WEBSITES: Local, National and Trade Resources

Local Links of Interest

www.ctsmartgrowth.com A blog for Connecticut Smart Growth advocates.

http://www.citizensnetwork.info/ Citizens Network of the Capitol Region. The mission of the Network is to create a broad-based, non-partisan, diverse grassroots citizens organization, drawing together persons from every town in the Capitol Region to address collaboratively regional issues, problems, challenges, and opportunities. 

www.sharesimsbury.com Simsbury Homeowners Advocating Responsible Expansion, working for the best use of undeveloped light industrial land, and against a zone change that would permit a big box shopping project, on Route 10 at the Simsbury-Avon town line.

www.keepthewoods.org A group of Simsbury residents working with the Ethel Walker School, Town of Simsbury and private land preservation organizations to negotiate the preservation of 480 acres of Ethel Walker’s land.

http://www.rpa.org/ The Regional Plan Association, an 80-year-old, not-for-profit organization working to improve the quality of life and the economic competitiveness of the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut

http://www.hbact.com/ The Home Builders Association of Connecticut, including the association’s positions on proposed smart growth legislation

www.1000friends-ct.org The website of the new statewide advocacy group 1000 Friends of Connecticut, its mission to stop sprawl and develop our existing communities into livable, friendly places.

http://www.ccapa.org/ Connecticut Chapter of the American Planning Association, including the association’s positions on proposed smart growth legislation

http://www.newhartfordforests.net/Conservation/Index.html The Conservation Clearinghouse, with information and resources on open space preservation, economic and community development, and land trusts.

http://www.townofcantonct.org, The official website for the town of Canton. Don't forget to look at the section on "The Plan of Conservation and Development," the blueprint that will shape the way Canton grows and develops for the next ten years

http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet Census 2000 by your neighborhood or street

http://www.ctfarmland.org Connecticut Farmland Trust: protecting the remaining agricultural land, local produce and farming.

http://www.workinglandsalliance.org/ Working Lands Alliance, working toward the preservation of Connecticut farmland

www.hartfordinfo.org A service of the Hartford Public Library and the Hartford Community Information Center, this website provides links to local resources on the topics of economic development, Smart Growth, and urban sprawl.

http://www.newhartfordopenspace.org/BondSummary.html An analysis of the costs and benefits of open space preservation.

www.newhartfordopenspace.org A resource for data on open space preservation, offered by New Hartford’s Citizens for Sound Investment in Open Space.

http://www.oua-adh.org/centerEdge_project.htm The goal of the CenterEdge Project (founded by the Catholic Church) is to educate people about the social and economic disparities created by Connecticut's long-term pattern of development, one that has seen unchecked growth on the fringe of metropolitan areas, while core cities lost jobs and people. While there check out http://www.oua-adh.org/4.8_CONNECTUCT.PDF for the report on Connecticut's latest pattern of development

www.voy.com/160017/ The New Hartford Open Space News, a non-governmental, unaffiliated website created by and for residents of New Hartford, CT and the region to keep track of local open space news.

http://www.townofcantonct.org/ The town of Canton’s official website.

National resources on Smart Growth and Suburban Sprawl

http://www.regionalstewardship.org/index.html The Alliance for Regional Stewardship, a national network of regional leaders

http://www.farmland.org/ The American Farmland Trust

http://www.planning.org/ The American Planning Association

http://www.vtsprawl.org/ The Vermont Forum on Sprawl, working to preserve Vermont's unique working landscape and quality of life while encouraging economic vitality in community centers.

http://www.epa.gov/piedpage/pdf/whtissg4v2.pdf EPA's Smart Growth fact sheet

http://www.cnu.org/ Congress for the New Urbanism, which aims to reform all aspects of real estate development

http://www.plannersnetwork.org/pnetwork/www/ The Planners Network, an association of professionals, activists and academics involved in urban and rural planning

http://www.sprawl-busters.com/ Greenfield, MA and authour of "Slam-Dunking Wal-Mart" fights big box - and wins. Information on why big-box retail is bad for a community and a game plan to follow when A Home Depot or Wal-Mart come knocking on your town's door.

http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/ Promotes policies for neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, communities that are more livable, growth that protects farmland and open space

http://www.ceds.org/ Community & Environmental Defense Services - Offers advice on how to take a stand against unsustainable development

http://www.smartgrowth.org/ The Smart Growth Network. Provides resources to encourage development that is environmentally and fiscally friendly

http://www.sprawlwatch.org/ Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse. Information and e-newsletter on sound land-use practices and up-to-date news on sprawl

http://www.lta.org/ Land Trust Alliance. Provides resources and information for those who want to set up land trusts

http://www.sierraclub.org/sprawl/ The Sierra Club believes that stopping suburban sprawl is imperative for the environment

http://www.newrules.org/hta/ Information on building the community, preserving local businesses, and preventing the megastores from taking eating local business.

http://www.friends.org 1000 Friends of Oregon. Nonprofit, founded in 1975 by Governor Tom McCall and Henry Richmond as the citizens' voice for land use planning that protects Oregon’s quality of life through the conservation of farm and forest lands, protection of natural and historic resources and promotion of more compact and livable cities.

Trade associations and corporations

http://www.hotmix.org/index2.html The National Asphalt Pavement Assocation, whose mission statement is “Paving the way to America's future.”

http://www.icsc.org/ The International Council of Shopping Centers

http://www.walmart.com/cservice/aw_intro.gsp?NavMode=8 Wal-Mart Stores’ corporate site

http://www.nahb.org/ National Association of Home Builders