The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and its land grant system, responding to the mandate of the PCSD and as a part of the Sustainable Development Extension Network, should create a learning infrastructure for sustainable communities. The infrastructure will provide information on how to accomplish specific community development tasks, connect with potential regional partners, and access potential funding sources. It will do this through a "high-tech/high-touch" approach compromised of electronic, paper, and direct contact components. As part of this effort, the Council for Excellence in Government should convene a group of partners within USDA to work with the Joint Center for Sustainable Communities in order to bring together the various technical assistance services now available within the land grant system. This group would work with the Council on Environmental Quality, leaders from all sectors, as well as USDA's four regional Rural Development Centers, its Resource, Conservation and Development Councils, and its Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural Areas program. It would also link to HUD's Office of Rural Housing and Economic Development, which is creating an information clearinghouse on innovative housing and economic development strategies, as well as funding for direct grants for development projects.

As part of a larger community-based conservation education strategy, organizations serving local government should partner with natural resource agencies to help local government mangers include and value green infrastructure in community plans. Local government managers are in a key position to facilitate community involvement and spur activities that protect and sustain natural resources.The objectives here should be to increase awareness of the economic and social values associated with green infrastructure and natural resource stewardship, provide inclusive community-driven strategic planning on future growth and development, and demonstrate improved decision-making through the use of environmental data and geographic information system (GIS) planning tools.

Federal, state, and local agencies should coordinate their technical assistance programs to overcome program fragmentation and duplication. For example, the state of Maryland has created the Revitalization Center in Baltimore, which co-locates representatives from all agencies involved in revitalization and smart growth activities to facilitate greater interaction and ease of access by the communities they serve. The Multi-Agency Service Team, jointly sponsored by the Maine State Planning Office and the Maine Rural Development Council, brings together public and quasi-public sector service providers to resolve problems facing small and medium-sized secondary wood products manufacturers in the state.29 Such coordinated technical assistance efforts should target underserved groups.