On-Line Resource Clearinghouse for Rapidly Growing Communities

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, sprawl is among the biggest environmental challenges facing New England, where more than 1,200 acres of open space are lost to development each week. New Hampshire is the fastest growing state in New England, and much of this growth is located within the 42 community coastal watershed served by the New Hampshire Estuaries Project. The Resource Clearinghouse for Rapidly Growing Communities project was created out of an interest in getting community decision makers the information and access to resources that they need to make informed decisions in this challenging time. The clearinghouse is designed to assist efforts to implement smart growth and other strategies to reduce growth impacts on the environment and quality of life. This project resulted from the 2003 Voices of Communities Experiencing Rapid Change Symposium held at the University of New Hampshire.A searchable database, or “resource clearinghouse,” focused on the top ten issues of rapidly growing communities in New Hampshire now exists on-line through a web interface at clearinghouse.unh.edu. This site is easy to use and offers users quick access to a variety of valuable information, including 1) mission and services, contact information, and website links for organizations and agencies that can assist communities with these issues, 2) direct access to ordering information or links to the text of publications and other tools (such as CD-ROMs, other clearinghouses, seminars, etc.), 3) background and contact information for experts on the top ten issues, including University of New Hampshire faculty, and 4) stories from communities that have implemented growth management or smart growth strategies, including process and outcome. This project was made possible through a partnership between the UNH Center for Integrative Regional Problem Solving and Cooperative Extension, in collaboration with the Nashua Regional Planning Commission, the Rockingham Planning Commission, New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, New Hampshire Office of Energy and Planning, Concord 20/20, GrowSmart Maine, the Southern Maine Regional Planning Commission, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve, the UNH Library, and other departments and programs of the University of New Hampshire. We thank the New Hampshire Estuaries Project for their generous support of this project