Guide to Planning Research
IntroductionWhat types of resources do planners use? Because planning is such a diverse field, covering legal, economic, social and environmental issues, planning research often requires an understanding and use of many different types and forms of literature. Planners rely on :
Searching for booksUse the WRLC Libraries Catalog to search for books. Search using keywords Keyword searches pull up books that use the keywords in their titles, subjects, authors, table of contents, etc. To use keywords successfully, use quotation marks around phrases and use the word "and" between concepts. Always try many different keyword searches with different vocabulary; the words someone else uses to express an idea are not always the same as yours. Examples :
Search using subject headings Subject heading searches use prescribed vocabulary to target a specific idea. Examples :
Browsing the shelves Call numbers group together books with similar topics. Browse the following call number ranges for books about these aspects of planning :
In the D,E and F sections, find city planning documents of specific areas, history of specific cities, as well as books about historic preservation of specific areas.
Use the above list to browse E/A/M, Mullen Library and any library that use the Library Of Congress call number system. For specific titles or focused topics, search the WRLC Libraries Catalog. Journal and newspaper articlesSearch for journal and newspaper articles about planning topics using these databases, available on ALADIN. Avery Index to Architectural Periodicals
ProQuest (Periodical Abstracts)
Some journals about planning (in E/A/M Library) :
Statistical informationThere are many ways to find statistical information useful for planning. Examples of statistical information research questions:
Databases on ALADIN webpageFact Search : The FactSearch Database is a guide to statistical statements on current social, economic, political, environmental and health issues from newspapers, periodicals, newsletters and documents. Statistical Universe : Search across collections of statistics on a variety of topics including : housing, regional planning, economic development, etc. Narrow your results by geographic, demographic, economic criteria. Government publicationsThe government is a primary collector of statistics. Most popular federal statistics are available from government pages on the WWW. Older versions of many of these publications can be found in their print form in Mullen Library. Fedstats is the portal to many useful statistics collected by the government. Fedstats provides easy-to-use menus and listings based on what type of statistics you are looking for. Also, you may search across several publications to find what you need. Example: if you wanted to know the current House Price Index, you would want to access Fedstats, and choose the topic "Housing" in the A-Z list. Here is a sampling of the more useful and popular publications available from this webpage: County and City Data Book -- Statistical information, including many statistical tables about Housing. Mullen Library has print copies going back to 1949. Statistical Abstract -- Contains a collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States. View online versions of 2001 and 2002 editions or 1995 to 2000 editions. State and Metropolitan Area Data Book -- Comprehensive data for states and metropolitan areas. USA Counties -- Over 5,000 data items for all counties. Over 5,000 data items covering all 3,142 counties in the United States. Many items provide several years of data. Sources include Census Bureau, other government agencies and private organizations. State & County QuickFacts -- Quick, easy access to Census facts about people, business, and geography. MapStats -- Profiles with data from many Federal sources for your state and county. Government informationFederalThe United States Government is the largest publisher of information in the world. Government publications are invaluable sources of information about many planning topics including historic preservation, housing, planning, economics, government programs and grants and more. Increasingly, government agencies are publishing their magazines, research reports, news and statistics on websites and are no longer manufacturing them in print. The following websites should help you search for and browse through government information:
HUD: The Department of Housing and Urban Development
LocalWashington DC District of Columbia Office of Zoning District of Columbia Office of Planning National Capital Planning Commission Maryland Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning Commission Virginia Fairfax County Government Website Arlington County Government Website Business Sources in Mullen Library ReferenceThe Mullen Library reference section has numerous business publications of interest to those doing planning research. Here are a few select titles:
Planning organizationsMany documents, books, magazines and articles published by the APA are available in the E/A/M Library.
"As the preeminent, multidisciplinary real estate forum, ULI facilitates the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among local, national and international industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places."
Downloading publications on this website is restricted to ULI members. However, many of the same publications are available in the E/A/M Library. Formed in 1922, a nonprofit advocacy organization dedicated to the planning of the 31-county New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region.
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations Nonprofit membership organization whose mission it is to assist and support Metropolitan planning organizations through publications, workshops, and other types of assistance.
"The National League of Cities is the oldest and largest national organization representing municipal governments throughout the United States. Its mission is to strengthen and promote cities as centers of opportunity, leadership, and governance."
National Association of Counties Information on a variety of topics including housing, population, homeland security.
American Society for Public Administration Here you can find the most current and most recent back issue of the publication "Public administration."
Reports and publications about issues such as Brownfields and Metro Economies.
Other WWW sourcesA word about using WWW search enginesUsing search engines like Google or AltaVista is often an interesting way to do research. However, you should remember to critically evaluate all pages that you find in this manner. Not all web pages are authoritative or accurate. Web pages are different from books and articles and other published forms of information which are usually edited for accuracy, authority and value. When looking at a web page, ask yourself the following questions :
Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development From the U.S. Department of Energy; contains principles, codes/ordinances, and articles on Alternative Building Techniques, Green Buildings, and Affordable Housing.
An "urban planning portal," this site provides access to urban planning web links, bulletin boards, forums, and a gallery. A good resource for demographics, land use and zoning, urban design, and more.
"About Planning is an Internet clearing house for information about websites, publications, essays and news related to land use planning, growth management, comprehensive planning, smart growth, new urbanism and much more."
Directory of official city websites. Covers United States, Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand, Germany, Japan, Netherlands and United Kingdom.
Yahoo Directory of Urban Planning and Design Websites Urban Planning 1794-1918 : an international anthology of articles, conference papers and reports From Cornell University, 185 documents organized by topic selected by John W. Reps.
Lewis Mumford Center for Comparative Urban and Regional Research Located at SUNY at Albany, the Center has many planning research projects.
Questions? Getting helpE/A/M Library Mullen Library Information Desk (202) 319-5060 Architecture and planning journals list
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