Guide to the Partners for Livable Communities collection C0021 Partners for Livable Communities collection

Guide to the Partners for Livable Communities collection C0021

Partners for Livable Communities collection


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George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center

Fenwick Library, MS2FL
4400 University Dr.
Fairfax, Virginia 22030
Business Number: 703-993-2220
Fax Number: 703-993-8911
speccoll@gmu.edu
URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu

Eron Ackerman

Repository
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Identification
C0021
Title
Partners for Livable Communities collection 1962 - 1994
Quantity
27 Linear Feet, 54 boxes
Creator
Partners for Livable Communities
Location
Map Case 11.5
Language
English .
Abstract
This collection contains planning reports, studies, theses, dissertations, policy proposals, books, magazine articles, meeting minutes, and congressional hearings on various aspects of urban planning and community development dating mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. These materials were gathered by the Partners for Livable Communities in its effort to form a clearing house of information on urban and regional planning under the NEH-funded Architecture, Design and Planning Program.

Administrative Information

Use Restrictions

There are no restrictions.

Access Restrictions

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Partners for Livable Communities collection, C0021, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Partners for Livable Communities in 2008.

Processing Information

Processed in 2008 and 2009 by Eron Ackerman and Jordan Patty. EAD markup completed in January 2009 by Eron Ackerman. Finding aid updated by Amanda Menjivar in February 2023.

Historical Information

Partners for Livable Communities (PLC) is a national, nonprofit organization working to restore and renew American communities by providing information, leadership and guidance that help communities help themselves. Founded by a consortium of the National Endowment of the Arts in 1977 under the title "Partners for Livable Places," the organization initially focused on design and culture as resources for livability.

During the 1980s the organization expanded its scope to address the economic concerns of communities and launched a number of programs, each focusing on a specific problem area of community development. The Economics of Amenity program secured PLC's place as a national resource dedicated to the economic value of using amenities for community development. It was soon followed by three other programs - Cities in Transition, The New Civics, and Celebrate the American Community - which approached community development in a more holistic manner that took open spaces and cultural centers into consideration as well as the impact of social and physical changes to the urban landscape.

During the 1990s the Shaping Growth in America program was launched to address issues of social inequity, children and families, minorities and the poor. The 1990s also brought a new name, "Partners for Livable Communities," and a redefinition of the Partners' Resource Center as the National Center for Community Action. PLC continues to work toward the growth and improvement of American communities to this day.

Scope and Content

This collection contains planning reports, studies, theses, dissertations, policy proposals, books, magazine articles, meeting minutes, and congressional hearings on various aspects of urban planning and community development dating mostly from the 1970s and 1980s. Much of the material deals with cities and regions in the United States, but the collection also features reports and studies on China and a number of European countries. The materials included in this collection were gathered by the Partners for Livability Community in its effort to form a clearing house of information on urban and regional planning under the NEH-funded Architecture, Design and Planning Program.

Series 1, Adaptive Reuse, contains materials on historic preservation and the reuse of old buildings and spaces for new purposes. It includes books outlining the cultural and economic benefits of adaptive reuse as well as case studies on the adaptive use of specific buildings, including industrial centers, loft apartments, museums, schools, historic railroad stations, and the Old St. Louis Post Office.

Series 2, Archaeology, includes a hand-full of materials on urban and industrial archaeology in California, the Northeast, and London.

Series 3, Central Business Districts, is the largest section of the PLC collection. It contains a number of planning reports, policy proposals, and books pertaining to the revitalization of central business districts and enterprise zones. The materials cover an array of U.S. cities including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Baltimore, Bethesda, Washington, DC, Louisville, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon. Some of the materials also deal with Canadian cities including Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto as well as European cities including London, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Some specific items include a 1981 study on the revitalization of New York's 42nd St, a 1980 review of urban renewal in Amsterdam, a Bethesda streetscape plan from 1984, a comprehensive plan for the central city area of Racine, Wisconsin, proposals for retail development in Washington, D.C., and several studies on malls, farmers markets, and sidewalk cafes from the 1970s and 1980s.

Series 4, Cultural Facilities, contains materials on the municipal funding of public art and the development of community cultural facilities such as art centers, theaters, concert halls, and opera houses. The cities covered include Seattle, Rochester, Lowell, Knox, and Washington, D.C.

Series 5, Design, contains various technical, prescriptive, and theoretical materials on urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture. The subjects covered range from studies of classical Greek, Gothic, and twelfth-century Chinese architecture to surveys of contemporary British, German, Italian, and Swedish architecture to manuals on pedestrian design and articles on vandalism deterrence. The cities and regions covered include Berlin, Australia, Calgary, New Orleans, Brooklyn, rural Texas, and Concho, Arizona.

Series 6, Energy, contains numerous reports and studies on energy conservation planning as well as several congressional hearings on conservation policy. Most of the materials therein cover general issues (as opposed to case studies) including solar energy, bicycle transportation design, and making old buildings and historic districts energy efficient.

