ProGov21 Policy Library

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County, Other Boards and Agencies, State

State(s) Vermont

Source State Smart Transportation Initiative

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Public Spaces, Transportation & Mobility

Equity-focused transit systems increase access to mobility options, reduce air pollution, and enhance economic opportunities for all residents. This guide outlines principles and best practices for promoting a more equitable state transit system and features an implementation plan...

The Case for Parks and Affordable Housing Joint Development

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) California

Source Los Angeles Regional Open Space and Affordable Housing Collaborative

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Health, Public Spaces

This guide outlines how coordinating affordable housing development with park expansions can help municipal park agencies serve low-income households without raising concerns about gentrification and displacement. It recommends targeting these coordinated projects in transit-rich...

The Power of Parks to Promote Health

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source The Trust for Public Land

Policy Areas Community Development, Health, Public Spaces

Parks and natural spaces promote mental, physical, and environmental wellbeing, and many parks departments are leveraging parks and recreational resources to improve health outcomes. This report outlines the benefits of preserving access to parks and green spaces and provides policy...

The Excellent City Park System: What Makes it Great and How to Get There

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2013

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source The Trust for Public Land

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Public Spaces

This report outlines best practices for effective park development and recommends that cities take inventory of their land assets, prioritize park safety and equity, and regularly engage with the public. It also highlights case studies that have implemented successful park development...

Net Zero Energy Roadmap for the City of Burlington, Vermont

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) Vermont

Source City of Burlington, Vermont

Policy Areas Community Development, Energy, Transportation & Mobility

Pollution and energy inefficiency are exacerbating the global climate crisis, but cities can pass local policies to address these issues. The City of Burlington, Vermont launched the net-zero-energy program in 2018 to eliminate fossil fuel use by the ground transportation and heating...

Land Value Taxation: Theory, Evidence, and Practice

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Lincoln Institute of Land Policy

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement, Housing, Public Spaces

Land value tax (LVT) refers to a property tax scheme where a tax is imposed only on the value of a building's underlying land, and not the value of improvements (structural developments) that are made on the land. These tax schemes, when used in tandem or as substitutes to standard...

Using Government Procurement to Advance Racial Equity

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Harvard Kennedy School Government Performance Lab

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Governments can promote racial equity through procurement and contracting reforms that increase vendor diversity and expand racially equitable service outcomes. This report outlines successful case studies and best practices for developing equitable procurement strategies and recommends...

New Orleans Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) Louisiana

Source City of New Orleans

Policy Areas Community Development, Housing, Public Safety

This ordinance outlines use and design standards for both rental and owner-occupied affordable housing. It requires that at least 10% of units in new developments within eligible zones are made affordable and ensures that these units will incorporate the same design features and have...

A Short Guide to Setting Up a City-Scale Retrofit Program

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Green for All

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

This policy brief explains how local governments can design and implement retrofitting and/or renovation programs that make homes more energy efficient. It also presents strategies for capturing financial savings from retrofits, creating high-quality green jobs, and ensuring that...

Complete Parks Playbook

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States, Pennsylvania, Texas

Source ChangeLab Solutions

Policy Areas Education, Environment & Natural Resources, Health, Public Spaces

Parks enhance communities by promoting physical, mental, and social health. This guide outlines the 'complete parks approach', which helps local governments promote parks improvements by engaging communities who have historically been overlooked during parks planning discussions,...

The Invisible Crisis: Water Unaffordability in the United States

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources

In many communities across the U.S., water is neither safe nor affordable. This report provides best practices for improving water utility safety and affordability, including programs that keep water costs below 2.5% of household income, banning water shutoffs for nonpayment, prioritizing...

Navigating Legal Pathways to Rate-Funded Customer Assistance Programs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source University of North Carolina Environmental Finance Center

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Low-income families are significantly burdened by rising water utility rates. This guide explains how water and wastewater utilities can establish payment assistance programs even when facing state-level regulatory restrictions. It also features utility-level case studies that exemplify...

Solar Power in Your Community

Type Ordinance or Resolution

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source U.S. Department of Energy

Policy Areas Energy, Environment & Natural Resources

This report examines how local governments can promote solar energy development and usage. Recommended strategies include organizing local solar efforts, making solar infrastructure more affordable and accessible, developing workforce training programs, and facilitating the installment...

