Many communities across the U.S. face the challenge of balancing water quality protection with the desire to accommodate new growth and development. These cities and counties are finding that a review of local ordinances beyond just stormwater regulations is necessary to remove barriers and ensure coordination across all development codes for better stormwater management and watershed protection. EPA’s Water Quality Scorecard was developed to help local governments identify opportunities to remove barriers, and revise and create codes, ordinances, and incentives for better water quality protection. Learn more.

Community building creates an environment in which there is almost no issue that cannot be resolved, leads to better ideas and solutions, encourages people to be responsible for and committed to improving the quality of life in their communities, and makes the job of the local government manager easier. Community Building: How to Do It, Why It Matters, an IQ Report from ICMA, discusses how to accomplish this important goal and the benefits of doing so. Learn more.

A growing body of research suggests that evidence-based architectural and urban design strategies can increase regular physical activity and healthy eating. The new Active Design Guidelines provides architects and urban designers with a manual of strategies for creating healthier buildings, streets and urban spaces, based on the latest academic research and best practices in the field. Learn more.

Dangerous by Design, a new report that ranks the nation’s most dangerous metropolitan areas for walking, concludes that 'incomplete' streets are a major culprit in the deaths of thousands of Americans every year. The report, from Transportation for America and the Surface Transportation Policy Project, finds that as many as 40 percent of fatal pedestrian crashes are in places where no crosswalk was available and that arterials designed only for cars are the most dangerous. Learn more.