CCCommunity Compass

Community Compass library

Look it up before the meeting

Plain-language explanations and real questions from residents, volunteers, and local officials about zoning, codes, housing, neighborhoods, organizations, and local economies. Laws and programs change and vary by place, so confirm anything time-sensitive with your local office or the current official source.

Environment, transportation & sustainabilityClear search

  1. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    1960s Suburb Needs Refreshing

    Visitor Question: Our 1960s suburb used to be the envy of the city. Our reputation was of great homogeneous neighborhoods, a wonderful place to raise a

  2. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Active participation of students in Park Clean Up

    Last Reviewed: June 14, 2024 Visitor Question: With rapid development and urbanization most cities are unable to cope with the clean up of the areas.

  3. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Advantages and disadvantages of felt need approach

    Visitor Question: What are five advantages and five disadvantages of the felt need approach? Editors' Reply: We don't know whether we can give you five

  4. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Aims and Objectives of Community Development

    Last Updated: May 31, 2024 Visitor Question: What are the basic aims and objectives of community development? Editors' Reply: The aims of community development

  5. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    An Alley Clean Up with a Purpose!

    Last Reviewed: June 14, 2024 Website Visitor Wrote: I think a wonderful alley clean-up project would be to make it green! A friend of mine recently did

  6. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Apartment Dumpster Area Problem

    Visitor Question: Should apartment dumpster areas be enclosed for safety and health reasons? If you rent and requested an enclosure be done and still

  7. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Are cities part of a watershed?

    What exactly is a watershed? Are cities part of it, or does the city absorb too much water. Editors' Reply: In a word, yes. A watershed is simply

  8. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Are very large cities better?

    Visitor Question: What are the consequences that we can expect if we continue to allow and encourage larger and larger cities to be built? I think cities

  9. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Ask a Neighborhood Work or Community Development Question

    Ask a community development question and receive answers from editors and maybe site visitors. All community and economic development topics are welcome.

  10. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Ask Your Questions About Community Environmental Issues Right Here

    When you ask questions about community environmental issues at the neighborhood level, we can tailor a non-technical answer to your specific situation.

  11. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Auto Repair Business vs. Boat Repair Business

    Visitor Question: Our ordinances limit a boat repair business much more than auto repair. I'm just wondering what the rationale is behind that? I am looking

  12. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Beautification Projects cost money and North Carolina provides Special Funding or Grants

    Visitor Question: Are grants provided by a State, such as North Carolina, required to be paid back in any way or fashion? How do I find the information

  13. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Being harassed by the city

    Visitor Question: My dad's property is in violation. It has been more than two years since we got the first letter. Today, we got the second administrative

  14. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Best way to identify community needs quickly

    Visitor Question: I am volunteering to help a local church reach out to its surrounding community and open its doors and 40,000 square feet of unused space

  15. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Buffer requirements

    Reviewed: June 12, 2024 Visitor Question: My question is how to interpret the term abuts in a zoning ordinance. Our ordinance says this. Where a commercial

  16. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Building whatever I want

    Visitor Question: If I own a property with no deed restrictions, could I build whatever I want on the property? Or if it was a yurt in Florida would that

  17. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Business in a subdivision

    Visitor Question I live in a Texas rural area, three miles from Pleasanton. I have called every county department for answers, and no one knows the answer.

  18. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Business model for a Community Development Center with ICT and entrepreneurial courses

    Visitor Question: I am having a challenge of coming up with a social business model canvas to understand how the business at a center that has already

  19. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Can Bed and Breakfast Become Group Home?

    Visitor Question: In a non-zoned area, can a property with multiple buildings being used as a bed and breakfast be sold as a residential property for a

  20. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Can emphasizing historic events lead to town revitalization?

    Visitor Question: Our community is a little bit divided over how much we want to call attention to certain historic events that occurred at different places

  21. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Can our board president take on a responsibility without anyone knowing about it

    Visitor Question: What happened in our neighborhood is very disappointing to me. It seems like our neighborhood association's board president told the

  22. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Can we force contractors to keep down the dust?

    Published: September 28, 2024 Visitor Question: I live on a busy road. The city has decided it wants to upgrade the street. Considering the number of

  23. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Career Paths for Addressing Urban Sprawl

    Visitor Question: I was wondering if you might be able to advise. After spending a number of years in retail, I'm looking into changing careers to something

  24. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Changing the Name of a Town

    Visitor Question: What are the steps in the process of changing the name of a town? Our town and its attending unincorporated areas sharing the same zip

  25. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    City moratorium on development

    Visitor Question:Is it legal for a city to have a moratorium on development? Our medium-sized city has discussed this a little bit in an open meeting of

  26. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    City of Delray Beach Alleyway Cleanup Project

    Last Reviewed: June 14, 2024 Visitor Writes: The City of Delray Beach Public Works Department (Streets & Storm Water Divisions) completed our alleyway

  27. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    City Sign Regulations Too Tough on New Business

    Visitor Question: Our city has refused to allow us to even apply for a permit for a flag to advertise our business. They have railroaded us into 8 months

  28. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Clean Your Streams Day 21

    Last Reviewed: June 14, 2024 Visitor Story: In September 2017, Partners for Clean Streams hosted the 21st Annual Clean Your Streams Day in Northwest Ohio.

  29. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Closed Business Now an Eyesore

    Visitor Question: We have a permanently closed business in our downtown whose owner refuses to sell. He is using it as an online liquidation sale location

  30. Visitor question · Environment, transportation & sustainability

    Combining subdivided lots

    Visitor Question: I am considering purchasing a 16 acre piece of property. It has already been divided into smaller lots. Can some of the lots be put back
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Original guidance from A Good Community: How to Make and Keep It, owned and edited by Nancy Thompson (formerly Useful Community Development), shared with permission. Community Compass notes and updates are our own and have not been reviewed by Nancy Thompson.