On the Web

Here are Web sites that have been published in PM Magazine.

 

Disabilityinfo.gov
Disabilityinfo.gov is a site the federal government maintains for disability-related information and resources. It includes a map showing state and local resources and helps users search at the state and local government levels. Information is available on such topics as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Social Security Disability Benefits.

icma.org/NCS
At the Web site dedicated to ICMA’s National Citizen Survey (NCS), icma.org/NCS, you will find these resources about surveying citizens:

  • PowerPoint downloadable files suitable for presentation to elected officials.
  • Sample surveys and reports of results.
  • NCS enrollment form.
  • Feature articles.

www.dot.state.ga.us/bikepad/pedestrian_plan
The Georgia Guidebook for Pedestrian Planning, developed by researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, can help planners assess the pedestrian environment and prioritize projects to improve it.

Detailed in the guidebook, which is available online at www.dot.state.ga.us/bikeped/pedestrian_plan, are four primary goals: (1) enhance safety, (2) create seamless integration of pedestrian facilities into the transportation system, (3) integrate planning and design of pedestrian facilities into transportation planning, and (4) encourage a pedestrian-friendly environment for everyone.

Although the Peach State is the targeted end user, local governments outside Georgia can find parts of the guidebook useful.

www.ngwa.org
To help public and private water systems that are facing drought issues, the National Ground Water Association (NGWA) has created a Web page with free, downloadable articles related to planning for and managing drought.

The Web page can be accessed by going to the Public/Media tab on www.ngwa.org and clicking on “Drought-related information repository.” A more extensive article search can be conducted using ngwa.org’s search engine.

These articles will be available for downloading for a limited time and include topics ranging from conservation and managing perpetual drought to long-range water supply planning and ground water in urban environments.

Sample titles include:

Aquifer Storage and Recovery—Water Management for the Future
Conservation: A New Source of Water
Consumer Response to Drought: The Impact of Public Education Campaigns
Developing a Staged Response for Drought Management
Realistic Impacts of Water Conservation on Facilities Planning
Water Conservation and the Political Process: Strategies for Policy Making

www.complianceconsortium.org
The Environmental Compliance Consortium’s Memo on Measurement for Environmental Managers: Recommendation and Reference Manual encourages local environmental managers to recognize goals and measurement as two of the most powerful management tools available to them, and it features cases in which goals and measurement have resulted in improved environmental conditions. These cases include:

  • King County, Washington: The King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks uses performance measures and indicators to evaluate outcomes derived from seven key goals in its Annual Performance Measure Report.
  • Broward County, Florida: Broward County outfitted its inspectors with laptops that connected to the central database, allowing inspectors to file reports immediately after an inspection. This resulted in a 40 percent decrease in inspection errors.
Interested managers are invited to view the report at www.complianceconsortium.org or www.complianceconsortium.org/ECCAuthored/MemoOnMeasurement.pdf. Readers are invited to send any additional cases in which goals and measurement led to improvements in environmental, health, or compliance conditions to adeyeye@eli.org, and they will be added to the online version of Memo on Measurement for Environmental Managers.

www.nbia.org/impact
This is the Web site where the National Business Incubation Association’s (NBIA) guide, Measuring Your Business Incubator’s Economic Impact: A Toolkit, is accessible. Information also is available on how to obtain the toolkit as a PDF document or as hard copy.

The toolkit can help business incubator managers collect and distribute economic impact information. It describes 10 data points that all incubators should track and offers advice on how to analyze data. Also included are electronic documents on separate surveys for clients and graduates and a spreadsheet for data collection. For more information, contact NBIA at publications@nbia.org or 740/593-4331.

lgean.org
The Web site at lgean.org provides resources on a variety of environmental challenges that local government administrators face:

  • Air Quality
  • Brownfields Cleanup and Redevelopment
  • Smart Growth
  • Solid Waste Management
  • Wastewater Treatment

www.onlytapwaterdelivers.org
To find out more about tap water, visit the American Water Works Association Web site, Only Tap Water Delivers, at www.onlytapwaterdelivers.org. Here are some facts:

  • Water is the primary ingredient in hundreds of thousands of everyday products, including many foods and beverages, as well as items such as toothpaste and perfume.
  • Water is needed in the manufacturing of many products. For example, approximately 300 million gallons of water are needed to produce a single day’s supply of U.S. newsprint.
  • Total water use (both indoor and outdoor) in a typical single-family home is 101 gallons per capita per day.
  • Only 3 percent of the tap water we use on a typical day is used for drinking. The rest goes for outdoor watering, bathroom uses, clothes washing, and so forth.

www.smallcities.us
Small Cities Publishing, Brunswick, Georgia, offers a membership-based Web site devoted to the information needs of mayors, managers, and councils in small cities (under 50,000 population). The site contains more than 200 best practice articles and case studies in the categories of budgeting, downtown development, council process, new development, elected officials, citizen involvement, historic preservation, law enforcement, personnel, and technology. A profile of a new best practice from a small city is posted monthly, and there is a library of ordinances, forms, and other relevant documents.

