Livable Communities Toolkit: A Best Practices Manual for Metropolitan Regions

About the Project

CRCOG promotes planning and design for transportation and land use that supports livable communities goals. Our effort is focused on informing town planners, engineers and citizens of innovative and proven ways to create more livable communities through better design of roadway projects and commercial/residential development as well as better town plans and development regulations. The links below will connect you to material CRCOG has prepared or distributed related to these topics.

Livable Communities Toolkit: A Best Practices Manual For Metropolitan Regions

This toolkit presents practical approaches to regional and local development. The toolkit has two sections: A Region In Balance and Tools For Towns. A Region In Balance describes actions taken by other regions around the country to encourage better growth and provides some steps we might take toward a broader statewide approach to building balanced, livable communities.

Tools For Towns

This toolkit covers eight development topics from agriculture preservation to rethinking zoning. For each topic, we provide a quick and easy-to-read Fact Sheet to introduce the tool and a Technical Analysis that provides more detail on the “how-to’s” of that tool. The Technical Analyses provide information on what the tool can do, some of challenges, how it’s been used in other places, and a model or sample zoning ordinance for easier implementation.