Partnership For Sustainable Communities
The Partnership for Sustainable Communities (PSC) is a national, nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in San Rafael, California.
PSC is dedicated to helping make American cities and towns more efficient and more successful for the long-term. We share the concern of environmental groups about the negative impact of greenhouse gas emissions. However, PSC is unique in that it focuses on the environmental aspects of land use planning, zoning, community development, building efficiency and transportation.
We pursue environmental sustainability by supporting green building and retrofits as well as development of compact, walkable, new urbanist projects and neighborhoods. PSC supports land use planning that recognizes the importance of infill, mixed-use and transit-oriented development. It supports better linkage between transportation and the development of homes and job centers, as well as transportation alternatives to private cars.
In California and other states, PSC is actively involved in reporting on and building support for regional planning programs that call for better integration of public transit and compact development to preserve open space and reduce emissions and congestion.
PSC supports social and economic sustainability by encouraging development of mixed-income and affordable housing near jobs and transit, as well as preservation of existing affordable housing.
We work to encourage collaboration between government and private sector interests in achieving these goals.
PSC provides information, news, research, and advocacy tools via its website (www.p4sc.org), as well as a quarterly magazine, Sustainable Communities. It also produces a twice-monthly newsletter for members.
Through these media and through original research, PSC publicizes success stories and builds support for progressive policies and practices in land use, community development, real estate, transportation and energy-efficient building and renovation.
As a nonpartisan group, PSC does not advocate for the election of specific candidates for public office. PSC receives no government funding and is not affiliated with the federal interagency partnership of the same name, although it shares similar goals. PSC depends on membership dues to achieve its mission.
Who is behind PSC?
Partnership for Sustainable Communities was founded by Andre F. Shashaty, who also serves as president. He is an award-winning writer and editor, and a nationally known expert on urban policy, planning, and development. He founded Affordable Housing Finance and Apartment Finance Today magazines and their related conferences. PSC is governed by a board of directors and assisted by a council of advisors that includes prominent national leaders like Henry Cisneros, former secretary of the U.S. Dept of Housing and Urban Development, and Mitchell Silver, president of the American Planning Association. See a list of our Board Members or Advisory Council.
How you can help
Click here to find out about the benefits of becoming a member.