Tools To Design and Implement Energy Efficiency Programs (June 24)
The U.S. EPA has released the first portion of its Rapid Deployment Energy Efficiency (RDEE) Toolkit Planning Guide to help states, local governments, and other program administrators design and implement effective energy efficiency programs.

Survey - Small Businesses need Help from Local Governments (June 24)
Small businesses want more information and less "red tape" from their local governments, according to a survey by Princeton, Opinion Research Corp. (ORC). More from American City & County.

Census Bureau: Outlying Counties are Growing Faster (June 24)
While a solid majority of the U.S. metro area population was living in central metro counties by 2007, the outlying metro counties in most regions of the country grew faster between 2000 and 2007 than central counties, according to new information released by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Retrofitting Suburbia (June 24)
The dearth of good, cheap, undeveloped sites in suburban markets, the escalating number of vacant greyfield properties, and the expansion of mass transit systems into suburban areas are all factoring into a changed American suburban market. More from Urban Land.

New Lives for Old Buildings (June 24)
How one city is smoothing the way for adaptive reuse. More from Governing.

Mathematicians Take Aim At 'Phantom' Traffic Jams (June 24)
A team of MIT mathematicians has developed a model that describes how and under what conditions such jams form, which could help road designers minimize the odds of their formation. More from Science Daily.

Tools for Mixed-Income TOD (June 24)
A report from the Center for Transit Oriented Development, Tools for Mixed-Income TOD, discusses resources and strategies that local governments can bring to bear when integrating mixed-income housing within transit-oriented developments.

Leadership during Difficult Budget Times (June 24)
With the financial crisis and the resulting global economic downturn, nearly every police agency is affected by budget cuts, and nearly every executive is faced with difficult choices. More from The Police Chief.

Facts and Findings on Foreclosures, Families, and Communities (June 24)
A new report from the Urban Institute, The Impacts of Foreclosures on Families and Communities, details what is known about how foreclosures adversely affect households and their neighborhoods — from children and the elderly to public safety and local property tax revenues.

Government Benefits Comparison Tool (June 24)
The Center for State and Local Government Excellence and the Government Finance Officers Association have partnered on a new free tool that provides detailed health care and pension data on the typical benefits cities and counties offer their retirees, and how they pay or plan to pay for these benefits.

Local Governments Oppose Bill to Ban Higher Cell Phone Taxes (June 17)
NLC weighed in this week on legislation that would establish a five-year moratorium on new or increased taxes on wireless telecommunications infrastructure and services. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Football and Innovation (June 17)
To meet the demands of a changing world, governments need to program themselves for change. More from Governing.

The Hint Behind “That’s Funny” (June 17)
Public executives never have time to think. Yet, whenever they say to themselves, “that’s funny,” they ought to recognize this as a signal that they need to stop and think. More from Bob Behn's Public Management Report.

The Changing Geography of Metropolitan Employment (June 17)
The continued decentralization of employment has implications for the future of the nation’s vital economic engines. More from Brookings.

Parking Policies Can Reduce Car Use (June 17)
Increasing the costs of parking, including reducing supply, can encourage less driving and lead to less traffic. More from Sightline.

How Questions Can Drive Leadership Success (June 17)
When leaders reflect, rather than ruminate, about challenges and problems, they move toward resilient problem solving. More from Nation's Cities Weekly.

Behind Bars ... Sort Of (June 17)
A prison design in Austria that emphasizes inmate comfort and dignity raises questions about the role architecture and design plays in preventing or encouraging more crime. More from The New York Times Magazine.

Infill in US Urban Areas (June 17)
For the first time, the United States Bureau of the Census is producing data that readily reveals infill, as measured by population growth, in the nation’s urban areas. More fom New Geography.

Squeezing the Cops (June 17)
You thought police were safe from budget cuts? So did they. More from Governing.

Can Social Networking Lead to a Rebirth in Civic Engagement? (June 17)
Local governments, in particular, can capitalize on the amazing opportunity that Web-based technologies, including social networking (SN), provide. More from NACo's County News.

Scaling Back to Gain Affordability (June 10)
As the economy continues to struggle, the private sector is reorganizing old business models to make housing development more affordable. More from Breaktrhoughs.

