Start here · Essential guide
Urban Planning Basics for Older Waterfront Cities
A plain overview of what planners do, the main tools they use, and why older waterfront cities such as Camden face particular planning questions.
Civic Life and Research
Planning and Public Space
Planning tools and the design of streets, parks and waterfronts.
Brownfield Redevelopment: Preparing Former Industrial Land
How former industrial sites move from assessment and cleanup to new uses, with a general look at the steps, the roles involved and the uncertainties.
Community Participation in Planning
How residents can take part in local planning decisions, from public meetings and written comments to advisory groups, plus the limits of participation.
Complete Streets and Safer Street Design
An explanation of complete streets and safer street design: how roads can be planned for people walking, biking, driving and riding transit.
Flood Resilience and Green Infrastructure
A general explanation of how rain gardens, street trees and permeable surfaces can reduce stormwater problems in low-lying, older cities.
Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse
How old buildings are identified, protected and given new uses, from historic registers and local review to the practical limits of reusing older structures.
Master Plans and How Cities Use Them
What a municipal master plan is, what it usually contains, how it connects to zoning and budgets, and why it guides decisions without guaranteeing results.
Parks and Public Space as Civic Infrastructure
Why parks, plazas, waterfront walks and other shared outdoor places matter to neighborhoods, and what it takes to design, fund and maintain them well.
Vacant Lots and Greening Strategies
Common approaches to reusing vacant lots, from temporary clean-and-green efforts and gardens to permanent housing, parks or stormwater projects.
Zoning Explained for Everyday Readers
A plain explanation of zoning districts, permitted uses, variances and how rezoning works, with notes on New Jersey's land-use boards and their limits.
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