Environmental Planning Resources

marsh at sunset

Environmental Planning Resources

  • Stormwater LID and BMP Resources, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

  • The N.C. Coastal Federation Watershed Restoration Planning Handbook (2013) The purpose of this guidebook is to provide clear and detailed guidance for the development of a watershed management plan that aims to replicate the pre-impairment surface water hydrology and thereby improves coastal water quality.

  • Weighing Your Options: How to Protect Your Property from Shoreline Erosion (2011) This booklet, published by the N.C. Division of Coastal Management, details various estuarine shoreline protection methods including living shoreline techniques. Local governments with soundfront property can provide leadership in the application of these cost effective, environmentally friendly and aesthetically pleasing techniques.

  • Green Infrastructure Resources, US Environmental Protection Agency

  • Getting to Green: Paying for Green Infrastructure, Finance Options and Resources for Local Decision-Makers (2014) This report summarizes various funding sources that can be used to support stormwater management programs or finance individual projects. Each type of funding source is illustrated by several municipal programs and contains a list of additional resources.

  • Green Infrastructure Effectiveness Database (2017) Search this online database of literature sources containing information on the effectiveness of green infrastructure to reduce the impacts of coastal hazards, such as inundation and erosion from tropical storms and cyclones, more frequent precipitation events, and sea level rise. The database contains records from a wide range of sources, such as peer-reviewed journals, online tools, and gray literature, and includes information on 32 different coastal green infrastructure types.

Environmental Planning Tools

  • NC Conservation Planning Tool. Four assessments and maps are included in the CPT: Biodiversity/Wildlife Habitat, Open Space and Conservation Lands, Forestry Lands, and Agricultural Lands. The CPT website contains detailed assessment reports and information on how to download available GIS data.

  • NC Green Growth Toolbox.  The Green Growth Toolbox is a technical assistance tool for communities, local governments, planners, planning boards and developers. The Green Growth Toolbox provides mapping data, recommendations and case studies for conservation of priority wildlife habitats that can be used in local land use planning, policy-making and development design.

  • NC OneMap. NC OneMap is a public service providing comprehensive discovery and access to North Carolina’s geospatial data resources. It is an organized effort of numerous partners throughout North Carolina, involving local, state, and federal government agencies, the private sector and academia. NC OneMap is the state clearinghouse for geospatial information.

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