Resource Database

The Rural Active Living Assessment (RALA) Tools assess the physical environment features and amenities, town characteristics, community programs, and policies that can affect physical activity among residents in rural communities. This tool is suitable for both practitioners and researchers. The tools include a RALA Codebook that provides users with a practical and simple guide for implementing the tool in rural communities across the U.S.

This guidebook is intended to serve as a guide for planners, engineers and elected officials who will be producing a new or updated bicycle and/or pedestrian master plan. Data for this guide was developed from literature review, case study interviews, and input from staff at Alta Planning + Design.

This paper outlines the challenges that many communities face with conventional pen and paper count programs. It then identifies many new technologies that can automate, simplify, and expedite the collection of bicycle and pedestrian data.

The BEA offers statistics about Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for states and metropolitan areas; personal Income for states, counties, and metropolitan areas; employment, compensation, wage and salary disbursements; current taxes; farm income and expenses; per capita personal income statistics.

The Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) is a politically objective supplier of trusted and statistically sound baseline, contextual, and trend information used to shape transportation policy, investments, and research across the U.S. and abroad. One is able to access both national and state transportation-related statistcal data through BTS.

The American Community Survey (ACS) collects and provides data every year to help communities plan investments and services. It provides general demographic data, information about how people commute to work, general education levels, and more.

The American Fact Finder is similar to the Census site, but with more detailed analytical charts, graphs, and data sets. It provides comparative analysis of people, industry, and geographies; you can also compare this information to past census statistics.

Censusscope.org allows the user to search national, census-based demographic maps. Categories include population change, poverty, home ownership, racial variations, segregation, aging communities, dominant generations, etc. The site also provides print-friendly charts and trends for these statistics.

The National Center for Health Statistics provides a complete source of information about America's health. The CDC compiles statistical information to guide health related programs and policies around the county.

City-Data collects and analyzes data from a variety of government and private sources, and then create detailed, informative profiles for every city in the United States. Specific tools include: compare two cities, advances U.S. city search, ideal meeting place, travel time maps, and trip gasoline usage calculators.