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| Home > Communities > Healthy Communities |
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| Additional Resources |
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County :: Statewide :: Nationwide
County Resources
Nearly all of the official county websites listed below have direct links to planning and zoning offices, and/or the county comprehensive plans and associated ordinances.
Benton
Cass
Chisago
Crow Wing
Isanti
Kanabec
Mille Lacs
Morrison
Pine
Sherburne
Stearns
Todd
Wadena
Wright
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Statewide Resources
Association of Minnesota Counties (AMC)
Assists the state’s 87 counties in providing effective county governance to the people of Minnesota . Works closely with the legislative and administrative branches of government in seeing that legislation and policies favorable to counties are enacted. In addition, the Association provides educational programs, training, research and communications for county officials.
BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota
An organization representing Minnesota companies, academia, and government, devoted to building the bioscience industry, retaining and creating jobs and positioning Minnesota as a global leader in biobusiness.
Blandin Foundation
Infuses and energizes rural community economies in Minnesota through leadership development programs that help communities capitalize on their assets. Provides a variety of leadership programs to address the needs of rural Minnesota leaders.
Center for Rural Design
Works with people to preserve, improve, and protect rural landscapes, cultures and communities through innovative design strategies.
Center for Small Towns
A community outreach program housed at the University of Minnesota , Morris (UMM) and serves as a point-of-entry to the resources of the University of Minnesota . Small towns, local units of government, K-12 schools, non-profit organizations, and other University units are able to utilize the Center's resources as they work on rural issues or make contributions to rural society.
Center for Urban and Regional Affairs (CURA)
An applied research and technology center at the University of Minnesota that connects faculty and students with nonprofit organizations, ethnic and racial minority groups, businesses, rural towns, inner-city neighborhoods, suburban communities, local governments, and public agencies in Minnesota.
Central Minnesota Housing Partnership
Provides decent, safe and affordable housing in the central region of Minnesota . Housing studies, technical and financing assistance for communities.
Datanet
An online system containing statistics about social, economic and demographic conditions in Minnesota designed to serve governments, businesses, schools, nonprofit agencies and citizens.
Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED)
Offers grants, loans and technical assistance for redevelopment projects and activities, including housing and commercial rehabilitation, wastewater treatment facilities and drinking water systems, and contaminated site clean-up.
Greater Minnesota Housing Fund
Supports the creation of affordable housing for Minnesota 's working families. Planning and financing assistance, grants, green housing, and landscaping programs for communities.
Heading Home Minnesota
A state-wide initiative to end the cycle of homelessness. The strategy includes five regional “Heading Home” initiatives that represent coordinated partnerships with the support of the public, business, nonprofit, faith, and philanthropic sectors.
Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs
Widely recognized for its role in examining public issues and shaping public policy at the local, state, national, and international levels, and for providing leadership and management expertise to public and nonprofit organizations.
League of Minnesota Cities
Committed to "serving Minnesota 's cities through effective advocacy, expert analysis, trusted guidance, and collective action." The League represents more than 800 Minnesota cities.
LifeScience Alley
A Minnesota-based trade association serving more than 500 member organizations that provides access to industry leaders, opportunities to build businesses and insights into current trends, regulations, research and emerging technologies.
Minnesota Association of Small Cities
Stimulates communication among small cities of Minnesota and serves as a forum for the interchange of ideas of common concern, helping all to build quality communities for the future.
Minnesota Association of Townships
A voluntary membership organization representing 1,786 of Minnesota 's 1,790 organized townships and nearly 9,000 elected township officers. Provides education, training and technical services to township officers and represent townships before the state legislature and state agencies.
Minnesota Demographic Center
Analyzes and distributes data from state, U.S. Census Bureau and other sources.
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)
This is the primary agency responsible for Minnesota ’s fish and wildlife resources.
Minnesota Design Team
Assists communities in planning and designing a viable, appropriate future. Works not only with design issues like main street improvements, but also with the fundamental planning process that allows communities to take the initiative in continuing to plan a future that reflects the dreams and interests of the community.
Minnesota Government
Provides information on state, local, tribal and federal governments and services.
The Minnesota Materials Exchange program
A free service that links organizations that have reusable goods they no longer need to those who can use them. By providing a business reuse network, the Materials Exchange program helps prevent usable materials from becoming waste.
