Last year, the Institute for Local Government (ILG) Board of Directors engaged in a period of reflection concerning future directions for its housing and land use program. After hearing from local officials and others, the board concluded that the program had a solid reputation for quality products in its key areas of focus: regulatory takings; housing; open space/farm- land issues and assisting planning commissioners.

So how could ILG build on its reputation and continue to serve its mission of being a forward-thinking source of information for local officials? The board decided to pursue programs in these areas:

• Health and Land Use Issues. Exploring the links between health and land use decision-making, particularly in light of the direction given by the membership in League Annual Conference Resolution #3, which emphasizes the importance of encouraging health and wellness in cities;
• Climate Change. Assisting local agencies to deal with both the impacts of climate change and preventative measures to reduce global warming; and
• Housing Affordability. Continuing ILG’s efforts on the issue of housing affordability, with a special focus on assisting local officials to address neighborhood acceptance concerns. This new effort will draw upon the synergy between ILG’s expertise in land use issues and civic engagement through its Collaborative Governance Initiative.

On this latter issue, ILG was especially pleased to receive a substantial grant in 2006 from the Bank of America Foundation to develop a toolkit for local officials on housing and YIMBY (Yes in My Back Yard) issues. Tools and resources are available online at www.ca-ilg.org/YIMBY.

Watch for more resources to be developed this year on these topics. In the meantime, see below for resources recently published by ILG. 

New Land Use Resources from ILG

The Institute for Local Government added the following land use and housing publications and resources for local officials to its website in the past year:

• Establishing a Local Housing Trust Fund: A Guide for California Officials
• YIMBY Resources
• Housing Acronyms Tipsheet for Local Officials 
• Ensuring Continued Affordability in Homeownership Programs 
• Regulatory Takings and Land Use Regulation: A Primer for Public Agency Staff 
• Working Effectively with Local Officials: Tips for Active Residents
• Ounce of Prevention: Best Practices for Making Informed Land Use Decisions (order copies here)

This article appears in the March 2007 issue of Western City
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