Adopt a comprehensive plan or (for Category B & C cities) adopt a future land use plan that was adopted by the county or a regional ent

• Check with your Regional Development Commission or metropolitan district early. They provide assistance, tools, and resources for community planning. 
• The Metropolitan Council’s Local Planning Handbook provides ample guidance, including sustainability topics. 
• See the League of MN Cities Handbook – Chapter 13: Comprehensive Planning, Land Use, and City-Owned Land. 
• Sustaining Places: Best Practices for Comprehensive Plans (American Planning Association: 2015) offers a framework for big cities and small towns, with standards under 6 categories: Livable Built Environment; Harmony with Nature; Resilient Economy; Interwoven Equity; Healthy Community; Responsible Regionalism. 
• See how communities in SE Minnesota (Faribault, Rochester, Red Wing, and Northfield) are incorporating sustainability into their planning efforts (CERTs, 2020).
• GPI (2020) reviewed comp plan elements in the Met Council region and identified that: 
  • 17% of communities addressed the topic of climate change 
  • 11% describe or completed a climate vulnerability assessment
  • 24% mentioned electric vehicles and/or EV charging infrastructure 
  • 16% have or intend to have an energy plan 
  • 29% participated in GreenStep Cities program 
  • 61% addressed the topic of implementation 
  • 19% incorporated a resilience chapter
  • 15% integrated resilience in at least one section other than a dedicated resilience chapter
  • 62% addressed solar requirements
  • 14% participated in the voluntary solar assistance program, SolSmart

Engagement: 

• Provide ample public engagement opportunities during the comprehensive planning process, including focus groups to identify needed resources and services.
• An indigenous land acknowledgement should include the city’s understanding of the land’s history and importance to indigenous peoples. See the Indigenous Land Acknowledgement Guide (Native Land Center, 2019).

Additional Considerations: 

• To increase accountability for results, consider integrating GreenStep Step 4 metrics and targets into your comp plan. 
• See comprehensive plan review checklists based on design for health principles. 
• See How to Embed the Precautionary Principle in Community Decision-Making and the Comprehensive Plan (Met Council: 2017) for language on taking precautionary action to prevent human and environmental harm in the face of scientific uncertainty.
• Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities (ICMA: 2010) presents strategies to help guide growth and financial investments in rural areas while protecting natural and working lands and preserving the rural character of existing communities.
• Crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) resources include standards, policies, and guidelines.