Minnesota Oomph! Conference
In March 2007, the Initiative Foundation hosted a regional conference, focusing on the topic of active living for our communities. Over 300+ local leaders attending the conference where topics included:
• Controlling skyrocketing health insurance
• Designing communities for people instead of just cars
• Expelling childhood obesity at school and at home
• Preparing for a "Silver Tsunami"
• Eating and serving healthier, locally grown foods
The Oomph website has a list of participants and presentation materials from the keynote, plenary and breakout speakers - get a little more oomph at: www.ifound.org/oomph!
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)
Provides lake and stream monitoring programs, tools for charting and interpreting lake data, agreements, grants and loans for large scale pollution sources as well as technical assistance and education.
Minnesota Rural Partners
Promotes rural-friendly policies, connects resources and develops tools that support rural economic and community development. Shares stories of rural innovation and unites Minnesotans everywhere who understand the power of rural roots in our lives.
Minnesota Rural Water Association
Offers professional on-site technical assistance and training to water and wastewater system personnel in managerial, financial, and operation and maintenance of systems, as well as source water protection.
Minnesota Sustainable Communities Network (MnSCN)
Consists of over 2,500 individuals and organizations in Minnesota (and bordering areas) who are interested in moving toward sustainability. MnSCN is open to all with an interest in sustainability, and there is no charge or obligation to join.
St. Cloud State University Department of Community Development
Focuses on the design and implementation of programs designed to make a community a better place to live and work. Working to enhance a sense of place and sense of community is central to this field, as are the principles of sustainable development.
Under Construction: Tools and Techniques for Local Planning
A publication by the Minnesota Planning Agency.
University of Minnesota Extension Service
The service offers a broad array of training, support and education. Economic and Community Development. Business Retention and Expansion, Small Retail Success, Community Vitality and the Community Horizons programs. Onsite Sewage Treatment Program.
Windustry
Windustry, based in Minneapolis, promotes progressive renewable energy solutions and empowers communities to develop and own wind energy as an environmentally sustainable asset. Through member supported outreach, education and advocacy they work to remove the barriers to broad community ownership of wind energy.
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Nationwide Organizations
Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF)
Works to build better futures for disadvantaged children and their families. Their primary mission is to foster public policies, human service reforms, and community supports that more effectively meet the needs of today’s vulnerable children and families.
The Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD)
Established in 1995 by the Community Development Program at Northwestern University's Institute for Policy Research, is built upon three decades of community development research by John Kretzmann and John L. McKnight. The ABCD Institute spreads its findings on capacity-building community development in two ways: (1) through extensive and substantial interactions with community builders, and (2) by producing practical resources and tools for community builders to identify, nurture, and mobilize neighborhood assets.
Boomtown Institute
To provoke innovative thinking, encourage leadership and foster investment in communities across the U.S.A. Based on the book, Boomtown, the 7 1/2 Key to Big Success in Small Towns by Jack Schultz.
Center for Rural Entrepreneurship
Provides useful tools and specific strategies to help chart a course toward a new sustainable future for communities. Website is the companion to the book, Energizing Entrepreneurs: Charting a Course for Rural Communities, created in partnership with the Heartland Center for Leadership Development.
Center for the Study of Rural America
Tracks farm and rural economies. Provides objective analysis of economic and policy issues key to rural 's future. Good site for reports and studies on many aspects of the rural economy.
Livable Streets Network
An online community for people working to create sustainable cities through sensible urban planning, design, and transportation policy. Provides free, open source, web-based resources to citizens interested in developing a greener economy, addressing climate change, reducing oil dependence, alleviating traffic congestion, and providing better access to good jobs in healthy communities.
National Center for Small Communities
Provides small town decision makers with the tools to govern effectively and the skills to expand local economies, protect natural resources and preserve community character.
Office of Social and Economic Trend Analysis (SETA)
"Take Charge" of your community and regional planning and management by examining the current trends and characteristics of your community.
Thriving Hometowns Network
A compilation of more than 50 original and in-depth community and economic development case studies drawn from small communities (most less than 10,000 population). The Network, housed on the National Center for Small Communities (NCSC) web site, is a fully searchable electronic database, available free of charge to anyone with Internet access. The Network currently features 52 case studies drawn from 29 states and Canada.
USDA Rural Development
Helps rural individuals, communities and businesses obtain the financial and technical assistance needed to address their diverse and unique needs. Rural Development works to make sure that rural citizens can participate fully in the global economy.
Planning Commission Journal
A national publication designed for citizen planners, including (but certainly not limited to) members of local planning commissions and zoning boards. Topics include how to deal with the media, the basics of putting together a comprehensive plan, conflicts of interest and ex-parte communications, developing good staff-commissioner relations, and much more.
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