Series 7, Environment, contains plans and guidelines for environmental design and conservation in various regions including California, Delaware, northern Virginia, and Athens, Greece. The subjects covered include highway noise and beautification, rural land development, lake management, and water conservation.

Series 8, Handicap Accessibility, contains a small number of manuals on the incorporation of accessibility features into architecture and urban design.

Series 9, Open Spaces, Parks, and Recreation, consists mostly of plans and reports on the design and development of open spaces, parks, and cultural facilities. The subjects addressed include urban open spaces, parks, zoos, waterfront revitalization, and urban forestry in such cities as Dayton, Pittsburgh, Camden, Chattanooga, San Francisco, and Tampa.

Series 10, Public and Private Partnerships, includes reports and studies on the projects of various public and private partnerships aimed at developing the local economy, mitigating social inequity, and providing social services such as child care and urban renewal to the community. The partnerships examined in this series include the Bronx Land Reclamation Program, the Citibank Flatbush Project, the Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program, and the Navy Broadway Complex Project.

Series 11, Tourism, contains reports and proposals pertaining to the promotion and development of tourism. The materials deal with such topics as the development of historic centers for tourism, tourist impact control, the 1980 and 1981 Travel Outlook Forum proceedings, the promotion of black material culture, and the "gritty city enhancement strategy," which aims to capitalize on the "gritty" ambience of old working-class neighborhoods and industrial centers as tourist attractions.

Series 12, Transportation, contains materials on the design and improvement of transportation infrastructure. Most of the studies cover general topics, but the series includes case studies of New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and the Netherlands. The topics covered include automobile restricted zones, center-city parking and parking lot design, transportation architecture, the economics of transportation restriction, traffic control design, railway and trolley transit, bicycle transportation and parking, and pedestrian relief areas.

Series 13, Urban Planning, is the largest section of the PLC collection after Series 3 (Central Business Districts). This series contains planning reports, policy statements, and congressional hearings on a wide range of urban planning and community development issues including economic development, land use, municipal tax policy, and suburban sprawl. Most of the materials deal with U.S. cities including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, Madison, and Cincinatti, and such North American regions as Arizona, California, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, Hawaii, Ontario, and British Columbia. However, it also contains studies on urban planning in China and a number of European countries including France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands. Within this series one will find numerous publications from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, several studies on Court House Plaza in Arlington, a 1972 report on Fairfax County, The President's National Urban Policy Report of 1980 and 1988, Reports of the European Campaign for Urban Renaissance, meeting minutes of the Council of Europe's 5th Symposium in 1977, and a dozen case studies from the "States and Urban Strategies" series.

Series 14, Oversize, contains oversize books on subjects that would otherwise be included in the following series: Central Business Districts, Cultural Facilities, Open Spaces, Parks and Recreation, and Urban Planning. It contains studies and planning proposals with large color photographs on San Diego, San Francisco, Baton Rouge, Chicago, and Providence, as well as Dublin, Ireland, and the Hague.

Arrangement

Arranged into 14 series by subject with each series organized alphabetically by title.

Series Series 1: Adaptive Reuse, 1972-1981 (Boxes 1-2) Series 2: Archaeology, 1967-1982 (Box 2) Series 3: Central Business Districts, 1960-1989 (Boxes 2-13) Series 4: Cultural Facilities, 1966-1989 (Boxes 13-16) Series 5: Design, 1962-1989 (Boxes 17-23) Series 6: Energy, 1975-1983 (Boxes 23-25) Series 7: Environment, 1970-1989 (Boxes 25-28) Series 8: Handicap Accessibility, 1975-1980 (Boxes 28-29) Series 9: Open Spaces, Parks, and Recreation, 1971-1990 (Boxes 29-32) Series 10: Public and Private Partnerships, 1976-1989 (Boxes 32-34) Series 11: Tourism, 1965-1990 (Boxes 34-35) Series 12: Transportation, 1962-1990 (Boxes 35-41) Series 13: Urban Planning, 1956-1994 (Boxes 41-52) Series 14: Oversize, 1967-1987 (Boxes 53-54)

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center has other materials on urban planning in the Planned Community Archives collection and on transportation planning in the William Mertz transportation collection, the American Public Transportation Association records, the John Roberts Hamburg transportation papers, and the James J. McDonnell transportation collection.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

Container List

Series 1: Adaptive Reuse
1972-1981
(1.5 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains materials on historic preservation and the reuse of old buildings and spaces for new purposes. It includes books outlining the cultural and economic benefits of adaptive reuse as well as studies detailing the adaptive use of specific buildings, including industrial centers, loft apartments, museums, schools, historic railroad stations, and the Old St. Louis Post Office.

Back to Top
Series 2: Archaeology
1967-1982
(9 volumes)
Scope and Contents note

This series includes a hand-full of materials on urban and industrial archaeology in California, the Northeast, London, and other regions.

