who we are what we do advocacy center sga blog support sga support sga housing economy children & schools environment preservation social equity transportation open space health

New report: 120 days of stimulus spending

Within the $787 billion stimulus bill that became law in February, Congress provided states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) with $26.6 billion in flexible funds for transportation projects. The first half of the funding was to be committed within 120 days, by Monday, June 29th.

Smart Growth America, in conjunction with state coalition partners, released a report on the 120-day mark detailing how well each state is handling its transportation stimulus money. Are the projects creating jobs while making smart investments in transportation? How transparent and accountable are the funding choices? Are the states making progress on their pressing transportation needs? 

While some states proved excellent at investing wisely and making progress, most states failed to fulfill pressing transportation needs. Nearly one-third of the money, $6.6 billion, went towards building new road capacity. Only 0.9% was spent on public transportation, and 2.8% percent on non-motorized projects.

Want to find out how your state stacks up? Read more about the report on the SGA blog or download the full version.

EPA joins inter-agency effort to support smarter growth and livable communities

In a long overdue move, the US EPA formally pledged to work in tandem with the departments of transportation and housing and urban development to “help American families gain better access to affordable housing, more transportation options, and lower transportation costs,” according to an EPA statement.

EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson testified before a Senate Committee this morning about the new partnership.  “Where you live affects how you get around, and how you get around often affects where you live. Both decisions affect our environment. Working together rather than independently, our three agencies can improve the environment, the transportation system, and homes and communities throughout the United States,” she said.

Read more about the news at the blog, or read the press release here.

Tell your representatives — we want streets that are safe and accessible

One-third of Americans either can't drive or choose not to. Yet, most communities around the country are laced with roads that are inhospitable, at best, to people traveling by foot, bicycle, or public transportation. For older Americans, children, and people with disabilities, these kinds of streets are especially dangerous.

Complete streets dramatically change the fabric of a community, making it possible for children to walk and bike to school safely, giving seniors more security traveling to appointments, and providing everyone with safer, greener and more convenient ways of getting around without their cars — a smart option, considering almost half of all trips are under three miles.

Local governments have been leading the way on this issue, but now we need Congress to take the next step.

Click here to send a message to your representative and senators, asking them to support the Complete Streets Act of 2009 by becoming a co-sponsor today. 

Proven and ready-to-go ways to create more jobs quickly & responsibly with stimulus dollars

Governors and state departments of transportation around the country are burning the midnight oil to prepare lists of transportation projects that could be funded under President Obama's economic stimulus package, The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

While states develop these lists of transportation projects to be funded with stimulus money, Smart Growth America has partnered with state and local groups across the country to release a report showing the many ways the money can be used in each state to address their citizens' transportation priorities and get the biggest bang for the buck.

This report, Spending the Stimulus, lays out 20 ways that state officials can and should spend the federal funding on ready-to-go projects that will address long-neglected transportation priorities while providing speedy and robust job creation and economic recovery.

Our Work

Restoring prosperity to our older industrial cities won't happen by chance. Empowering state and local leaders to embrace growth with a plan. Making roads accessible for everyone and safe for all. Advising governors and state leaders on crucial growth and development issues. Vacant property can comprise 15% of land in large cities. Creating opportunity from abandonment

The National Vacant Properties Campaign: Preventing vacancy is solution #1. But for the thousands of properties already sitting vacant as dead space in cities nationwide, the costs are tremendous in decreased property values, rising crime, environmental dangers, and heavy costs to local governments.

But the payoff for redeveloping these properties is great — not only in relieving these pressures, but also in rebuilding social networks and reawakening neighborhood vitality. The work of the NVPC helps bring these vacant properties back. Learn more about the Campaign.


The Restoring Prosperity Initiative: Institutionalized inequality and policies of urban disinvestment helped speed up the decline of many older industrial American cities. The continued economic success of our country depends on revitalizing these cities and restoring them to the economic, political, and cultural hubs they once were. Change is possible, but it won't happen by chance. Learn more about the Restoring Prosperity Initiative, and read the full report from the Brookings Institution.

Transportation for America: Our national transportation policy has barely changed since the 1950s, when gas was 20 cents a gallon and President Eisenhower launched the interstate highway system. Today, we live in a very different world. Americans need options that are cheaper, faster, and cleaner. And the nation needs a healthy transportation system that is ready for the rapidly changing economy of the 21st Century. That's why Smart Growth America has partnered with more than 80 national, state, and local organizations to press for drastic changes to our country's transportation system. Read more about the Transportation For America campaign.

HOME | WHO WE ARE | WHAT WE DO | WHAT YOU CAN DO | RESOURCES | NEWS & UPDATES | SUPPORT | CONTACT


Smart Growth America

...better choices for our communities