Membership is $35 annually, which allows multiple users to join from each city. State municipal associations can subscribe at the association rate, allowing free access for all their members.

www.dol.gov/dol/workingpartners.htm
The Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Web site, established by the U.S. Department of Labor, provides employers with free resources and tools to help establish and maintain drug-free workplace programs that protect worker safety and health.

The Web site features: the Drug-Free Workplace Advisor, an interactive tool that helps employers build tailored, drug-free workplace policies and programs; the Substance Abuse Information Database, an online repository of documents related to workplace alcohol and drug abuse; information on substance abuse and how it affects employment; and directories of national, state, and local resources and state laws that may assist employers in making their workplaces drug-free.

www.charretteinstitute.org
The National Charrette Institute’s (NCI) site answers frequently asked questions about the charrette as a collaborative planning process and includes how NCI defines a healthy community. The “Resources” button provides links to online resources, charrette case studies, and related information and publications. The site also includes the “Dynamic Planning” button, which explains a three-part approach to leveraging positive change in public and private planning efforts.  

www.aoa.gov
The Administration on Aging (AoA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, offers numerous sections on the main page of its Web site that are labeled by tabs (one, for instance, is titled “Town Hall Listening Sessions”). AoA’s site provides population data and links to articles and research. A tab called “Professionals” gives demographic statistics from the Census Bureau (under “Statistics”). The “Press Room” tab offers media advisories, fact sheets, and more.

www.ccities.doe.gov
The Clean Cities Web site, established by the U.S. Department of Energy, provides information on the Clean Cities Program. It includes news on alternative fuel vehicles and fleet success stories. Visitors also can link to a vehicle buyer’s guide and the program’s publication, Alternative Fuel News.

www.afdc.doe.gov
The Alternative Fuels Data Center (AFDC) has information on alternative fuel vehicles and other advanced vehicles. It gives basic information on alternative fuels, with sections on hydrogen and alternative fuel infrastructure, plus an interactive tool to compare the technical characteristics of fuels. Use the station locator/route mapper to find alternative fuel stations nationwide.

www.fedhelpdesk.osf.noaa.gov
This Web site is for personnel who staff and administer help desks, information centers, and other customer support units for all levels of government. An event calendar at “Our Annual Gathering” features information on professional development opportunities by the month, including the annual Government Customer Support Conference. The 2004 conference is scheduled for May 17–18, and online registration will be available at the site. Subscribe to the complimentary e-newsletter, Government Contact Center News.

westnilevirusfacts.org
This Web site offers news, statistics, analysis, and advice on the progression of the West Nile virus in 2003, and it contains a Harvard public health specialist’s top 10 tips to avoid the virus. Visitors to the site can learn more on the latest expertise for controlling mosquito populations, including one method that is gaining popularity among pest-control experts known as integrated mosquito management (IMM).

www.mosquito.org
The American Mosquito Control Association’s Web site provides advice on mosquito control programs and provides an overview on mosquito biology, control measures, and mosquito-borne diseases. There is a list of organizations involved in mosquito control and related research. Find out what is being done about mosquitoes, mosquito control, arboviruses, and other mosquito-borne diseases. Links to individual sites listed are updated regularly.

www.acponline.org/journals/annals/01jun98/mosquito.htm 
This American College of Physicians Web site has information on mosquito repellents, how to reduce mosquito populations (FYI: “backyard bug ‘zappers’ that lure and electrocute insects are ineffective”), and how to get relief from mosquito bites.

www.regulations.gov
Review and comment on proposed rules that government agencies publish in the Federal Register.

www.shrm.org
Web site for the Society for Human Resource Management.

www.volunteer.gov/gov
A Web site that matches an individual’s volunteer interests with available opportunities at federal, state, and local agencies nationwide. Search by volunteer activity, location of opportunity, effective date of the opportunity, and sponsoring partner, as well as by keyword search.

www.takepride.gov
Web site for the national partnership initiative Take Pride in America, with the objective to increase volunteer service on American’s public lands. The U.S. Interior Department launched the site to help offer ideas and suggestions for citizen, group, and corporate involvement.

www.ssa.gov/retire2
The Social Security Administration’s Retirement Planner can help you find information on your Social Security retirement benefits and how they will affect your retirement plans.

