As director of ICMA’s Center for Sustainable Communities, I’ve been pleased time and again to find that ICMA’s 2010 sustainability survey continues to be a resource for researchers, authors, and other professionals. Most recently, F. Kaid Benfield drew on the survey data for a blog in the Huffington Post, “Bringing Sustainability to Small-Town America.” The piece draws not only on the survey but also on the ICMA Briefing Paper Defying the Odds: Sustainability in Small and Rural Places, in which George Homsy and Mildred Warner explored many thought-provoking findings from the survey about sustainability in small and rural places.

Benfield’s post also highlights the sustainability successes of small towns. While many of us are familiar with the shiny, high-profile sustainability initiatives of larger cities, the same awareness does not always apply to smaller communities. Benfield’s blog explores how smaller communities are quietly making their own impact—including who’s using a form-based “SmartCode” zoning system, who has successfully revived their main street, and many other examples.

Check out the HuffPo blog, and keep an eye open for the release of ICMA’s 2015 sustainability survey; local governments should receive the first mailing of the survey this spring. Thank you in advance for your support. Below is a sampling of publications that were born out of the 2010 survey data. We most sincerely could not do this without you.

Advancing Social Equity Goals to Achieve Sustainability

Breaking New Ground

Defying the Odds: Sustainability in Small and Rural Places

Local Food Systems