Planning with community resource efficiency as an indicator of community livability.

PLACE3S (an acronym for PLAnning for Community Energy, Economic and Environmental Sustainability) represents an innovative planning method developed by the State Energy Offices of Washington, Oregon, and California. The PLACE3S Guidebook provides a 5-step stakeholder process for analyzing the environmental, energy and economic impacts of various development scenarios and building consensus around the scenario which best meets community needs. It includes techniques and informational resources to help communities understand the links between land use and resource use. The process is tailored to utilize visualization and GIS tools like the ones highlighted on this CD, helping the community identify the best strategy for retaining dollars in the local economy, attracting jobs and development, reducing pollution and traffic congestion, and conserving open space.

The US Department of Energy is partnering with the California Energy Commission and other organizations to develop a PLACE3S GIS tool that will function seamlessly with ESRI ArcView and related software. This tool will supplement the PLACE3S planning process and provide an easy-to-use means to assess the net economic, energy, environmental and social benefits of a wide variety of transportation, land use, housing, and redevelopment programs. The original PLACE3S Guidebook provides step-by-step instructions for using this process and is available at no charge on the US Department of Energy's Sustainable Development Website at http://www.sustainable.doe.gov

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