The Town of Norwich Planning commission has put together background reading suggestions for town planning. Many of their suggestions are available for loan or have been made available for library use through the summer.

Background Reading

Above and Beyond: Visualizing Change in Small Towns and Rural Areas / Julie Campoli. Available for library use only.

The Municipal Plan: State Planning Module 1, VDHCD, Montpelier, 2017. Available for library use only.

“Americans Need More Neighbors” / New York Times (via Infotrac Newsstand)

Thinking in Systems: A Primer / Donella Meadows

2019 Draft TRORC Regional Plan (external link)

Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities (external link)

Getting the Density You Want / Elizabeth Humstone (external link)

A Question of Scale / Elizabeth Humstone  (external link)

Energy Action Network Annual Progress Report (pdf, external link)

Climate Action Plan for 2019 (pdf, external link)

The Key to Tackling Climate Change: Electrify Everything / Vox (external link)

“Your Questions about Food and Climate Change, Answered” / New York Times (external link, subscription required)

“The 35 Easiest Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint” / Earth Institute, Columbia University (external link)

Background Readings on Key Topics

Growth & Development // Strong & Diverse Economy // Preservation // Village Centers & Rural Countryside

The Art of Gathering: How we Meet and Why it Matters (via Overdrive) / Priya Parker

How Civility Works available via interlibrary loan request / Keith J. Bybee

35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Surprising Things We Say that Widen the Diversity Gap available via interlibrary loan request / Maura Cullen

Environmental Protection // Energy Plan // Flood Resilience

Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming / Paul Hawken, editor.

Grass, Soil, Hope: A Journey through Carbon Country / Courtney White

Housing

Squeezed: Why our Families Can’t Afford America (via Overdrive) / Alissa Quart