Book excerpt: Cultural planning is as important to communities as roads, rates and rubbish. Local councils and urban planners are increasingly recognising the value of community cultural resources as a means of improving the quality of life and economic vitality of a region, city or town, as well as consolidating identity and sense of place. Until now, however, there has been little Australian-based information to assist cultural planners in their task. The Cultural Planning Handbook fills the information gap with practical guidelines for mapping the cultural resources of communities and devising and implementing appropriate cultural development strategies. It is an essential guide for community development workers, planning professionals, tourism operators, artists and cultural workers as well as all community members involved in cultural development.