My aim is that my work will be 'state of the art'. This requires use of a wide range of sources of information as well as experience and analytical tools. Here are some links to sites that I have found useful and which you might not be familiar with. There aare also links to series of guides hat I have written and which cover verious aspects of physical regeneration. :

This is my very basic guide to the economics of development. 

It focuses on what drives development and developers rather than how  to do appraisals.

Delivery Strategies for Masterplans and Planning Frameworks

I was commissioned to write this by the RICS and trust that it does what is says on the tin.

This is my guide to the economics of providing space for small businesses

The Next American City

The transatlantic home of visionary urbanism.
http://www.americancity.org/

GURU

The 'Global Urban Research Unit' sounds grand.  It is part of Newcastle University. There are a number of downloadable research papers on the site, covering a wide range of topics, although some are now quite old.
http://www.ncl.ac.uk/guru/research

Intute 

Inture aims to offer "free access to high quality resources on the Internet",  primarily aimed at academics in the social sciences. It claims that "each resource has been evaluated and categorised by subject specialists based at UK universities. It is certainly a good way of getting background information on a wide variety of topics.
Intute

ESPRID

This is the European Spatial Planning Research and Information Database.  And that is just what is inside the packet.  The site is organised around a search facility, which sometimes leads you nowhere but often turns up something useful.
http://www.esprid.org/

EGi

The best source of data on what type of property is on the market is the Esates Gazette 'PropertyLink' service. EG PropertyLink

Sapling

Sapling styles itself as an ‘Architecture, Planning & Landscape Information Gateway'. It includes over 700 cross-disciplinary links organised into eleven key themes. They claim to complement Cyburbia (www.cyburbia.org) which is based in the USA and which is also worth checking, with some interesting pictures in the 'gallery'.  Sapling

Resources for Urban Design Information (RUDI)

Covers some of the same ground as Sapling, and hasn't been as good since they extended the amount of material you had to pay to access. I rate their news coverage as better but prefer Sapling's bookshop facility. 
www.rudi.net  

Smart City

This is another U.S site covering local regeneration experience. It includes a wide selection of podcasts and downloadable  mp3 interviews  some of which are rather general but provide and interesting insight into activity across the water. Smart City

US Economic Development Agency

This site is a really useful guide to best practice on the other side of the pond. It includes details of programmes and ‘tools of the trade' section.
http://www.doc.gov/eda/

BRE

The BRE site is not as helpful as it once was but some of their downloadbale research provides useful technical background on sustainability issues.  [http://www.bre.co.uk/]

Sustainable Development Portal

The name is self explanatory. I found this site difficult to navigate but there is comprehensive stuff on Rio, an interesting best practices database and a first rate links list.
http://www.sustainabledevelopment.org/

J4B

This oddly named service aims to assist those searching for grants. You have to register (free). Its database is fairly comprehensive but is a blunt instrument – the response majors on quantity rather than quality.  But the news item scan be useful.
http://www.j4b.co.uk/.

ProFunding

This site offers funding advice to voluntary organisations. The content is subscription only, but you can get a free trial if your need for information is only short term!
http://www.fundinginformation.org/

Community Planning

This site offers information and advice on community planning including examples, methods and techniques. It covers a wide range of information and includes some approaches that I had not heard of previously. But the depth of coverage of each topic is somewhat limited.
http://www.communityplanning.net/

New Economics Foundation

New Economics Foundation have an offbeat view on issues of economic relations, trade, sustainability and community action in both a local and global context. They are particularly strong on community finance issues. Publications are summarised, most can be downloaded and the rest can be ordered. You can opt to receive news briefings by e-mail.
http://www.neweconomics.org

Joseph Rowntree Foundation

I reckon that the JRF website is the best source of information on social regeneration issues. The site includes substantial cross referenced summaries of their research and full publications can be ordered on line. There are excellent search facilities.
http://www.jrf.org.uk

One London/Grapevine

Grapevine is a free electronic newsletter providing news on regeneration and economic development issues.  It covers national topics as well as those that are specific to London and is a useful supplement to the trade press.
GLE / Grapevive

Spacesyntax

You might struggle to find a use for the insights of the Space Syntax research, which involves the relationship between space and society. But it makes you think! And if you are a true Urban Renaissance geek, then you might find some of the downloadable papers interesting.
http://www.spacesyntax.org/

Universtity of Strathclyde

The University of Strathclyde website covers their research activity. I have found some of their papers useful but they have to be ordered. More usefully the site provides a link through to IQ-Net, a network of regions whose aim is to improve the quality of EC Structural Fund programming through exchange of experience.
http://www.eprc.strath.ac.uk/eprc/

Taylor and Francis Journals

Taylor and Francis publish many of the heavyweight academic journals in fields related to regeneration such as Urban Policy and Research, Environmental Studies, City , Local Economy etc. Their site is equally heavyweight and difficult to navigate. But they free sample copies and e mail alerts of the contents of newly issued journals. You can buy copies of individual articles on line for downloading.
http://www.tandf.co.uk

Dept of Land Economy : University of Reading

The DLE is at the forefront of research into the workings of the property market. This is evident from the many downloadable research working papers on the site. Most are dry. Some have hidden charms.
http://www.reading.ac.uk/crer/publications.html

Scottish Executive Central Research Unit

A cornucopia of downloadable research papers on a wide variety of topics. Use the search tool.  The Scottish Executive are in a position to put more online than the DTLR and make the most of it!
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/cru/res-find.asp

Planning Magazine & Regeneration and Renewal

If you are visiting this site you probably read the trade press sometimes. One advantage of the online versions is a list of links to all of the reports and materials that they refer to in the magazines.
http://www.planning.haynet.com/pp/home/index.cfm
http://www.regenerationmagazine.com/references.cfm

New Media Knowledge

This is the site for all of those people in the regeneration business who keep talking about media and creative businesses, and who really do need to back up heir enthusiasm with a little knowledge on the subject.....!
http://www.nmk.co.uk/

Info4Gov 

This site provides information on Central Government programmes and policvies for Local Government. Local Government officers will be familiar with it. For the rest of us the customisable e mail newsletters provide a useful way of keeping up to date on the relevant but often boring stuff that falls into the 'need to know' category. .
Info4Gov

RICS

 As a Chartered Surveyor, I suppose that I have to promote the website of the Institution, and in truth there is some useful if rather dry materiel buried away deep within it. But navigation is generally painful especially if you are not an Internet Explorer user.
 RICS

The Free Software Links

Why are so many regeneration organisations who say that they buy local and support social enterprise, in thrall to Microsoft ?  Strike a blow for community endeavour and save yourself a few bob. Some of the best business software out there is created by volunteers, albeit mostly American ones,  and available free. Try the OpenOffice suite (www.openoffice.org) as an alternative to MS Office,  programmes from Mozilla (www.mozilla.org) as replacements for Internet Explorer and Outlook Express that are not virus magnets, the Gimp (www.gimp.org) for graphics and nvu (www.nvu.com) for website work.  All were created for Linux but there are equally capable Windows versions.