Environment - Home Improvement (June 10)
Buildings, in the electricity they use to run and the materials they require to build, are responsible for nearly half of our nation’s carbon footprint. More from Good.

The Governor's Smart Communities Awards (June 10)
Governor Gregoire's Smart Communities Awards Web page lists the 2009 award winners for outstanding achievement in creating livable and vibrant communities.

Who Should Fix the Potholes? (June 10)
Sometimes it saves money to outsource government work. But don’t assume that. More from Governing.

Cash Flow (June 10)
With little help from the stimulus package, water officials continue searching for long-term funding. More from American City & County.

Investing in Outcomes (June 10)
Performance-based contracts aim to measure the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of government-funded programs. More from Governing.

Click for Property Tax Info (June 10)
Up until 1996, the federal government provided local property tax information from across the country. Starting June 8, a partnership restored the service by launching an online property tax database.

Catching the Flu (June 10)
Robert Pestronk, executive director of the National Association of City & County Health Officials, discusses local governments' level of preparation for a possible recurrence of the H1N1 flu. More from American City & County.

Seniors and the City (June 10)
Most baby boomers hope to age in place. Should government play a role in making that happen? More from Governing.

Research Offers a Transforming View of the Mayor's Office (June 10)
James Svara of the Alliance for Innovation cites research that runs counter to most of the academic literature on effective leadership in the council-manager form of government. More from ICMA.

Web Sightings - Intergovernmental Cooperation and Regionalism (June 03)
This month we’ve selected a few resources on a topic of continuing interest, especially as local governments seek to stretch their limited resources and develop innovative partnerships in challenging economic times:

• MRSC Web page on Intergovernmental Cooperation - This is a great starting point for information and includes interlocal cooperation in parks and recreation, public works, fire, police, and other areas.
• Local Governments Posting Interlocal Agreements on the Internet - MRSC Web page
• Regionalism, Restructuring Local Government - Cornell University Department of City and Regional Planning
• ICMA Web page on Regionalism - Includes local government innovations, sample government documents, reports and awards
• Alliance for Regional Stewardship - National network of regional leaders working across boundaries to solve community problems
• National Association of Regional Councils - Advocates for regional cooperation to address a variety of community planning and development issues
• Regional Communities Blog - Compilation of news links for communities pursuing local and regional development.
• Western Governors Association - Addresses important policy and governance issues in the West and promotes shared development of solutions to regional problems

See-Thru Government (June 03)
When it comes to spending taxpayer dollars, how much transparency is enough? More from Governing.

This President does not Chop Brush (June 03)
Unlike all his predecessors since Kennedy, Obama is an engaged city dweller -- just like the majority of Americans. More from Salon.

A Street Renaissance in NYC (June 03)
The New York City Street Design Manual, two years in the making, promises to serve as a comprehensive resource for promoting higher quality street designs and more efficient project implementation.

Does 'Smart Growth' also Create More Sprawl? (June 03)
Urban density, a Seattle and Portland mantra, is supposed to constrain sprawl, but a new analysis suggests that vital, dense cities produce bigger suburbs too. More from Crosscut.

One City’s Response to Difficult Economic Times (June 03)
Coral Springs, FL, has retooled its economic development strategy to make sure the city is ready for growth when the economy improves. More from Government Finance Review.

Parks and Rec Online (June 03)
San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, are making it easier for visitors to give parks and recreation departments a heads-up on maintenance issues. More from Governing.

Solve the Congestion Crisis And Win $50,000 (June 03)
The Intelligent Transportation Society of America (ITSA) recently kicked off a $50,000 "Congestion Challenge" that seeks to pair social networking with innovative transportation policy-making. More from ITSA.

Put Your Money Where the People Are (June 03)
When it comes to transportation strategies, many U.S. cities are moving toward a "complete streets" approach. More from Planning.

Time to Thoughtfully Challenge the Status Quo (June 03)
Traditional local budgeting strategies, although relatively easy to implement, are failing to adequately address the fiscal needs of local jurisdictions. More from Public Management.

Report Evaluates Smart Growth Policies (June 03)
Smart Growth Policies: An Evaluation of Programs and Outcomes, is the first major evaluation of smart growth policies in the United States, the result of a two-year effort involving 21 contributing researchers convened by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.