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  1. Home
  2. G3 Program

Develop Your Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Vision

On this page:

 

Visioning - A little girl blowing a pinwheel
  • What is a G3 Vision?
  • How to Develop your G3 Vision
  • Visioning Tools
  • Visioning References

What is a G3 Vision?

The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Initiative was designed to build a successful collaborative peer-to-peer support network of communities and stakeholders interested in green streets and related green infrastructure approaches that help achieve the “people, planet, profit” triple bottom line in any size community.  The G3 Vision advocates and supports the concept that every community can develop a "Green Vision" that aligns with the needs of its residents and businesses.   

The G3 Vision is focused on:

  • Increasing the capacity (i.e., knowledge, skills and abilities) of towns and communities to ensure they are successful at achieving their "green" goals,
  • Providing towns and communities with the tools and resources necessary to adopt green street and other green infrastructure practices, and
  • Increasing the installation of green street components and other green infrastructure practices in towns and communities across the nation.​

​How to Develop Your G3 Vision

Visioning 

Visioning is developing a plan, goal or vision for the future and is the cornerstone for project success.  Visioning is the process of bringing together all members of a community - decision-makers, planners, business owners, residents - to focus on what an ideal community would look like within a specified timeframe (e.g., 5-, 10-, 15-years). Visioning empowers a community to move beyond the probable future scenarios because it takes into account the community members perspectives, wants and needs.  An effective visionioning process can lead to the desired future of a healthy environment, strong economy, and high quality of life.

To solidify the visioning process, communities should develop a "Vision Statement" with one or more alternative "futures" proposed. These "futures" should represent variations on a theme aimed at achieving community resliency, sustainable solutions for the environment, economic health, and social well-being. Once a vision is created and agreed upon, the community can work towards realizing its goals by clearly communicating the vision and utilizing an integrated planning approach.

Why Create a Vision Statement?  

"A Vision is the overall picture of the character of the community sometime in the future.  A Vision Statement is a formal description of that vision.  It illustrates with words and images what a community hopes to realize through community participation, action planning and implementation. The Vision Statement is the starting point for action." -Building Our Future: A Guide to Community Visioning (PDF)(276 pp, 1.32 MB, About PDF) 

A vision is not a mission statement, nor is it a strategic plan - the map to where we want to go.  A vision is akin to the North Star, a never-ending piece of work that we commit to achieve.  A vision is the actual destination.

Visioning Tools

  • Charettes
    • A charrette is a collaborative meeting in which stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds gather together to develop a shared vision for the future.  
  • The National Civic League provides technical assistance for Visioning/Strategic Planning 
  • CommunityViz 

Visioning References

 The following links exit the site

  • Building Our Future: A Guide to Community Visioning (PDF)(276 pp, 1 MB) 
  • Town of Bladensburg, Maryland, Green Streets and Green Jobs Charrette and Design Guidebook (PDF)(37 pp, 23.3 MB) 
  • The Community Visioning and Strategic Planning Handbook (PDF) (62 pp, 842 K)

G3 Program

  • The Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Initiative and Approach
  • Learn About Green Streets
  • Green Street Practices
  • Benefits of a Green Street
  • Why You Should Consider Green Stormwater Infrastructure for Your Community
  • Green Jobs in Your Community
  • Green Streets and Community Open Space
  • Getting to Green - Faster and Cheaper
    • Faster, Cheaper, Greener Webcast Series
    • December 2014 Sustainable Financing Forum for Faster, Cheaper, Greener Urban Stormwater Retrofits
      • December 2014 Sustainable Stormwater Financing Forum Summary Notes
    • December 2015 Community-Based Public-Private Partnership (CBP3) Sustainable Stormwater Infrastructure Summit
      • December 2015 CBP3 Sustainable Stormwater Infrastructure Summit Summary Notes
    • Financing Green Infrastructure - Is a Community-Based Public-Private Partnerships (CBP3) Right for You?
      • Prince George's County Maryland Clean Water Partnership
      • Public-Private Partnerships Beneficial for Implementing Green Infrastructure
      • Financing Integrated Green Stormwater Infrastructure
  • Develop Your Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Vision
  • Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Integrated Planning
  • Design and Build Approaches for Green Streets
  • Operation and Maintenance Considerations for Green Infrastructure
  • Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Grant Program
    • Contact Us About the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Program
    • G3 Case Studies
    • G3 Grant Fact Sheets
  • Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Funding Opportunities
  • Green Street, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Webcasts, Podcasts, Blogs, and Listservs
  • Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Guides and Publications
    • Storm Smart Schools
    • Storm Smart Cities
  • Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Webcast Series
  • Modeling Tools that Support the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Approach
  • Greening of Decatur Street
  • CSO130 Green Infrastructure Project
  • Central Louisville Green Infrastructure Partnership
  • Apply to Become a G3 Featured Community
    • G3 Featured Community: The Town of Forest Heights, Maryland
  • Collaborate with Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) Partners
  • Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns (G3) News Articles
Contact Us About the Green Streets, Green Jobs, Green Towns Program
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on April 7, 2025
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