Links to Land Use Organizations

Michigan Municipal League
http://www.mml.org
“The Michigan Municipal League is the Michigan association of cities and villages. The League is a nonpartisan organization working through cooperative effort to strengthen the quality of municipal government and administration.”

January 3, 2008gn="justify">Michigan Townships Association
http://www.michigantownships.org/
“Through seminars, publications, county chapters, telephone inquiries, and written and electronic communications, MTA alerts members to current township issues. MTA also promotes legislation favorable to its members and maintains constant communication with state and federal officials, whose actions play a critical role in township operatiJanuary 3, 2008 align="center" class="style63">MI:SOCIAL
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MI:SUSTAINABILITY
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Community Vitality Program
http://www.maes.msu.edu/cvp/
Enhances the capacity of MSU faculty and community leaders to engage in meaningful, cross-disciplinary partnerships by exploring ways in which new scientific discoveries and innovative research approaches can help communities improve living standards for current and future residents.
Families and Communities Together
http://www.fact.msu.edu/
A “multidisciplinary coalition based at Michigan State University…that links MSU's researchers and resources with community partners and initiatives.”

MI:TRANSPORTATION
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Michigan Department of Transportation
http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/
State Agency that is in charge of maintenance of current state highways and roads, highway development, and transportation planning.
Michigan Public Transit Association
http://www.mptaonline.org/
MPTAOnline is the premiere source for information pertaining to services offered by, and for, our member public transportation systems in the State of Michigan.

MI:ZONING
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Michigan Association of Planning
http://www.planningmi.org/
“The Michigan Association of Planning (MAP) [is] dedicated to promoting sound community planning that benefits the residents of Michigan through advancing comprehensive community planning [that] includes opportunities for a variety of lifestyles and housing, employment, commercial activities, and cultural and recreational amenities.”

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

AGRICULTURE/LAND USE
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Farmland Information Center
http://www.farmlandinfo.org/
“The FIC is a public/private partnership between the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and American Farmland Trust (AFT,) which was authorized by the federal Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA)” and is “a clearinghouse for information about farmland protection and stewardship.”
National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture
http://www.sustainableagriculture.net/
“The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture is a diverse nationwide partnership of individuals and organizations cultivating grass roots efforts to engage in policy development processes that result in food and agricultural systems and rural communities that are healthy, environmentally sound, profitable, humane and just.”
United States Department of Agriculture
http://www.usda.gov/
The United States Department of Agriculture is the federal agency that “leads the Federal anti-hunger effort with the Food Stamp, School Lunch, School Breakfast, and the WIC Programs; is the steward of our nation's 192 million acres of national forests and rangelands; encourages voluntary efforts to protect soil, water, and wildlife on the 70 percent of America's lands that are in private hands; brings housing, modern telecommunications, and safe drinking water to rural America; is responsible for the safety of meat, poultry, and egg products; is a research leader in everything from human nutrition to new crop technologies that allow us to grow more food and fiber using less water and pesticides; and helps ensure open markets for U.S. agricultural products and provides food aid to needy people overseas.”

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
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ENVIRONMENT
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Air and Waste Management Association
http://www.awma.org/
“The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that provides training, information, and networking opportunities to thousands of environmental professionals in 65 countries.”
Center for Clean Air Policy
http://www.ccap.org/
CCAP “seeks to promote and implement innovative solutions to major environmental and energy problems which balance both environmental and economic interests. The Center’s work is guided by the belief that market-based approaches to environmental problems offer the greatest potential to reach common ground between these often conflicting interests.”
Center for Watershed Protection
http://www.cwp.org/
provides local governments, activists, and watershed organizations around the country with the technical tools for protecting some of the nation’s most precious natural resources: our streams, lakes and rivers. The Center has developed and disseminated a multi-disciplinary strategy to watershed protection that encompasses watershed planning, watershed restoration, stormwater management, watershed research, better site design, education and outreach, and watershed training.
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
http://www.iclei.org/
“Provides technical consulting, training, and information services to build capacity, share knowledge, and support local government in the implementation of sustainable development at the local level.
National Brownfield Association
http://www.brownfieldassociation.org/
“National Brownfield Associations (NBA) is an international umbrella organization of national associations focused on the responsible redevelopment of brownfields.”
Natural Resources Defense Council
http://www.nrdc.org
Advocate for a wide range of environmental issues including wildlife, water, energy, and many more.
United States Environmental Protection Agency
http://www.epa.gov/
“The mission of the Environmental Protection Agency is to protect human health and the environment. Since 1970, EPA has been working for a cleaner, healthier environment for the American people.”
United States Geological Survey
http://www.usgs.gov/
“The USGS serves the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect our quality of life.”

