Resource Database

The American Planning Association's (APA) policy guides represent the collective thinking of our members on positions of both principle and practice. They represent APA's official position on issues central to building communities of lasting value. Topics include: Climate Change, Energy, Hazard Mitigation, Sustainability, Housing, and more.

Build a Better Burb (BBB) is an online publication dedicated to improving suburban design and planning. The articles on the site highlight bold ideas for improving housing, promoting regional planning, addressing parking and creating transit-oriented development.

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.

Community Builders colloaborates with communitys in "community assistance projects". Areas of assistance include: redevelopment and revitalization, transportation, transportation issues, housing issues, community and regional planning, and economic and policy analysis.

In partnership with local governments and a host of stakeholders, the Montana Department of Commerce administers CDBG funds on behalf of the State of Montana. Under the State CDBG Program, states award grants to cities, towns, and counties to develop and preserve decent affordable housing, to provide services to the most vulnerable in our communities, and to create and retain jobs.

The program is administered by Idaho Commerce with funds received annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. ICDBG funds are used to construct projects that benefit low and moderate-income persons, help prevent or eliminate slum and blight conditions, or solve catastrophic health and safety threats in local areas.

Wyoming is given broad authority to design and structure a program to meet local community and economic development needs. However, any project funded with CDBG funds must meet one of three U.S. Housing and Urban Development-imposed national objectives. 1 .Benefit to low- and moderate-income families; 2. Elimination of slums and blight; 3. Projects which meet an urgent community development need that pose a serious and immediate threat to the health or welfare of the community.

USDA Rural Development is committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in rural America. USDA Rural Development offers loans, grants and loan guarantees to help create jobs and support economic development and essential services such as housing, health care, first responder services and equipment, and water, electric and communications infrastructure.

This online guide authored by the USDA provides rural housing information on funding programs, technical assistance, housing data and informational resources from housing organizations.

HUD hosts the "Rural Housing and Economic Development Resources" page which provides funding summaries and case studies for users to learn more about rural housing funding opportunities and the experiences of other rural housing developers.