American Planning Association - APA is a nonprofit public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban, regional, and rural planning. APA and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners, advance the art and science of planning to meet the needs of people and society.
Congress for the new Urbanism - A good site on New Urbanism. New Urbanist neighborhoods are walkable, and contain a diverse range of housing and jobs. New Urbanists support regional planning for open space, appropriate architecture and planning, and the balanced development of jobs and housing. Issues such as reining in urban sprawl, historic restoration, safe streets, and green building are also part of this movement.
EPA's Smart Growth site
The Lincoln Land Institute - Online Education - Four online courses are currently available through LEO.
Planning Fundamentals is designed as an introductory planning course for members of planning boards, planning commissions, zoning boards, conservation boards, and other related land use planning positions.
Planning Fundamentals: Concepts in Land Use - is offered as a bonus "companion" course when you register for Planning Fundamentals. It outlines and explores the four forces that shape land use in a given community.
Vermont Planning Fundamentals (In partnership with the Orton Institute), a planning course designed specifically for Vermonters that parallels the topics in the Planning Fundamentals course.
Introduction to New England Forests explores the fundamentals of forest processes and active, private stewardship. It is designed for owners of small woodlands such as land trusts, local governments and private landowners, and is currently offered free of charge.
Northern New England Chapter of the American Planning Association
Vermont Association of Planners - The Vermont Planners Association (VPA), a statewide, non-profit, membership-based organization of professional and citizen planners, landscape architects, engineers, housing and economic development specialists, developers and others who support good planning.
Vermont Association of Planning and Development Agencies (VAPDA) - VAPDA represents all 12 regional planning commissions in Vermont. This site also links to each regional commission.
Vermont Forum on Sprawl - The mission of the Vermont Forum on Sprawl is to preserve Vermont's unique working landscape and quality of life while encouraging economic vitality in community centers. It is believed that this vision can be achieved by discouraging wasteful land consumption, increasing public awareness and reducing the environmental costs of sprawl, influencing and creating planning policies or tools to reduce sprawl, promoting downtowns and village centers, providing more transportation and housing choices and conserving valuable farmland and forestland.
Vermont League of Cities and Towns - VLCT provides research and information sharing, training, technical assistance, legislative advocacy, group insurance programs, and legal assistance to Vermont cities and towns.
Vermont Planning Division - The Planning Division assists in guiding land use policy and development decisions to meet statutory goals (24 VSA section 4302). First among those is "to plan development so as to maintain the historic settlement pattern of compact village and urban centers separated by rural countryside."
Vermont Planning Information Center - This site provides information for planning commissions, zoning boards, development review boards, zoning administrators, and their staff. VPIC was created through a Land Use Education and Training Collaborative working together to coordinate and improve the delivery of land use education and training for local land use officials in Vermont.
Vermont Secretary of State's Office - A good site for information and assistance in understanding the laws that apply to local governments. Contains "Vermont Municipal Guide to Land Use Regulations".
Vermont Statutes On-Line: Land Use - V.S.A. Title 24, Vermont's law governing land use and land use regluation is available on the web.