Practice Guides
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Practice Guides
Our practice guides provide practical advice and support to policy makers and organizations on environmental policy issues. These guide books serve as resources for technical assistance, best practices and financing mechanisms to maintain or improve environmental conditions.
All documents related to this project are being updated for accessibility and will be restored soon. Contact cepm@louisville.edu to request copies.
Browse guides by topic
- Public Strategies for Cost Effective Community Brownfield Redevelopment (2002) – An introduction to the legal, technical and financial landscape of brownfield redevelopment for municipalities and developers.
- Closing the Brownfield Information Gap (2002) – A method for communities to identify and profile brownfield sites using existing public records.
- Utilizing Environmental Insurance for Brownfield Redevelopment (2003) – A briefing on environmental insurance types and how they can reduce risk in brownfield projects.
- Brownfields: Historic Preservation as a Redevelopment Option (2005) – Explores historic preservation as a financially and culturally sound strategy for reusing brownfield structures.
- Contaminated Properties: History, Regulations, and Resources for Community Members (2005) – A guide to navigating federal and state cleanup laws to unlock the redevelopment potential of contaminated sites.
- Brownfield Redevelopment: Make it Possible! (2005) – Highlights non-brownfield-specific financing mechanisms that can support redevelopment projects.
- Brownfields Program Placement in Local Governments (2005) – Examines how organizational placement within local government shapes the success of brownfield programs.
- Developing New Uses for Low-to-No-Market Brownfields: The Affordable Housing Solution (2005) – Makes the case for brownfield infill as a viable, fundable approach to expanding affordable housing supply.
- Sustainable Water Management on Brownfields Sites (2013) – Examines green infrastructure and low-impact development as tools for stormwater management on brownfield redevelopment sites.
- Urban Agriculture and Soil Contamination: An Introduction to Urban Gardening (2009) – A primer on identifying, testing and addressing soil contamination risks for urban gardeners and community groups.
- Establishing Urban Agriculture in Your Community (2010) – Covers the socioeconomic impacts of urban agriculture and how to overcome common barriers to starting a program.
- Safe Container Gardening (2011) – Guidance for organizations and individuals on establishing safe raised bed and container gardening policies.
- Growing a Farmers' Market in Your Neighborhood (2012) – Practical recommendations for launching and managing a community farmers' market, including strategies for reaching food desert residents.
- Establishing the Use of SNAP at Farmer's Markets (2016) – Addresses the benefits and implementation challenges of enabling option at farmers' markets to improve food equity.
- Managing Growth with Fairness: The Regulatory Takings Test of Smart Growth Policies (2002) – Reviews takings law as it applies to growth management, with state-by-state analysis for EPA Region IV planners.
- Dealing with Growth: Alternatives to Large Lot Zoning on the Urban Edge (2003) – Challenges the myth that large lot zoning curbs sprawl and presents lower-cost, higher-benefit alternatives.
- Greyfields: The New Horizons for Infill and Higher Density Regeneration (2004) – Examines obsolete commercial strips as redevelopment opportunities suited for mixed-use infill and densification. 14A. Do You Want Utilities With That? (with photo illustrations) (2007) – Explores the hidden costs of poorly planned growth on water and sewer infrastructure for planners and utility managers. 14B. Do You Want Utilities With That? (without photo illustrations) (2006) – Text-only version of the utility planning guide for municipalities managing growth pressures.
- Development Impact Fees as Planning Tools and Revenue Generators (2007) – Analyzes the use of impact fees to fund new infrastructure, including their benefits, risks and real-world applications.
- Sustainable Hazards Mitigation (2007) – A guide for planners on incorporating sustainability principles into natural disaster preparedness and mitigation strategies.
- Communities, Trains, and Trainyards (2013) – Addresses how municipalities can work with rail carriers and regulators to protect community health and safety.
- Construction & Demolition Debris Recycling for Environmental and Economic Development (2006) – Outlines strategies for reducing landfill impact through C&D waste reuse, with resources for local government implementation.
- Military Base Sustainable Best Practices: Energy Conservation Systems That Save Municipalities Money (2006) – Uses military base case studies to demonstrate transferable energy conservation strategies and alternative financing options. 20A. Energy Efficiency as a Public Priority (2008) – Explores how public entities can lead by example and use incentive programs to promote energy efficiency. 20B. Energy Efficiency as a Public Priority — Executive Summary (2008) – Condensed overview of strategies and calculations from the full energy efficiency guide. 20C. Energy Efficiency as a Public Priority — Matrix of Energy Efficient Incentives (2008) – A reference matrix of energy efficiency incentive programs for public use.
- Financing Energy Efficiency Improvements (2008) – Introduces five financing mechanisms for building owners seeking to improve energy performance cost-effectively.
- Integrating Green Practice into Your Building Management Strategy (2008) – Practical green management strategies for facility owners and managers that don buy-in. 24A. Sustainable Construction Policies in EPA Region IV (2009) – Reviews sustainable construction regulations and best practices across EPA Region IV states, with policy recommendations. 24B. Sustainable Construction Policies in EPA Region IV – Appendix: Case Studies (2009) – Supplemental case studies from governmental, private, and educational sectors in five Region IV states.
- Public Involvement in Environmental Issues and Decisions (2005) – Summarizes the benefits of community participation in environmental planning, with key implementation considerations and case studies.
- Farmland Preservation: The Benefits of Saving our Agricultural Land and Resources (2006) – Reviews preservation tools, funding sources, and collaborative strategies for protecting farmland from urban encroachment.
- Green Conferences (2007) – A practical guide for reducing the environmental footprint of academic and organizational conference events.
- Water Pricing and Rates Dashboard (2009) – A resource for utility officials on rate-setting best practices and the use of interactive dashboards for public transparency.
- Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations: What Are the Potential Community Costs? (2010) – Examines the environmental and community impacts of large-scale livestock operations for rural planners and local officials.
- The Public Urban Forest: Planning and Managing a City's Tree Resource (2012) – Guides municipal decision-makers on maximizing the benefits of urban tree canopy through strategic planning and management.
- Planning for Transparency through E-governance (2012) – Introduces e-government tools and processes that enhance civic participation and planning transparency at the local level.
- Using Principles of Environmental Sustainability to Improve Student Health (2014) – Explores how walkable streets, civic agriculture, and environmental justice can combat childhood obesity and improve school-community health.
- Urban Transportation and the Benefits of Public Transit (2014) – Makes the case for transit investment by examining the environmental, health and land use costs of automobile dependency.
- Implementing Environmental Psychology to Improve Community Design (2015) – Applies environmental psychology principles to community design, with case studies and funding suggestions for practitioners.
- Establishing Successful Recycling Programs in Multi-family Developments (2016) – Addresses the unique challenges of multi-family recycling and offers municipal case studies for program development.