Get inspired by Great Places, Great Streets and Great Public Spaces.

Use these examples to illustrate your points when talking to your neighbors, and local business people and professionals. Show your local, regional and state elected officials what's possible and what you want.

Compact, Walkable Communities mean more than sidewalks. Close proximity to public transportation gives people a good reason to leave their cars at home, or better yet, not to own a car at all.

• The Village of Kenmore in Kenmore, New York is a great example of a walkable, bikable community. No house is further than 1/4 mile from public transportation, so people walk and the low-traffic streets welcome cyclists. You'd never know this is one of the 100 densest communities in the country.
• Browne's Addition in Spokane, Washington is a great example of the way citizens, faith-based communities and planners can work together.  Tax incentives and community development block grants and historic designations are some of the tools they used. The key to this thriving diverse community is the wide variety of housing options — ranging from affordable apartments to new $600,000 condos.

Check out all the Great Neighborhoods recognized by the APA

| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |

New Life For Old Neighborhoods, Downtowns And Main Streets

Revitalization is the hope and economic salvation of many cities and towns across the country. It requires fresh thinking, disciplined planning and true cooperation. The hallmarks of success are the ability to preserve what's distinctive from the past, to embrace an economically and environmentally sustainable vision and for diverse groups to work together for a common goal.

• Washington Street in Boston, Massachusetts. Collaboration was key to the plan for revitalizing this street. Zoning was an important tool. It allowed for mixed-use development while respecting Washington Street's historic character. A new rapid transit bus line, wider sidewalks, landscaping and lighting transformed the on-foot experience of the street. In order to keep the community diverse, zoning encourages housing for a wide range of family incomes.
• Clarendon-Wilson Corridor in Arlington, Virginia is an inspiring example of the power of planning for the future. Forty years ago, community leaders, planners, and residents worked together to make sure the subway route followed the area's aging commercial corridor instead of an area interstate median. Today this corridor is a thriving compact "urban village" where nearly 20 percent of residents don't own a car and 50 percent walk, bike, or use transit to get to work.

Check out all the Great Streets recognized by the APA

| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 |

Parks And Public Spaces Are The Heart Of A Community

• Central Park in New York City, New York is the iconic park—showing all the ways a well planned, well executed park can transform, enhance, even define urban life over the long term. (reprise the radio psa, add the link)
• East Park, Charlevoix, Michigan evolved over 70 years thanks to a common vision and commitment by succeeding generations of elected leaders and the public. This downtown community space is located just steps from Charlevoix's bustling business district and is used year-round by residents and visitors.
• Parks can be any size — pocket parks, even playgrounds. They offer unique benefits to children and students — both educational and health-related.
• Here are great examples of communities all across the country that are reaping the benefits of including parks as an integral part of the comprehensive plan for a sustaining community.

Check out all the Great Public Spaces recognized by the APA

| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 |

Here's one energizing example of how a diverse urban community, the Wicker Park-Bucktown neighborhood in Chicago, used innovative ideas to successfully stimulate community involvement and buy-in for the comprehensive neighborhood plan.

Connect With Other Communities, Network For New Ideas

By inviting communities to share their outreach and communication activities, we create a doorway for you to learn more from a grass roots perspective. Here you'll find fliers, fact sheets and invitations to open houses from communities across the country. Many have included links to websites that are community focused as well as links to other helpful resources on both the context for and value of planning.

Start Early With Education

• The APA has a full spectrum of educational resources and tools for engaging and educating students of all ages. You'll find model programs, workbooks, reading, and a wealth of ideas for integrating planning — sustainability, green communities and more — into a curriculum.
• Sign up for this idea-filled free online newsletter — ResourcesZine. It includes hundreds of ideas for involving young people in planning and teaching them about environmental protection, urban design, civic engagement, geography and GIS, social studies, transportation, history, and more.

Sustainability

APA's Policy Guide on Planning for Sustainability helps with understanding the challenges we face.

Healthy Communities, Green Communities

• Community and regional planning can make a big difference to the health of the the people who live there. APA's Planning and Community Health Research Center is dedicated to integrating community health issues into local and regional planning practices. The center provides free access to education and outreach resources and materials.
• APA's Green Communities Research Center has the expertise and resources to help your community become greener and more sustainable. This national center provides a wealth of resources, background and more.

Water

Use of water is one of the most challenging global and regional issues we face today.

• This comprehensive presentation "Integrated Ecological Planning and Site Design" will help you gain practical understanding of the problems and solutions from a local and regional perspective.
• APA's Policy Guide On Water Resources Management gives you the broad context framework.

Farmland, Countryside and More

Planning to preserve open space in its widest sense — countryside and farmland — is central to a great regional plan.

• One great example is Baltimore County's Plan For The Valleys
• Educating the community on the importance of the farm-city connection requires new commitment and innovative approaches to outreach.
• Eating local: check out how planning supports this green and healthy community practice in cities around the country. Colorful, downloadable pdfs are informative and inspiring.

Parks

These briefing papers will help you understand and make the case for parks in your community. While they are written by planners and intended as briefs for elected officials, they are accessible and informative.

Infrastructure

Concerned about roads, bridges and infrastructure?

• Rebuilding Americais the place to begin.
• APA National Infrastructure Investment Task Force Report. (pdf)

Planning Across The Country

While the calendar is designed for professional planners, it give you a great sense of planning issues and places of interest. You can identify potential resources and experts. Search by region and by issue.

Citizen's Guide to Planning

Green Community

Smart Growth in a Changing World

High Cost of Free Parking

Foreclosing the Dream

Envisioning Better Communities

Abundant Community

Delta Urbanism: New Orleans

Becoming an Urban Planner