eg magazine sustainability, resource efficiency & climate change

http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/1573_Urban-Planning-Tools

The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Design Centre for Sustainability at the University of British Columbia have been engaged in surveying existing tools that support land use policy and decision making in the context of climate change mitigation and urban planning at local and regional levels. To date, two international workshops have been held in Vancouver, an area at the forefront of mitigation policy for greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The meetings brought together many of North America’s leaders in tool development, policy implementation, and urban development regulation. Drawing on these meetings, the Lincoln Institute has recently published a paper which reviews the relationship between urban planning and GHG emissions as a key component of climate change. This report provides characteristics of GHG decision support tools, and evaluates the strengths and limitations of a cross section of existing tools using those characteristics. Four case studies illustrate how selected tools are already being used in the urban planning and development process in the United States and Canada. Free registration allows access to this document.