Western Lands and Communities, a joint venture of the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy and the Sonoran Institute, has created a new web-based resource to help guide growth for cities and towns in the West. The online planning toolkit and database, known as the Successful Communities Online Toolkit information exchange, or SCOTie, is a clearinghouse of the latest model smart growth and resource protection plans and policies from rural, amenity, and urban communities across the West.
SCOTie was developed to empower communities to craft policies that fit their local circumstances by providing inspiring examples of best practices from other western communities that preserve local identity, stimulate a healthy economy, and safeguard natural and cultural resources. The site, which can be found at www.scotie.org or at www.successfulcommunities.org, also includes case studies and resources aimed to equip communities with information and tools to become more successful in preserving community character and quality of life.
SCOTie had its debut at the Western Planner/Four Corners Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico September 11-14, 2011, a gathering sponsored by the New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah chapters of the American Planning Association. Conference participants had the opportunity to view a live demonstration and tutorial on how to use SCOTie.
Western Lands and Communities is a partnership of the Lincoln Institute and the Sonoran Institute, and is focused on shaping growth, sustaining cities, protecting resources, and empowering communities in the intermountain West. We address these challenges through research, tool development, demonstration projects, engaging policy makers, and education. Western Lands and Communities works to inform policy in the western U.S. through regional land use planning that effectively improves the management of public and state lands, and integrates land-use planning with conservation values, open space, transportation, water and energy infrastructure.