Community and Regional Planning Center
Services
CRPC offers General and Contractual services. To find out more, click on the sections below.
Planning Workshops for Local Elected Officials
CRPC is developing a “Planning for Elected Officials” toolkit that will help provide
information on the importance of planning in the context of local governments.
Regional Workshops
CRPC is convening focused strategy sessions among public sector planners, community
groups, developers, real estate agents, and other stakeholders about how to overcome
multidisciplinary obstacles and improve overall prosperity in our region.
Community-Based Economic Development Strategies
The process functions through the formation of an ad-hoc advisory committee representing
a cross-section of community stakeholder groups (e.g., local businesses, nonprofits,
senior citizens, etc.). The committee meets 14 times over 8 months for educational
and informational presentations about economic development tools to help develop an
Economic Development Strategy that is formally adopted by the City Council.
Community Canvassing
CRPC is able to conduct in-person surveys of community members, whether residents
or small businesses, to assess needs and existing climate. Findings can be synthesized
and formally presented to respective City Councils. Findings identify opportunities
for city halls to improve their relationships with community members, as well as position
themselves for potential funding options.
Community Engagement & Public Outreach
CRPC has assisted local governments and other agencies to enhance their community
engagement and public outreach. Past examples include stakeholder and community workshops
on the Regional Transportation Plan, Consolidated Plan, Community Development Block
Grants, and Sustainable Communities Strategies in Fresno County.
Demographics, Data, and GIS Services
CRPC is available to provide data, demographics, and basic GIS services for San Joaquin
Valley Communities.
GIS Workshops
In collaboration with the Department of Geography and City & Regional Planning, CRPC
offers a two-day workshop on the application of GIS in city and regional planning
once a semester at Fresno State. The workshop is designed to introduce core concepts
and basic GIS techniques found useful in planning practices such as mapping, data
collection and process, and spatial analysis.
The workshops are taught by assistant professor Hongwei Dong. Dr. Dong, who has a Ph.D. in Urban Studies, has focused his research on urban growth management, land development, land use and transportation, spatial analysis, and GIS.
Grant Writing Workshops
CRPC, the Office of Community and Economic Development, and the San Joaquin Valley
Rural Development Center provide grant-writing workshops to nonprofits and local governments
in low-income, underserved communities.
Regional Grant Administration
CRPC is available to provide regional grant administration and technical assistance
to our community partners. The Office of Community and Economic Development has an
established precedent of regional grant administration through our office's other
initiatives, such as Smart Valley Places and the San Joaquin Valley Regional Broadband
Consortium, and is committed to convening a variety of grantees to the betterment
of our region.
Technical Assistance and Circuit Planning
Staff is available to develop general plans (or components of general plans), climate
action plans, economic development strategies, and other planning documents for local
governments.
Projects
Click on the sections below to find out more about our current projects.
Once a month, CRPC and the San Joaquin Valley Rural Development Center (SJVRDC) gather residents, elected officials, and community stakeholders in the Westside communities of Fresno County (e.g., Mendota, San Joaquin, Avenal, Firebaugh) to discuss commonalities and to set goals for the region. Participants have identified recreational sports leagues, farmers' markets, safe neighborhoods, and bilingual newsletters as priority issues. The Network model can be replicated in other regions of the San Joaquin Valley.
To read more about the Westside Neighborhood Network Coalition, click here.
StreetsAlive is a technical assistance program to promote and support walkable and bicycle-friendly communities in the rural cities of Avenal, Mendota, Orange Cove, and San Joaquin. The program consists of community workshops, audit days, and peer learning exchanges.
To read more about StreetsAlive, click here.