Community Outreach Partnership Program

The Community Outreach Partnership Program focuses on education, applied research and service within a collaborative environment.

Education

Planning Officials Education Program. In cooperation with the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association, the University of Florida is developing a program for the training of elected officials, planning commissioners, zoning board members and other officials involved in planning decisions for the betterment of their community, region or state. Initial course offerings are projected for 2003.

Applied Research

Smart Growth Audits. Over sixty organizations and agencies including the American Planning Association, the National Homebuilders Association, the Congress for the New Urbanism and the Sierra Club have endorsed smart growth. How well do your community's plans, policies, regulations stack up against smart growth principles? The COPP is seeking to partner with Florida cities and counties interested in applying these principles.

Growing Smart Toolkit. Florida communities need effective tools if smart growth principles are to be implemented. The COPP is seeking to partner with governments, agencies and organizations interested in developing programs and techniques. Typical topics include traditional neighborhood development, alternative scenario analysis, community character assessment, transportation - land use linkage, multi-modal transportation districts, environmental - land use linkage, rural land stewardship, transfer of development rights and other timely topics. The results of these projects will provide the foundation for model programs and techniques for application throughout the State.

Land Use and Transportation Modeling Research Program (LUTMRP). The LUTMRP is designed to advance the state-of-the-art of transportation - land use modeling technology to shape a new generation of transportation and urban policies that will support the building of livable and economically viable communities. The LUTMRP is closely tied with the GeoPlan Center and places strong emphasis on the application of GIS technology.

Service

Capacity Building. Does your community have the capacity to address it's planning and growth management responsibility? The COPP can provide technical assistance to review a community's planning program, evaluate its status with regard to state statutes and accepted practice and offer recommendations for building an effective planning program.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for Small Communities: Partnering with the FGDL. The GeoPlan Center is the depository for the Florida Geographical Data Library (FGDL) and numerous other geographic databases. The GeoPlan Center is developing a partnership program designed to place high quality GIS capability in the hands of small governments and organizations at minimal cost. The program envisions the formation "User Groups"(typically a county or region) with shared data needs. The GeoPlan Center assembles geo-data from multiple sources, prepares the data to the "User Group" specifications, and provides setup, training and technical support. Typical "User Groups" might include a regional planning council and its member governments or a county-wide consortium of county government, school board and municipalities.

The Community Greens Program. Community Greens are shared parks tucked away on the inside of residential blocks and collectively owned and managed by the neighbors whose homes and yards enclose the green. The Community Greens program is supported by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public, the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Fannie Mae Foundation. The COPP is partnering with Community Greens to assist Florida communities in applying this promising strategy. http://www.communitygreens.org

Citizen Participation Strategy. The meaningful engagement of citizens and stakeholders is a crucial element of effective planning. The COPP can provide technical assistance for developing a strategy for involving the public consistent with the community's needs and resources, and direct training and assistance with the implementation of such a strategy.