Author: Paige Miller

From Heavy Industry to Great Neighborhood: Lawrence, Massachusetts leverages its community resources

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As one of the last planned mill cities in the Northeast, Lawrence, Mass., was engineered specifically to maximize the water energy potential flowing on the Merrimack River. Between the 1840s and the 1960s, the city’s textile industry generated a constant flow of financial capital, luring other businesses and workers and contributing to a healthy, vibrant community.

But in the aftermath of World War II and a steady decline in domestic manufacturing, the city lost its economic engine and suffered the flight of its middle-class white population to the suburbs. What was a manufacturing powerhouse 40 miles north of Boston is now New England’s most heavily populated Latino City, home to multiple generations of mostly Caribbean immigrants who came as low-wage labor but have stayed to make the city their own.

Since the decline of manufacturing, the city has struggled to stay afloat amid volatile economic and development trends. The recession and resulting public budget crisis have encumbered it even further.

There is hope on the horizon, however: Lawrence possesses a dynamic civil community of nonprofit groups, residents, local property owners and small businesspeople who are charting a new course. Collectively, these groups are spearheading a movement to pump life back into the economy by leveraging Lawrence’s historic resources in a new way.

The textile boom left the city’s rivers and canals lined with 12 million square feet of mill buildings. “Some of these buildings are the same size as skyscrapers lying down,” said Andre Leroux, who has lived and worked in the city and is now the Executive Director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance (MSGA). “At the time that they were in operation, they were the biggest buildings in the world.”

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Spotlight on Sustainability: Pittsburgh's Waterfronts

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After facing a major economic downturn in the 1980s due to a drop in steel business demand and production, Pittsburgh is on the rebound, with city leaders looking to transform former industrial corridors into vibrant riverfront neighborhoods.

Today, the former “Steel City” is known as a growing hub for high-tech innovation, education and health care. Pittsburgh’s art scene, job prospects, safety and affordability recently earned it the title of “Most Livable City in America” by Forbes Magazine, and the city’s economic rebound has proven so successful that its story is serving as a model for other recession-hit cities.

Still, Pittsburgh’s comeback is not without obstacles, as many of the areas best suited for in-demand development were not originally envisioned as such, said Lena Andrews, senior planning specialist at the Urban Redevelopment Authority of Pittsburgh.

“Pittsburgh’s riverfronts were used as transportation corridors for industrial production, and were characterized by factories, barges and pollution,” Andrews said. “While the environment has improved since then, the land surrounding them has remained relatively unchanged. The riverfronts were designed around industry rather than the community, and the land around them does not connect to our neighborhoods.”

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Smart growth equips cities for business growth, job creation

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What makes a city good for business? To get a sense, we looked two prominent business magazines that recently ranked cities all across America for their business climates. Four cities made it to both lists’ top ten: Washington, D.C.; New York City, New York; Austin, Texas; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

What do these “best for business cities have in common? They’re all using smart growth strategies.

“Great neighborhoods and great cities are where employees want to be and where businesses want to move,” said Geoffrey Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, “That’s why smart growth strategies are good for economic development – it helps businesses connect with workers and customers.”

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Zappos, Inc. move to downtown Las Vegas expected to boost economy, revitalize downtown

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Zappos, Inc., ranked one of the Best Companies to Work For by Fortune Magazine, has big plans for downtown Las Vegas.

The online shoe retailer known for its innovative corporate culture plans to relocate its headquarters downtown, a move that is expected to boost the local economy and help to revitalize a struggling part of the city.

Zappos expects to relocate 1,200 employees from its existing headquarters in Henderson, Nevada to downtown Las Vegas in late 2013. The new headquarters will be located in the current City Hall site, which, after renovations, will be able to accommodate up to 2,000 employees. Estimates indicate Zappos’ move will impact the economy to a tune of $336.6 million and will result in the city collecting approximately $395,900 annually in additional property taxes.

According to a report prepared for the city by RCG Economics, some of the top industries to benefit from the Zappos move include food services, real estate establishments, health care providers and retail stores.

Relocating the Zappos headquarters to downtown Las Vegas, however, is only a small part of CEO Tony Hsieh’s plan.

Hsieh and a few partners will invest $350 million over the next 5 years or so to transform downtown Las Vegas into a community where Zappos employees and the city’s creative community will work, live and play. Plans include restaurants, bakeries, bike shops and even a doggie daycare. Hsieh wants to ensure that the move will not only be transformative for Zappos, but also for downtown Las Vegas.

This revitalization effort aligns with Las Vegas’ Downtown Project, which is working to transform downtown Las Vegas into the “most community-focused large city in the world.”

Hsieh’s motivation to revitalize Las Vegas stems from his personal ambition of fostering a thriving company culture based on employee happiness.

“At Zappos, our number one priority is our company culture,” he said in a statement. “Our belief is that if we get the culture right, most of the other stuff – like delivering great customer service and building a long-term enduring brand and business – will be a natural byproduct of our culture. Our future downtown location will be a great urban environment that will help grow the cultures of both Zappos and Las Vegas.”

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Northern Maine counties work toward joint regional plan

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On paper, the northern Maine counties of Aroostook and Washington have everything it takes to set the stage for economic success and long-term growth: abundant resources, marvelous scenery, natural assets, a population with strong work ethics and a series of small towns with quaint downtowns. Even the frigid winter weather with its abundant snowfall is an advantage, an obvious draw for outdoor sportsmen.

What they haven’t had, though, is the chance to outline a more comprehensive and integrated regional plan, and to envision how working together could leverage their assets and provide the basis for a brighter and more sustainable future.

Technical assistance

Deerfield Beach participates in “complete streets” policy workshop with help from Smart Growth America

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On February 15, 2012, 40 community stakeholders from Deerfield Beach, Florida met with representatives from the National Complete Streets Coalition and Smart Growth America as part of a free program helping their city develop “complete streets” policies. In this interactive, day-long workshop, city staff and residents learned how everyday transportation decisions can promote streets that are designed to allow safe access for all users. Complete Streets workshops aim to draw on the experience of community stakeholders and offer new opportunities for them to work together.

The City of Deerfield Beach learned of the economic and fiscal benefits of smart growth in June of 2011 through a workshop with the Environmental Protection Agency. A product of that workshop was a commitment to support a thriving local economy by creating a more walkable community following the guidelines of Complete Streets. The City was able to pursue this goal after being granted a free technical assistance workshop from Smart Growth America. Having established a foundation of smart growth basics, the city was equipped for a policy development workshop, where attendees learned the Complete Streets concept and began developing a customized draft policy.

Complete Streets Technical assistance

Fighting blight in Pennsylvania: State House of Representatives passes land bank bill

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In Pennsylvania today, more than 300,000 properties stand vacant. These properties cost municipalities millions of dollars each year in maintenance costs and even more in lost revenue. In Philadelphia alone – which has some 40,000 vacant properties – the City pays $20 million each year just to maintain those properties.

Last week, the Pennsylvania House of Representatives took a major step toward turning the state’s vacant properties back into homes and businesses. On Wednesday the House passed HB 1682, a bill that would allow counties and municipalities in Pennsylvania to create land banks. Land banks are entities that can hold and manage vacant, abandoned and foreclosed properties, making it faster, easier and cheaper for prospective new owners to purchase these properties and get them back into productive re-use.

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