NEW URBANISM
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Congress for New Urbanism
http://www.cnu.org/
“CNU advocates the restructuring of public policy and development practices to support the restoration of existing urban centers and towns within coherent metropolitan regions.”
New Urbanism
http://www.newurbanism.org
Website with a wealth of information pertaining to new urbanism, costs of urban sprawl, and other land use issues.
Urban Ecology
http://www.urbanecology.org
“Vibrant neighborhoods are the building blocks of healthy cities and thriving regions. Urban Ecology uses urban design, land use planning, and policy reform to help communities plan and build neighborhoods that are ecologically healthy, socially just, and economically fair.”

POLICY
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Center for Urban Policy Research (Rutgers)
http://policy.rutgers.edu/cupr/
The “Center for Urban Policy Research serves the nation with basic and applied research on a broad spectrum of public policy issues.”
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
http://www.lincolninst.edu/index-high.asp
“The Lincoln Institute offers courses, conferences and seminars on a variety of land and tax topics in a nonpartisan forum, with a particular emphasis on current research.”
Local Government Environmental Assistance Network
http://www.lgean.org/
“The Local Government Environmental Assistance Network (LGEAN) is a "first-stop shop" providing environmental management, planning, funding, and regulatory information for local government elected and appointed officials, managers and staff.”
Urban Land Institute
http://www.uli.org
“The mission of the Urban Land Institute is to provide responsible leadership in the use of land to enhance the total environment.”

REGIONALISM
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National Association of Regional Councils
http://www.narc.org/
“The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) is a membership organization of Regional Councils and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) who are striving to build regional communities all across the country.”
Smart Growth America
http://www.smartgrowthamerica.com/
Smart Growth America is a coalition of national, state and local organizations working to improve the ways we plan and build the towns, cities and metro areas we call home.

SOCIAL
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Center for Rural Affairs
http://www.cfra.org/
Establish strong rural communities, social and economic justice, environmental stewardship, and genuine opportunity for all while engaging people in decisions that affect the quality of their lives and the future of their communities.

SUSTAINABILITY
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TRANSPORTATION
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American Public Transportation Association
http://www.apta.com/
APTA exists “to strengthen and improve public transportation, APTA serves and leads its diverse membership through advocacy, innovation and information sharing. APTA and its members and staff work to ensure that public transportation is available and accessible for all Americans in communities across the country.”
Association for Commuter Transportation
http://www.actweb.org
“From networking and educational events through professional development and government relations support, ACT advances the effectiveness of our transportation system.”
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
http://www.ampo.org/
“AMPO is the transportation advocate for metropolitan regions and is committed to enhancing MPOs' abilities to improve metropolitan transportation systems.”
Bureau of Transportation Statistics
http://www.bts.gov/
Your one-stop-shop for all types of data related to transit statistics in the United States.
Center for Transportation Excellence
http://www.cfte.org/
The Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) is a clearinghouse for information in support of quality transportation choices. CFTE is committed to two main objectives: (1) defending the merits of transit and (2) equipping local leaders with the information they need to be successful with their public transportation initiatives and ballot measures.

ZONING
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American Planning Association
http://www.planning.org
“APA is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, advance the art and science of planning to meet the needs of people and society.”