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Planning and Design Services

Educational Services

The LGC offers study sessions for local officials, staff training, presentations and conference planning services that support education on the following issues: compact housing, zoning for smart growth, livable communities, street design and air quality, growth management, transit-oriented development, walkable communities, energy conservation, renewable energy generation and more. LGC Events

Renewable energy feasibility studies help local governments evaluate the costs and benefits of municipal solar photovoltaic (PV) systems. Rebate incentives and financing are identified to analyze the life-cycle cost of solar energy. Presentations to local officials and staff include study findings as well as policy and program recommendations for renewable energy implementation.

Tours of Livable Communities give participants an opportunity to experience a living laboratory of urban infill, compact development, and transit-oriented development. Our most popular tour — the Village Homes Walking Tour — showcases a 27-year-old mixed-use, walkable community in Davis, CA that boasts year-round community gardens and orchards. Customized bus tours of livable communities can also be arranged.

Participatory Planning and Visioning

The Community Image Survey is a tool for helping decision-makers and their constituents address community design, land use and transportation issues. It uses visual images to help participants evaluate their existing environment and envision their community's future. Tailored for the needs of each community, the survey provides a foundation for planning and implementation efforts.

Design Charrettes bring the public together with a professional team of urban designers, planners, engineers, and a facilitator to develop a common vision for a community or neighborhood.

Typically lasting three to five days, charrettes include focus groups, "walk audits" and community design tables. Emphasis is placed on community outreach, interactive design, and multilingual presentations.

The LGC assembles a team that includes some of the nation's leading experts on public facilitation, urban design, walkable communities and traffic engineering to work on charrettes.

Policy Development Assistance

Drawing from extensive research on zoning codes, policies and ordinances that support livable, energy-efficient communities, LGC offers policy development assistance in the following areas: housing policies, design guidelines, street design and standards, non-motorized transportation policies and measures for achieving energy efficiency and renewable energy generation. Policies can be developed through a participatory process.

Contact for more information about LGC's planning and design services:

Paul Zykofsky, AICP
Local Government Commission
1303 J St., Suite 250, Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 448-1198 x317