www.icmarc.org
The ICMA Retirement Corporation’s site has extensive information on retirement and personal financial planning.

www.neighborhoodcoalition.org
The National Neighborhood Coalition (NNC)—which fosters communications and collaboration among local, regional, and national organizations working to build healthy and sustainable communities—promotes policies that strengthen the role of community nonprofits as problem solvers and community builders. The NNC site includes Neighborhood Principles for Smart Growth.

www.cfed.org
The Corporation for Enterprise Development promotes asset-building strategies, primarily in low-income and distressed communities, that bring together the contributions of community practice, public policy, and private markets in new and effective ways.

www.brookings.org/es/urban/urban.htm
The Brookings Institution’s Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy provides numerous resources, including A Region Divided: The State of Growth in Greater Washington, D.C., plus information on homebuilding patterns, the value of investing in youth, employment location decisions, and ways to help working families.

www.pps.org/upo
Urban Parks Online is a site aimed at helping to restore, improve, and revitalize urban open spaces. It offers a range of topics, tools, and features (“Ask the Expert”). Other highlights include examples of great parks and public spaces, a database of innovations in parks programming, and success stories. Urban Parks Online is produced and managed by the Urban Parks Institute, a program of the Project for Public Spaces (PPS).

www.aia.org
The American Institute of Architects promotes livable communities. Among its highest priorities are: incentives to redevelop brownfields; support for building new schools and modernizing existing ones; the use of qualifications-based selection (QBS) systems for the procurement of architectural services; the support of a strong state licensing system that ensures the protection of public health, safety, and welfare; the reform of liability laws to promote creative approaches to design while limiting frivolous lawsuits; the promotion of responsible growth measures, commonly referred to as "smart growth"; and the support of safe, effective, and economical building codes.

www.asla.org
The mission of the American Society of Landscape Architects is to lead, to educate, and to participate in the careful stewardship, wise planning, and artful design of our cultural and natural environments. The scope of the profession encompasses site planning, garden design, environmental restoration, town or urban planning, park and recreational site design, regional planning, and historic preservation. Practitioners share a commitment to achieving a balance among the preservation, use, and management of the country's resources.

www.cpted.net
The International CPTED Association (ICA) is committed to creating safer environments and improving the quality of life through the use of CPTED (crime prevention through environmental design) principles and strategies. ICA members are able to keep pace with the latest trends and to network through this Web site and at ICA's annual conference. Members of ICA are public safety professionals, planners, architects, building officials, administrators, facility managers, and elected officials.

www.ncpc.org
A national nonprofit educational organization, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) has the mission of enabling people to create safer and more caring communities by addressing the causes of crime and violence, and reducing the opportunities for crime to occur. Source: Getting Smart, a newsletter published by ICMA’s Smart Growth Network, Washington, D.C.; e-mail, www.smartgrowth.org.

www.usps.org/national/pwc
The United States Power Squadrons’ conflict-resolution Web site provides information on how to safely and responsibly manage personal watercraft (PWC) and other powerboats on our increasingly crowded public waterways. Developed to support compromise initiatives for boaters, property owners, and public safety officials, the site provides case studies on how public safety agencies throughout the United States and Canada use PWC for search-and-rescue missions, marine patrol duty, and boater safety education, helping local governments to create safer on-the-water behavior among PWC users and other boaters.

www.USAEnergy.org
Communities are exploring new ways to conserve energy, reduce costs, and meet tighter budgets. This ICMA site helps communities cope with the increasing uncertainty about energy supply and prices through its interactive encyclopedia covering energy efficiency, renewable energy sources and technologies, and climate change information. Although designed with the local government decisionmaker in mind, the site provides free information to anyone with an interest in energy-related issues. For more information, contact Jennifer Folta at ICMA, 202/962-3554; e-mail, jfolta@icma.org.

www.irs.gov/govts
The Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) quarterly electronic Federal, State, and Local Governments Newsletter features information on federal tax laws, Social Security and Medicare coverage, contact information, upcoming conferences, and articles from such agencies that work with the IRS as the Social Security Administration. Use the site to subscribe and to receive updates as they are issued.

www.downtowndevelopment.com
The Downtown Research and Development Center—a trusted source of solutions for public and private sector professionals seeking to revitalize their downtowns—has a section on planning tools at its Web site. Free tools include a “Downtown Safety Checklist,” “Downtown Event Planning,” “Sponsorship Letter Guidelines,” and “Putting Together Effective Boards.” The site also includes sample articles, industry links, and an events calendar.

 

Mention of a Web site or organization does not reflect an endorsement by ICMA. Note that Internet addresses change frequently, and although every attempt is made to give current addresses, they may not remain as reported here.