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Highest Rated Tools, Regulations, and Statutes

Want to know which tools are being found most useful and effective? The Planners Toolkit keeps track of user ratings for so that you can find the tools that others are finding most useful. Are some tools not meeting expectations? You can help make all the tools useful and relevant by continuing to provide feedback and by providing you ideas, case studies, templates, and resources.
  • Healthy Community Initiatives
    Dec 30, 2010
    Tool
    5
    More and more communities are facing the challenges of childhood obesity, asthma, type two diabetes, and other health issues resulting from an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle.  Past efforts to address these issues focused solely on changing individual behaviors and have not succeeded in...
  • GIS Mapping Data Sources
    Apr 16, 2012
    Tool
    5
    GIS is a critical tool for planners; however, access to detailed, up-to-date data layers can be difficult to find.  GIS can be used to understand community landscapes in many different planning functions and in a variety of applications.  In order to create informative maps and conduct...
  • Broadband for Sustainable Communities
    Jul 10, 2012
    Tool
    5
    Broadband or high-speed Internet access allows users to access the Internet and Internet-related services at significantly higher speeds than those available through “dial-up” Internet access services. Broadband has proven to be a foundation for economic growth, job creation, global competitiveness...
  • Agricultural Conservation Easements
    Dec 28, 2010
    Tool
    4.666665
    An agricultural conservation easement is a voluntary, legally recorded deed restriction that is placed on a specific property used for agricultural production. The goal of an agricultural conservation easement is to maintain agricultural land in active production by removing the development...
  • Climate Action Plans
    Dec 28, 2010
    Tool
    4.333335
    Since passage of AB 32, The Global Warming Solutions Act (2006), communities throughout California have been identified as a key partner in efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many local governments have begun to address community and municipal greenhouse gas emissions by updating their...
  • GIS Mapping/Modeling Techniques
    Dec 30, 2010
    Tool
    4
    Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has revolutionized the world of mapping. GIS allows us to link endless amounts of information to a specific geographic location and helps us answer questions and solve problems by looking at data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.  GIS...
  • Form-Based Codes
    Dec 30, 2010
    Tool
    3.666665
    “Form-based codes focus on the desired structure and appearance of the built environment, rather than on restricted uses (the focus for more conventional planning tools). Form-based codes typically address the exterior form, massing, and site design of buildings and their relationship to the site...
  • Redevelopment
    Jan 20, 2011
    Statute/Regulation
    3.5
    The California Community Redevelopment Act was enacted in 1945 to give local governments the tools necessary to address problems such as blight, degraded buildings, and a lack of housing. While the Act is now known as Community Redevelopment Law (CRL), the goals of redevelopment remain the same: to...
  • Complete Streets
    Dec 28, 2010
    Tool
    3.2
    Most of the current activity around “Complete Streets” is to retrofit existing roadways into facilities that are designed to be equally safe for drivers, bicyclists, transit vehicles and users, and pedestrians of all ages and abilities.  In new development, this type of facility should be...
  • Economic Development Strategies
    Dec 30, 2010
    Tool
    3
    Economic development strategies are concerted approaches on the part of a city or county to influence the direction of private sector investment toward opportunities that can lead to sustained economic growth within or supportive of that jurisdiction.
  • Walkable Blocks
    Dec 30, 2010
    Tool
    3
    Walkable blocks is a street configuration that provides short high connectivity blocks to both increase pedestrian activity, reduce traffic speed through the neighborhood and reduce overall vehicle miles traveled.   Frequently, walkable blocks also have shallow building setbacks and...
  • General Plans
    Mar 1, 2011
    Tool
    2.333335
    California state law requires each city and county to adopt a general plan “for the physical development of the county or city, and any land outside its boundaries which bears relation to its planning” (§65300). The California Supreme Court has called the general plan the constitution for future...
  • Fiscal Impact Analysis
    Dec 30, 2010
    Tool
    2
    When land is developed new costs are incurred by the municipal government in order to provide additional services and infrastructure to that development. Such services include the expansion of fire protection, libraries, schools, policing, and emergency services, just to name a few. A variety of...
  • General Plan
    Jan 20, 2011
    Statute/Regulation
    1.5
    California State law requires each city and county to adopt a general plan “for the physical development of a county or city, and any land outside its boundaries which bears relation to its planning” (§65300). The California Supreme Court has called the general plan the “constitution for future...
  • Mixed-use Development Standards
    Dec 28, 2010
    Tool
    1.5
    Mixed-use development combines two or more types of land use into a building or set of buildings that are physically and functionally integrated and mutually supporting. This can be some combination of residential, commercial, industrial, office, institutional, or other land uses.