In an era of increasing complexity, the majority of local land-use decisions in the United States are made by volunteer citizen planners. Often these elected or appointed volunteers enter their positions with a passion for their communities but without appropriate background training. The Michigan Citizen Planner Program was developed to address…

Highway interchanges offer rural counties practically ready-made sites for development, but some interchanges offer better development opportunities than others. A study of a Kentucky interchange identified seven factors that make a difference in development, including traffic volume, distance to an urban area, ruggedness of terrain, and sale of…

A social impact assessment (SIA) should accompany plans for land development in developing nations. An SIA team should maintain an ongoing relationship with the community and attempt to implement recommendations. (KC)

Examines how rapid economic development and population growth affect the visual environment in small towns and rural areas. Describes how agencies concerned with the impact of Fort Drum's expansion. Discusses the process of educating local community planners and the public, and a design framework for regulating land use development. (SV)

Describes a simulation game which introduces concepts and problems associated with community planning. Initial activities include a role-playing exercise focusing on decisions related to a vacant lot; implications for various decisions are noted. Also gives suggested questions to address when planning a town. (DH)

Outlines a practical application of Dillman's "synchronized survey model" within a community case study context. Presents step-by-step approach to integrating preference survey data with other data sources in development of a comprehensive land use plan. Considers problems and trade-offs of fitting a research process into practical…

In Manteo, North Carolina, community involvement in planning and design phases of community revitalization led to recognition of the town's "sacred structure"--highly valued places essential to social processes, lifestyle, and sense of place. Identification and preservation of these places allowed community development without negative…

A plan adopted in 1992 by Findlay Township in rural Pennsylvania protects undeveloped land from urbanization and expanded and improved the township's park and recreational system. Improvements included a fitness trail, a pavilion, a handicap-accessible jungle gym, tennis and volleyball courts, restrooms, and flower beds and trees. (LP)

This bibliography was compiled to provide scholars and practitioners with a comprehensive listing of materials related to urban neighborhoods as social, political, or economic units. The bibliography contains more than 200 citations of materials published in the late 70s and 1980. Each entry is accompanied by a summary and content codes which…

The trend for universities to use their excess land for profitable real estate ventures in conjunction with private developers and builders is considered. One of the first institutions to embark on development was the University of Washington, Seattle, and one of the best known examples of university-sponsored development is Stanford University,…

Land use controls are often a major point of conflict between recent migrants and long-term residents of rapidly growing communities. Such conflict was noted in a case study of a rural community undergoing rapid population growth. The revision of a comprehensive land use plan for the community provided the opportunity to evaluate citizen…

The property tax base in Vermont's towns are overburdened as property taxes are usually the only funding method available to finance schools, police departments, highway work, recreation programs, and government in general. Attempting to offer their citizens a balanced program of services without exorbitant taxes, local officials are striving to…

Describes a simulation game whose objective is to help students understand the part played by water in the environment from both the physical and the social viewpoint. Journal availability: see SO 507 285. (Author/CK)

The 3-year Citizen Leadership Program was designed to develop citizen-directed planning in Wisconsin. The first year focused on citizen involvement in land use planning; the second year, on community goal setting; and the third year, on community development projects. A representative group of 30 citizens participated in the program's workshops…

Discusses the development and implementation of a simulation game for a sixth-grade class that used the structure of Thornton Wilder's play, "Our Town," to examine the geographical issues involved in community planning. The land development issue discussed was based on a real-life local concern. (MJP)