Greening Without Gentrification: Learning from Parks-Related Anti-Displacement Strategies Nationwide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing, Public Spaces

When parks are built in historically marginalized areas they can contribute to 'green gentrification' as improved access to natural spaces increases property values and brings an influx of wealthier residents. This guide outlines policy strategies for greening marginalized communities...

Strategies for Financing the Inclusive Economy

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source The Democracy Collaborative

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development

This report looks at how broad-based ownership models are financed to build community wealth. The models explored here are cooperatives, employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), social enterprises, hybrid enterprises, and municipal enterprises. Additionally, this report looks at how...

Green Space: An Underestimated Tool to Create More Equal Cities

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source World Resources Institute

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

Improving access to urban green spaces can promote equity in health, safety, and climate resilience. This report outlines how access to quality green spaces like public parks and athletic fields is often linked to wealth and examines how local governments can improve green space equity...

Driving: A Hard Bargain

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2010

Level City or Town

State(s) Illinois

Source Center for Neighborhood Technology

Policy Areas Transportation & Mobility, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources

This report outlines barriers to transit accessibility in the Chicago area and the financial impacts of transportation burden. It also recommends that municipalities adopt housing and transportation affordability benchmarks, mandate transit-oriented development within 0.5 miles of...

Boston Executive Order Establishing Equitable Procurement Goals in Support of Minority and Women-Owned Businesses

Type Executive Order

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) Massachusetts

Source City of Boston

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement

Local governments can promote equitable economic development by establishing targeted procurement strategies that expand contracting opportunities for women and minority-owned businesses (WMBEs). This executive order directs the city's Equity and Inclusion Unit to develop a supplier...

Building Blocks: Understanding and responding to Waukesha County’s housing affordability challenges

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County

State(s) Wisconsin

Source Wisconsin Policy Forum

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Housing

This report examines market characteristics and barriers to affordable and workforce housing development in Waukesha County, Wisconsin. It outlines the extent of affordable housing development in the county over past years, financing approaches, and best practices for increasing the...

Economic Benefits of Parks

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States, Pennsylvania

Source We Conserve PA

Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Environment & Natural Resources, Public Spaces

This guide examines economic impact studies of public parks, and finds parks provide many economic benefits to their surrounding communities, including increased property values, increased tax revenues, decreased medical costs due to recreational opportunities, and decreased stormwater...

Government's Role in the Economy: Making the Case

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2010

Level County, City or Town, State

State(s) All States

Source Demos

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Democracy & Governance

This report provides communications strategies to promote government's proactive role in the economy. It recommends emphasizing the importance of public structures like social security and public universities and explaining that government intervention in economic policy can create...

Value Capture for Transportation Finance: Report to the Minnesota Legislature

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2009

Level City or Town

State(s) All States, Minnesota

Source University of Minnesota

Policy Areas Transportation & Mobility, Finance & Procurement

This report identifies and analyzes value capture policies including land value taxes, tax increment financing, special assessments, transportation utility fees, development impact fees, negotiated exactions, joint development, and air rights. It finds that these policies can generate...

Through the Roof: What Communities Can Do About the High Cost of Rental Housing in America

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) All States

Source Lincoln Institue of Land Policy

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice, Housing

This report examines the causes and consequences of rising housing costs and provides a framework for local governments to create and preserve affordable units, reduce barriers to new units, help households access private market housing, and protect against displacement and poor living...

Washington D.C. Area Bus Rapid Transit System Expansion

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2023

Level City or Town, County

State(s) District of Columbia, Maryland

Source Montgomery County Maryland

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement, Transportation & Mobility

The collaborative efforts of the Maryland Department of Transportation, the Washington Areat Metro Transit Authority, and the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission increased the usage of dedicated lanes for transit and high occupancy vehicles along major highways...

Maximizing Value: A Policy Blueprint to Help Communities Leverage Green Investments

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2011

Level City or Town

State(s) Ohio

Source Policy Matters Ohio

Policy Areas Environment & Natural Resources, Economic Justice, Energy

Clean energy policies can create jobs, support local business in green markets, and ensure residents have access to jobs created. This brief guides local governments on how to make the most out of green investments. After reviewing the City of Oberlin's energy use and emissions, several...

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