MN's smart growth movement has new virtual resource trove in Landof.org

Years of research and compilation of materials have resulted in the rich online resource, LandOf.org.

There you’ll find tools, tips and research organized two ways, by smart growth principle and by position on the transect. The transect identifies types of places in the region according to defining characteristics, so you can access information about central cities, urban neighborhoods, developed suburbs, developing suburbs, small cities and rural areas.

The smart growth principles and type of place are handily cross-tabbed in “The Grid,” where you can look up, for instance, Resources on Compact Development in Developing Suburbs. If you follow that combination, you’ll find your results: five links taking you to reports with titles like This Is Smart Growth, Smart Infill, Creating Great Neighborhoods and Health Sprawl, as well as a link to the interactive WalkScore website. (“WalkScore“http://www.walkscore.com/ is the entertaining and informative site where you can type in any address and find out how walkable that neighborhood is.)

I encourage anyone interested in smart growth in Minnesota, or sustainable land use, or livability measures, or however you prefer to talk about building healthy communities, to dig in to LandOf.org. Kudos to the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) for creating this rich site.