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Websites A-Z

An annotated selection of the most useful websites on community planning. Emphasis on those providing:


See also Contacts A-Z   and Case Studies sections where additional weblinks are provided.

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All sites listed are in English. Additional languages are indicated.

 

Websites A-Z

 

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Aarhus Convention
www.unece.org/env/pp
Official site of the Convention for Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. Hosted by United Nations Economic Commission for Europe which acts as Secretariat.


Active Democracy
www.activedemocracy.net/
Provides access to information which individuals, groups or organisations can use to enhance citizens' involvement in the activities of local, state or federal government. Run by Lyn Carson, lecturer in applied politics at the University of Sydney, Australia.


America Speaks
www.americaspeaks.org
Engaging citizens in the public decisions that impact their lives. Useful info on '21st Century Town Meetings' process. See also Contacts A–Z.


An Inconvenient Truth
www.climatecrisis.net
Probably the most comprehensive and well communicated information available on climate change. By and about Al Gore and his campaign.


APaNGO project
www.apango.eu
The APaNGO project (Advocacy, Participation and Non Governmental Organisations in Planning) aims to increase community involvement in regional planning across north west Europe by jointly planning, designing and implementing a network of resources and skills. Useful contacts section.


Combined European Bureau for Social Development (CEBSD)
www.cebsd.org
Website of a non-governmental European umbrella organisation which brings together partners from a dozen countries both inside and outside of the European Union. Includes a participation toolkit and what’s new in social and community development.


Consultation Institute
www.consultationinstitute.org
Aims to help all those engaged in public or stakeholder consultation absorb Best Practice, encourage innovation and improve its value to decision-makers whilst providing opportunities for professional networking. Membership structure.


Cyburbia
www.cyburbia.org
Portal and networking site for planners, planning students, and others interested in shaping the built environment of their communities. Includes busy message board, image gallery, planning and urbanism-related blog feed aggregator, wiki, and feature articles.  US based, with international user base.


Earthworks
www.earthworks-jobs.com
Worldwide portal of job and career opportunities for environmental professionals and technicians.


Engage
www.hertslink.org/engage
Thorough and attractively designed practical local guide on community engagement. By Dacorum Borough Council, Hertfordshire, UK. Pdf downloadable from http://enquire.hertscc.gov.uk/engage/guide.htm


European Urban Knowledge Network (EUKN)
www.eukn.org/eukn/
Shares knowledge and experience on tackling urban issues. A portal to information on 15 member states’ urban policy initiatives and the parties involved.


Fame (Framework for Multi-Agency Environments)
www.fame-uk.org
On-line partnership development toolkit aimed at supporting the transformation of multi-agency or partnership working in local government in order to provide better public services.


Green Map System
www.greenmap.org
A global eco-cultural movement, creating local maps that chart the natural and cultural environment. Aims to cultivate citizen participation and community sustainability in hundreds of places around the world.


IDeA Knowledge
www.idea-knowledge.gov.uk
Website of the UK Improvement and Development Agency for local government (IDeA). Helps local authorities improve their communication with residents and other stakeholders. 


International Association for Public Participation (IAP2)
www.iap2.org
Resources to help organizations and communities around the world improve their decisions by involving the people affected by those decisions. 


International Centre of Excellence for Local eDemocracy - ICELE
www.icele.org
Virtual focal point for collaborative eDemocracy initiatives. Useful toolkits and case studies. 


International Network for Urban Research and Action (INURA)
www.inura.org
Links activists, community organisers, academics and researchers across the world (though mainly in Europe). Publications and networking.


King's Cross Railway Lands Group
www.kxrlg.org.uk
Current campaigns and archive of a 20-year central London development saga.


National Charrette Institute (NCI) (USA)
www.charretteinstitute.org
Contains explanations, toolkits and other resources for planning and running a Design Charrette.


National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD)
www.thataway.org
Website for a ‘loose-knit community of practitioners, researchers, activists, artists, students, and others who are committed to giving people a voice and making sure that voice counts’. US based.


Neighbourhoods blog
neighbourhoods.typepad.com/
Blog by UK consultant Kevin Harris exploring neighbourhood relations, citizenship, social capital and space and place. Aims to inform understanding of what makes a viable neighbourhood. 


Open Space World
www.openspaceworld.org
Portal for Open Space Technology; a simple way to run productive meetings, for five to 2000+ people.


Participation Works
www.participationworks.org.uk
Online gateway to the world of children and young people's participation. Policy, practice, networks and information from across the UK. Run by the Children and Young People’’s Participation Partnership (CHYPP).


Participation, Power and Social Change Team, IDS
www.ids.ac.uk/ids/particip/
Seeks to create knowledge, to encourage learning and action, and to understand processes of social change that can shift power relations in favour of greater social justice. Networks and publications.


Participatory Avenues
www.iapad.org
Focal point for sharing lessons and innovation in community mapping and participatory Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a means to add value and authority to people's spatial knowledge and improve bottom-up communication.


Participatory Budgeting UK
www.participatorybudgeting.org.uk
Shares information on participatory budgeting experience within the UK and around the world.


People and Participation
www.peopleandparticipation.net
Provides practical information for those working to involve people. Includes methods, case studies, news, library, events listing, advice service and a process planner. UK based and oriented. Run by Involve and funded by Communities and Local Government. 


Place Matters
www.placematters.org
A ‘living laboratory’ where a US network of creative practitioners come together to learn, share, inspire and seed innovation in place, collectively elevating the art and science of planning for vibrant and sustainable communities. An initiative of the Orton Foundation.


Placecheck
www.placecheck.info
Online user guide for the Placecheck method for assessing the qualities of a place, showing what improvements are needed, and focusing people on working together to achieve them.


Public Debate, France
http://www.debatpublic.fr/
Website of the Commission for Public Debate (CNDP) in France. Full details of the initiative. French only.


Public Decisions
www.publicdecisions.com
Interactive online training courses on public involvement and community engagement.


Public Participation Geographical Information Systems Research
www.ppgis.man.ac.uk
Site developing and testing new ideas of participation focused on Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to enhance public involvement and participation in environmental planning and decision making processes. Based at the Department of Planning and Landscape, University of Manchester, UK.


Quest-net
www.quest-net.org
Web portal helping anyone involved in community activity find their way through the resources available. UK oriented. Run by The Neighbourhood Initiatives Foundation.


Renewal.net
www.renewal.net
On-line guide to what works in neighbourhood renewal in the UK. Includes how-to guides, case studies, project summaries, jargon buster and more. Managed by the UK Government’s Neighbourhood Renewal Unit.


RUDI – Resource for Urban Design Information
www.rudi.net
Excellent independent web resource on urban design and placemaking. Contains up-to-date material needed for research, proposal preparation, commissioning projects, fact-checking and general reference.


Sustainable Community Action Wiki
http://sca21.wikia.com
Collaboratively constructed site which seeks to link up community action for sustainability worldwide.


Together We Can
www.togetherwecan.info
Sets out UK government’s plan to enable people to engage with public bodies and influence the decisions that affect their communities. Includes an Active Citizenship Centre and useful links.


Toolkit Citizen Participation
www.toolkitparticipation.nl
A database of case studies of participation in local decision-making. International. Managed by the Toolkit Participation Partnership, a group of civil society (NGO) and local government organisations from all over the world, working together to promote participatory local governance. French, Spanish.


UKLI Land News
www.uklilandnews.org
Interesting resource guide on Land News, Research Reports and Articles. UK only.