Use Restrictions

The copyright and related rights status of this collection have not been evaluated (See http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/CNE/1.0/)

Permission to publish material from the Partners for Livable Communities records must be obtained from Special Collections and Archives, George Mason University Libraries.

Access Restrictions

There are no access restrictions.

Preferred Citation

Partners for Livable Communities records, C0230, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.

Acquisition Information

Donated by Partners for Livable Communities in 2012.

Processing Information

Processed by Emily Clough in 2013. EAD markup completed by Emily Clough and Jordan Patty in 2013 - 2014. 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

The collection consists of reports, brochures, posters, books, audio/visual materials, and newsletters. The records cover the entire history of the Partners for Livable Communities, beginning with its inception in the 1970s at the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The majority of the collection is comprised of primary resources (research, reports, correspondence, meeting minutes, photographs, audio/visual materials, etc.), which relate to projects that Partners for Livable Communities has undertaken during the past 33 years of its existence. These materials are important for understanding how the Livable Cities Act has developed over the years from its inception in 1978 to the present. They document how Partners moved from a granting agency (when it was associated with the NEA) to an independent, non-profit organization focused on initiating important programs and projects of its own, many of which have resulted in major changes in the quality of design and living in urban environments in the United States. The collection is also important because Partners prepared the groundwork for many key initiatives including model legislation, the Livable Communities Act of 2009, which is currently under consideration by the Obama administration. Materials in the collection will help researchers to understand the development of city planning over the past 30+ years in the United States, as well as the best practices, standards and policies that have been advanced by Partners. A preliminary inventory is available.

Series 1, Amenity Resources & Quality of Life, the largest of the collection, contains resources used in Partner's first program, The Economics of Amenity. These materials are focused around the economic value of design, cultural amenities, and the impact on the quality of life in a community. This series includes pamphlets, binders, and books on Partners for Livable Communities' Creative City initiative, notes on sponsored charrettes in Kingsport and Memphis, Tennessee; Alexandria and Roanoke, Virginia; Glendale and San Buenaventura California; and Baltimore, Maryland. Other resources in this series include documentation on the importance of quality design and regional publications produced and gathered by PLC and other private organizations in the United States and Europe.

Series 2, Community Development, contains resources gathered by Partners for Livable Communities relevant to their various initiatives and programs. Specifically, they collected a variety of books, binders, reports, and articles, published by Partners and other outside organizations, that focus on cultural and community planning, including PLC's Aging in Place initiative, a small portion of the Livability Clearinghouse, notes taken in the Columbus, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; and Kingsport, Tennessee charrettes and the materials on the selections for the America's Most Livable City awards, sponsored by Partners of Livable Communities.

Series 3, Culture Builds Community, contains the gathered resources for the long-term initiative, started in 1993. The goal of this initiative is to use certain cultural assets to build a community's economy, community pride, and the quality of life. Included in this series are various workbooks, papers, presentations, and binders collected that focus on cultural assets and it affects the growth of the surrounding communities. Some specific records include a collection of PLC's "Connections" newsletter, various charrettes that took place in Kansas City, Missouri, and documentation on the importance of libraries, art, schools, and markets in a community.

Series 4, New Civics, contains four subseries, Benchmarks and Indices, Leadership for Change, Regional Strategies, and Visioning and Local Participation that focus on developing successful leadership strategies to create community-centered programs through a cooperative effort between local government and private businesses. Some specific resources include the collection of documentation gathered during the various charrettes and workshops held in Frederick, Maryland; San Diego, California; Arlington, Virginia; and Grand Rapids, Michigan, the programs from the Bridge Builders ceremonies, the Dublin Community Plans, the Indiana Cities Conference, and other regionally-focused reports.

Series 5, Partners Resources, includes the materials necessary for the workings and advertising of Partners of Livable Communities and its affiliates throughout the United States. Specifically, this series includes the extensive collection of PLACE newsletters, various directories from 1975 to 2011, information on the Board of Trustees in 2002, the pamphlets from America's Most Livable Cities and the Visions and Community Spirit Awards, informative handouts written about Partners and its various initiatives, the Biannual Activities reports, and various regional reports written for Partners for Livable Communities.

Series 6, Shared Heritage of the Americas contains information that looks at the special resources inherent throughout North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. This small series contains various books, binders, magazines, transcripts, and reports that explore the archaeology, history, and physical geography of these rich regions. Specific resources include PLC's research effort for an article about underwater archaeology and documentation from two forums that focused on preservation throughout the Americas.

Series 7, Tourism: Heritage, Discovery, & Ecotourism, includes materials focused on the importance of conservation and tourism development. Like with Series 5 (Shared Heritage with the Americas), this series focuses on responsible tourism using the available resources in a region. It also includes information on healthy tourism growth and conservation. Specific resources include the information gathered during the African-American Museum of Delaware Charratte, the Tourism Task Force for Greater Cincinnati Report, and the Travel Review Conference proceedings.

Series 8 consists of photogaphs that document the activities of Partners from the 1970s through 2010s. Subjects include events hosted by Partners, images of commuity activities in cities, and pictures of the Partners staff.

Series 9 contains audiovisual materials. There are a variety of videotapes, cassettes, compact discs and diskettes that Partners created and gathered. Most of the materials are relevant to the various sponsored programs that Partners of Livable Communities initiated. Some specific audio and visual materials includes CDs of photos from various Partners-hosted events, video and audio documentation of regional charrettes and meetings, and back-up diskettes of various articles and documents that PLC's employees authored.

Series 10 contains oversized materials. Most of these resources are posters created for Partners' various programs, regional newspaper articles focused on community growth, and large books published by various private companies.

Arrangement

Arranged into ten series.

Series Series 1: Amenity Resources/Quality of Life, 1973-2011 (Boxes 1-38) Series 2: Community Development, 1960-2011 (Boxes 39-62) Series 3: Culture Builds Community, 1978-2012 (Boxes 63-86) Series 4: New Civics, 1974-2012 (Boxes 86-111) Series 5: Partners' Resources, 1967-2012 (Boxes 111-131) Series 6: Shared Heritage of the Americas, 1982-1995 (Boxes 131-135) Series 7: Tourism: Heritage, Discovery, and Ecotourism, 1979-2008 (Boxes 135-143) Series 8: Photographs, 1970s-2010s Series 9: Audiovisual, 1977-2011 (Boxes 144-154) Series 10: Oversized, 1973-2008 (Boxes 155-157)

Related Material

The Special Collections Research Center also holds the Partners for Livable Communities collection that contains publications on many subjects related to community renewal and planning.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Buildings -- Remodeling for other use -- United States
• Central business districts -- United States
• Open spaces -- United States
• Partners for Livable Communities
• Planned communities
• Tourism -- United States
• Transportation -- United States -- Planning