Find a Policy to Support
Turn the things you care about into something actionable.
You don't need to write legislation or understand every part of government to participate in public decisions.
Start with an issue that matters to your community.
Explore possible policy approaches below, learn which level of government may have authority, and then use our Take Civic Action tools to research what is happening where you live.
Policies and government authority vary by location. Always check your local and state rules before taking action.
🏠 Housing & Community Development
Community Land Trusts
The idea: Create or support nonprofit/community ownership of land to help preserve long-term housing affordability.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Provide land, funding, grants, financing, tax treatment, or partnerships supporting community land trusts.
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More Housing Types
The idea: Allow communities to consider housing such as duplexes, triplexes, accessory dwelling units, cottage courts, and other smaller housing options.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Review zoning, permitting, density, lot-size, parking, and land-use requirements.
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Reuse Vacant Buildings & Land
The idea: Put underused buildings and publicly owned land back into productive community use.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Property inventories, redevelopment programs, land banks, adaptive-reuse rules, community partnerships, or disposition policies.
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Walkable Mixed-Use Neighborhoods
The idea: Make it easier for homes, shops, services, workplaces, parks, and community spaces to exist closer together where appropriate.
Who may act: City • County
Possible government actions: Comprehensive planning, zoning changes, development standards, street design, and mixed-use districts.
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🌱 Food & Community Resilience
Community Food Gardens
The idea: Make public or community land available for residents to grow food together.
Who may act: City • County • Schools
Possible government actions: Provide land, water access, small grants, compost, tools, partnerships, or long-term garden agreements.
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Local Food Procurement
The idea: Explore opportunities for public institutions to purchase more food from regional producers when feasible.
Who may act: Schools • City • County • State
Possible government actions: Procurement standards, purchasing programs, farm-to-school initiatives, grants, and local producer partnerships.
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Community Composting
The idea: Keep food and organic material out of the waste stream and return nutrients to local soil.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Compost collection, community drop-off locations, municipal composting, grants, education, or updated waste rules.
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🏫 Schools & Young People
School Food & Learning Gardens
The idea: Incorporate gardens into school campuses as opportunities for food education, science, environmental learning, and community partnerships.
Who may act: School District • School Board • State
Possible government actions: Funding, facilities policies, curriculum support, garden-to-cafeteria procedures, staff resources, and community partnerships.
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Outdoor Learning
The idea: Give educators more opportunities to use outdoor environments as learning spaces.
Who may act: School District • School Board • State
Possible government actions: Outdoor classroom funding, curriculum resources, campus design standards, teacher training, or pilot programs.
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Community Schools & Shared Facilities
The idea: Explore greater community use of school buildings, fields, gardens, kitchens, and other public facilities outside normal school hours.
Who may act: School District • City • County
Possible government actions: Joint-use agreements, facility policies, community partnerships, scheduling systems, and programming.
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🚶 Transportation & Accessibility
Safer Walking Networks
The idea: Make everyday destinations safer and easier to reach on foot.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Sidewalks, crossings, lighting, traffic-calming measures, accessibility improvements, and pedestrian plans.
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Safe Routes to School
The idea: Improve walking, biking, and transportation connections between neighborhoods and schools.
Who may act: Schools • City • County • State
Possible government actions: Infrastructure improvements, route planning, crossing programs, traffic safety measures, and transportation funding.
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Transportation for Seniors & Disabled Residents
The idea: Improve transportation options for people who cannot reliably use or access conventional transportation.
Who may act: City • County • Regional Agencies • State
Possible government actions: Paratransit, on-demand transportation, accessible stops, community shuttles, subsidies, and coordinated transportation programs.
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Better Public Transit Connections
The idea: Improve connections between housing, employment, healthcare, education, food, recreation, and other essential destinations.
Who may act: City • County • Regional Agencies • State
Possible government actions: Routes, frequency, stops, service hours, first/last-mile connections, accessibility, and transit-oriented planning.
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🌳 Environment & Infrastructure
Protect & Expand Tree Canopy
The idea: Preserve existing trees while expanding shade and canopy where communities need it.
Who may act: City • County
Possible government actions: Tree ordinances, planting programs, development requirements, canopy goals, maintenance funding, and heat-priority planting.
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Green Infrastructure
The idea: Use natural systems to help manage stormwater, flooding, heat, and neighborhood environmental conditions.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Rain gardens, bioswales, permeable surfaces, green streets, stormwater incentives, and development standards.
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Water-Conscious Development
The idea: Consider water demand and conservation when planning major developments and infrastructure.
Who may act: City • County • State • Utility Authorities
Possible government actions: Water-efficiency standards, impact studies, conservation requirements, infrastructure planning, and reporting requirements.
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Community Renewable Energy
The idea: Expand opportunities for communities and public institutions to participate in renewable-energy projects.
Who may act: City • County • State • Utility Regulators
Possible government actions: Community solar programs, public-building projects, financing, permitting reform, incentives, or utility programs.
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🤝 Community Wellbeing
Parks Within Reach
The idea: Improve access to usable parks, recreation, and natural spaces across neighborhoods.
Who may act: City • County
Possible government actions: Park acquisition, rehabilitation, trails, accessibility improvements, programming, transportation connections, and capital funding.
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Libraries as Community Resource Hubs
The idea: Strengthen libraries as places where residents can access information, technology, programs, services, and community connections.
Who may act: City • County • Library Systems • State
Possible government actions: Funding, extended programming, technology access, community partnerships, resource navigation, and facility improvements.
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Community-Based Mental Health & Substance-Use Resources
The idea: Expand access to prevention, treatment, recovery, crisis, and community-based behavioral-health resources.
Who may act: City • County • State • Federal
Possible government actions: Funding, treatment capacity, community programs, prevention initiatives, recovery services, crisis systems, and partnerships.
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Youth & Community Recreation
The idea: Increase affordable and accessible opportunities for young people and families to participate in recreation, arts, nature, sports, and community activities.
Who may act: City • County • Schools
Possible government actions: Recreation funding, facility access, fee assistance, transportation, programming, and partnerships.
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🏪 Local Economic Resilience
Local Procurement
The idea: Explore opportunities for public spending to reach qualified local businesses and community-serving organizations.
Who may act: City • County • Schools • State
Possible government actions: Procurement policies, vendor outreach, simplified bidding, technical assistance, and local purchasing programs where permitted.
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Cooperative & Employee-Owned Businesses
The idea: Make cooperative and employee-owned business models easier for communities and entrepreneurs to understand and access.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Technical assistance, financing programs, business-development resources, succession support, and procurement opportunities.
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Small-Business & Neighborhood Commercial Support
The idea: Help locally serving businesses start, remain, and grow in their communities.
Who may act: City • County • State
Possible government actions: Small-business assistance, grants or financing, permitting improvements, commercial-district programs, and technical support.
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Don't See Your Issue?
This library is meant to grow from real community experiences.
If something repeatedly isn't working where you live, you don't have to know which policy would fix it.
→ Bring Us a Community Problem
We'll help you think through the problem, existing resources, responsible institutions, possible solutions, and where public policy may—or may not—fit.
Ready to Act?
Once you've found an issue:
1. Find out who has authority.
2. Research what your community already does.
3. Identify the specific change you want considered.
4. Gather credible evidence and community experience.
5. Contact the appropriate decision-makers.
6. Participate in public meetings and comment opportunities.
7. Follow what happens next.
→ Take Civic Action
Protect the Collective provides information and tools for civic participation. The purpose of this library is to help communities understand policy options and participate in public decisions—not to tell anyone which candidate, party, or politician to support.
Community over separation.