Planning Resources ~ Design, Landscape, Preservation and Online Mapping
Online resources to assist with a variety of parks, recreation and land preservation needs:
Planning Assistance / Resources for Local Governments
Facility Design
General Design Resources
GIS & Maps online
Planning: Open Space & Land Preservation / Conservation
Plants & Urban Forestry
Federal, State and Local Resources for Environmental Issues
Planning Assistance / Resources for Local Governments
North Carolina Council of Governments (COG): NC Association of Regional Councils provides listing of all 17 COGs and member governments. http://www.ncregions.org
NC School of Government (UNC-CH): http://ncinfo.iog.unc.edu/
North Carolina League of Municipalities: http://www.nclm.org/
North Carolina Association of County Commissioners: http://www.ncacc.org/
Division of Community Assistance (DCA): Division of NC Department of Commerce available to assist local governemtns with community development, economic development, downtown revitalization and smart growth management. http://www.ncdca.org/
North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center: Policy, capacity building and research tools and resources for rural communities http://www.ncruralcenter.org/
NC Census Information: demographic information to assist with planning initiatives
http://census.state.nc.us/
Statewide Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan 2003-2008 (SCORP): From the NC Division of Parks and Recreation http://ils.unc.edu/parkproject/resource/scorp.html
Links to North Carolina Planning departments on the web (UNC School of Government):http://ncinfo.iog.unc.edu/organizations/planning/othrsite.htm#ncpp
Facility Design:
Disc Golf Courses: includes design standards
http://pdga.com/makecrse.php
Volleyball: general information including court dimensions and how to construct a sand volleyball court: http://www.volleyball.org/general/index.html
Mountain Bike Trails: trail building, liability issues, funding resources
International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA)
http://www.imba.com/resources/index.html
Soccer: US Soccer Foundation provides Field Building Tools webpage and grant resources. http://www.ussoccerfoundation.org
Track and Tennis Courts: American Sports Builders Association includes links to construction guidelines and design professionals http://sportsbuilders.org
Visit our other web pages for resource links on ADA, Trails and Playgrounds.
General Design Resources:
Center for Universal Design (NCSU College of Design - technical assistance: accessible and universal design in housing, natural and built spaces, and products.) http://www.design.ncsu.edu/cud
Design Research Laboratory (NCSU College of Design, environmental modeling, community design and outreach) http://www.design.ncsu.edu/research/Design-Lab/index.html
Resource for Urban Design Information (requires membership to view some documents) http://www.rudi.net/
GIS & Maps online:
N.C. Topo Maps online: label and print your own map
http://gis.enr.state.nc.us/GISInterface/default.asp
NC State University Library GIS Services: Links to online mapping (including tax maps for various NC Counties): http://www.lib.ncsu.edu/gis/webmap.html
Cleanwater Management Trust Fund Map Server: Provided to assist in completing CWMTF applications. Stream search, mapping capabilities. http://www2.undersys.com/cwmtfweb/watwelcome.html
National Park Service Geography and Mapping Technologies: site includes data, downloadable applications and standards used by the NPS. Also has information on use of Global Positioning Systems (GPS). http://www.nps.gov/gis/
Planning: Open Space & Land Preservation / Conservation:
One North Carolina Naturally: Office of Conservation and Community Affairs. Provides resources on planning, benefits of conserving open space and the Conservation Toolkit. http://www.onencnaturally.org
Conservation Council of North Carolina: statewide lobbying organization dedicated to advocating on behalf of North Carolina’s environment. http://www.serve.com/ccnc/
Landscape Planning: online textbook with links to planning resources
http://www.wiley.com/legacy/college/marsh/chlinks.htm
Land Preservation Notebook: NCSU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Site includes Model preservation ordinances, techniques and resources http://www2.ncsu.edu/unity/lockers/project/waterprimer/LandPreservationNotebook/
Planners Guide: search for parks to find articles on greenways, financing parks, conservation techniques, economic benefits of open space & more! (some info is on a subscription basis) http://www.planningreports.com/
Plants & Urban Forestry:
NC Cooperative Extension Consumer Horticulture Pages:
links to information: plant fact sheets, extension bulletins, pest management
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/
Plant fact sheets (trees, shrubs, wildflowers and more listed by common or scientific name. Includes photo and plant selection information):
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/
North Carolina Pest Management Information Program (NC State University): includes pesticide safety, landscape information http://ipm.ncsu.edu/ncpmip/
NC Division of Forest Resources: managing forests - urban forestry, protecting water quality. http://www.dfr.state.nc.us
Build America: Guides to Building Construction, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Resources (US Dept. of Energy) http://www.eere.energy.gov/
American Forests: Resources for healthy forest ecosystems in all communities. Provide policy resources for urban forestry, sprawl http://www.amfor.org
Federal, State and Local Resources for Environmental Issues:
NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)
http://www.enr.state.nc.us/
Community Based Environmental Programs - EPA
Includes tools for educating the public and links to grant programs
http://www.epa.gov/ecocommunity/
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): technical assistance, grants, resources for watershed planning, resource inventory, conservation etc. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/
Let us know if you would like to share a useful web resource for planning or design: c_smith@ncsu.edu
