New and free! 

Asset-Based Economic Development and Building Sustainable Rural Communities --With support from the National Association of Development Organizations through a contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, ICMA has created three new briefing papers on asset based economic development and building sustainable rural communities.  The first is focused on industry and industry clusters, with part two examining natural resources and amenities, and part three focused on existing infrastructure, and historic and cultural resources.

FEATURED PUBLICATIONS

• Special Edition of PM Magazine on Sustainability -- The June 2012 edition of PM Magazine and PM Magazine Online explored the concept of local government and sustainable communities from a variety of perspectives
• Breaking New Ground:  Promoting Environmental and Energy Programs in Local Government - Analyzes the results of the 2010 survey on local government sustainability policies and programs
• Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities -- discusses smart growth strategies being used in small towns around the country.
• Getting Smart About Climate Change -- a new report about how some communities are applying smart gowth approaches to reduce their carbon footprint (produced as part of ICMA's cooperative agreement with the U.S. EPA)
• Maximize the Potential of Your Public Library - With funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, this reports summarizes the outcomes of an innovation grant program that supported partnerships between the manager and/or mayor's office and the local library system designed to confront important community challenges.
• Solar Energy Case Studies--As part of the SunShot Solar OPS project, ICMA has developed several case studies of leading practice "solar" communities, including: Park City, Utah; Aurora, Colorado; Santa Barbara, California; Lenox, Massachusetts; and a Solarize Case Study of two communities in Oregon.

Survey Results

ICMA produces many survey-based data reports on topics important to effective local government management, with several focused on sustainability issue areas.

• Local Government Sustainability Policies and Programs Survey Summary - This document provides the summary results from ICMA's 2010 survey on local government sustainability policies, programs, partnerships and priorities.
• Local Government Solar Policies and Programs Survey Summary - As part of ICMA's SunShot Solar OPS initaitive, this briefing paper provides the results from a 2011 survey on local government planning, zoning, permitting, financing and other policies and programs related to rooftop solar PV.
• The Maturing of America - ICMA has worked with a number of partners to the issue of aging in america and has most recently supported this report through our survey of local governments.

For more information on ICMA's other survey research work, you can access summaries of recent efforts for free on ICMA's Survey Research web pages.  You can purchase the raw data from ICMA's survey work, through the ICMA Bookstore.

Older Publications

• Safe Routes to School: Collaboration and Participation in Albany, Oregon and Healthy Decatur: A Holistic Approach to Sustainability --two reports from ICMA's active living project with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• This is Smart Growth, Getting to Smart Growth I: 100 Policies for Implementation and Getting to Smart Growth II: 100 More Policies for Implementation --three popular guidebooks for communities interested in smart growth strategies
• Hampton 311 Customer Call Center -- a case study from one of the pioneers in customer contact centers with an in depth exploration of the role the system played in the aftermath of a destructive hurricane
• Recommended Practices for 311/CRM Data Reporting  -- This list of recommended practices for producing data reports provides guidance to 311 directors and managers on generating reports for citizens, elected officials, and department managers as well as for their own internal purposes.
• Public Engagement Project on Medical Service Prioritization During an Influenza Pandemic -- A severe influenza pandemic will have profound impact on the health care delivery system. Rationing of scarce resources and alterations in the standards of health care delivery are widely acknowledged to be necessary components of the response to large scale health emergencies; yet, there has been little public dialogue on these issues and detailed guidelines are not yet available. To address these gaps, Public Health - Seattle & King County (PHSKC) engaged the public to better understand their values and priorities regarding the delivery of medical services and how those services will be allocated during a severe pandemic influenza.
  

ICMA's Bookstore offers many publications for sale that are developed without the benefit of an underwriting sponsor.  

Check out the Knowledge Network for plans, articles, case studies, model ordinances, policies, and more on the topics associatd with sustainability.