Urban Ecology Links :: Website Typologies :: Civic Agencies

 

Please note: The site's name, project/organization location, and my comments about each website are located in the left-hand column. Clicking on each corresponding screenshot in the right-hand column will take you to the actual website in a new browser window so you can investigate the site, project or organization yourself.

 

BUREAU OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES (City of Portland, OR) With a handy list of site "highlights" and several ways to navigate through the website depending on the type of service or information you are seeking, this website serves the City of Portland well and lives up to its mission statement: "The Bureau of Environmental Services serves the Portland community by protecting public health, water quality and the environment." It takes a little bit of searching on the City of Portland main website to determine that it is in fact this Bureau, and not the Bureau of Planning (below), that addresses issues of Urban Ecology.
BUREAU OF PLANNING (City of Portland, OR) This is a surprisingly difficult website to navigate, but it's understandable given the complexity and interrelationship of Portland's environmental and planning agendas. The Bureau of Environmental Services website (above) is more specifically tailored to issues related to Urban Ecology; the Planning department instead seems to stick to land use policies and plans. They do, however, have a great collection of photographs!
INCLUSIVECITY.ORG (Washington, DC Planning Department) This site was developed by the District of Columbia's Office of Planning to educate and inform Washington, DC citizens about the region's comprehensive plan. The website is very clear from both a design and userability standpoint, and its relationship to the Office of Planning is spelled out very clearly in the "About Us" section. By creating an entirely separate website, however, it is clear that the municipality is making an effort to focus on transparency of information and a higher level of community involvement in its future planning decisions.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (County of Marin, CA) While it is not obvious that issues about urban ecology and environmental heath would fall under the domain of a Community Development Agency, a search on the Marin County website for anything including the word "environmental" takes you directly to the Community Development Agency page. Their mission of "striving to protect the public health and safety, as well as the high quality of Marin County's natural and built environments" is front and center, and specific information about community plans, sustainability policies, advisories and ongoing educational efforts is available throughout the website. A very clear and user-friendly municipality site.		(Return to Top) (Return to Website Typologies Outline)