Back to Top
Series 3: Central Business Districts
1960-1989
(11.5 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

The largest section of the PLC collection, this series contains a number of planning reports, policy proposals, and books pertaining to the revitalization of central business districts and enterprise zones. The materials cover an array of cities in the U.S. including Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Baltimore, Bethesda, Washington, DC, Louisville, Dallas, Houston, Minneapolis, and Portland, Oregon. Some of the materials also deal with Canadian cities including Calgary, Edmonton, and Toronto as well as European cities including London, Berlin, and Amsterdam. Some specific items include a 1981 study on the revitalization of New York's 42nd St, a 1980 review of urban renewal in Amsterdam, a Bethesda streetscape plan from 1984, a comprehensive plan for the central city area of Racine, Wisconsin, proposals for retail development in Washington, D.C., and several studies on malls, farmers markets, and sidewalk cafes from the 1970s and 1980s.

Back to Top
Series 4: Cultural Facilities
1966-1989
(3.5 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains materials on the municipal funding of public art and the improvement of community cultural facilities such as art centers, concert halls, opera houses, and theaters. The cities covered include Seattle, Rochester, Lowell, Knox, and Washington, D.C.

Back to Top
Series 5: Design
1962-1989
(6.5 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains various technical, prescriptive, and theoretical materials on urban design, architecture, and landscape architecture. The subjects covered range from studies of classical Greek, Gothic, and twelfth-century Chinese architecture to surveys of contemporary British, German, Italian, and Swedish architecture to manuals on pedestrian design and articles on vandalism deterrence. The cities and regions covered include Berlin, Australia, Calgary, New Orleans, Brooklyn, rural Texas, and Concho, Arizona.

Back to Top
Series 6: Energy
1975-1983
(2 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains numerous reports and studies on energy conservation planning as well as several congressional hearings on conservation policy. Most of the materials therein cover general issues (as opposed to case studies) including solar energy, bicycle transportation design, and making old buildings and historic districts energy efficient.

Back to Top
Series 7: Environment
1970-1989
(3 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains plans and guidelines for environmental design and conservation in various regions including California, Delaware, northern Virginia, and Athens, Greece. The subjects covered include highway noise and beautification, rural land development, lake management, and water conservation.

Back to Top
Series 8: Handicap Accessibility
1975-1980
(1 box)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains a small number of manuals on the incorporation of accessibility features into architecture and urban design.

Back to Top
Series 9: Open Spaces, Parks, and Recreation
1971-1990
(3 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series consists mostly of plans and reports on the design and development of open spaces, parks, and cultural facilities. The subjects addressed include urban open spaces, parks, zoos, waterfront revitalization, and urban forestry in such cities as Dayton, Pittsburgh, Camden, Chattanooga, San Francisco, and Tampa.

Back to Top
Series 10: Public and Private Partnerships
1976-1989
(2 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series includes reports and studies on the projects of various public and private partnerships aimed at developing the local economy, mitigating social inequity, and providing social services such as child care and urban renewal to the community. The partnerships examined in this series include the Bronx Land Reclamation Program, the Citibank Flatbrush Project, the Missouri Neighborhood Assistance Program, and the Navy Broadway Complex Project.

Back to Top
Series 11: Tourism
1965-1990
(1 box)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains reports and proposals pertaining to the promotion and development of tourism. The materials deal with such topics as the development of historic centers for tourism, the 1980 and 1981 Travel Outlook Forum proceedings, tourist impact control, the promotion of black material culture, and the "gritty city enhancement strategy," which aims to capitalize on the "gritty" ambience of old working-class neighborhoods and industrial centers as tourist attractions.

Back to Top
Series 12: Transportation
1962-1990
(6.5 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains materials on the design and improvement of transportation infrastructure. Most of the studies cover general topics, but the series includes case studies of New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and the Netherlands. The topics covered include automobile restricted zones, center-city parking and parking lot design, transportation architecture, the economics of transportation restriction, traffic control design, railway and trolley transit, bicycle transportation and parking, and pedestrian relief areas.

Back to Top
Series 13: Urban Planning
1956-1994
(11 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

The largest section of the PLC collection after Series 3 (Central Business Districts), this series contains planning reports, policy statements, and congressional hearings on a wide range of urban planning and community development issues including economic development, land use, municipal tax policy, and suburban sprawl. Most of the materials deal with U.S. cities including Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, Madison, and Cincinatti, and such North American regions as Arizona, California, Texas, Oregon, New Jersey, Hawaii, Ontario, and British Columbia. However, it also contains studies on urban planning in China and a number of European countries including France, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands. Within this series one will find numerous publications from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, several studies on Court House Plaza in Arlington, a 1972 report on Fairfax County, The President's National Urban Policy Report of 1980 and 1988, Reports of the European Campaign for Urban Renaissance, meeting minutes of the Council of Europe's 5th Symposium in 1977, and a dozen case studies from the "States and Urban Strategies" series.

Back to Top
Series 14: Oversize
1967-1987
(2 boxes)
Scope and Contents note

This series contains oversize books on subjects that would otherwise be included in the following series: Central Business Districts, Cultural Facilities, Open Spaces, Parks and Recreation, and Urban Planning. It contains studies and planning proposals with large color photographs on San Diego, San Francisco, Baton Rouge, Chicago, and Providence, as well as Dublin, Ireland, and the Hague.

Back to Top