profit organizations that provides tools and information about Smart Growth – often includes information about grant programs available to local governments and communities.

Congress for New Urbanism: http://www.cnu.org/ - This NGO promotes walkable, neighborhood based development. Holds conferences and trainings around the country.

Planetizen: http://www.planetizen.com/, a web-based information exchange about urban planning. Offers web-based continuing education.