Author: Smart Growth America

California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to be honored with the 2012 Smart Growth America Leadership Award

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California Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, a long-time smart growth and community development advocate, will accept Smart Growth America’s 2012 Smart Growth Leadership award during a Friday ceremony at the Joe & Vi Jacobs Center in San Diego.

The honor coincides with the 11th annual New Partners for Smart Growth conference, a national event hosted by the Local Government Commission. It is expected to draw more than 1,500 attendees, including policy experts, business leaders, representatives from state and federal agencies and high-ranking elected officials.

“Perhaps no lawmaker has done more for smart growth in California in recent years than Sen. Steinberg,” says Smart Growth America President and CEO Geoffrey Anderson. “SB375 was groundbreaking in that it provided a model for how regions can save on municipal service and infrastructure costs, increase development certainty, and become more resilient to changes in energy prices.”

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With rapid growth, there's no better time for tomorrow than today in Iowa

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The population of Central Iowa is growing fast, and it needs new strategies for development if it wants to turn that growth into prosperity.

That was the theme of a presentation earlier this month by Bill Fulton, Smart Growth America’s Vice President of Policies and Programs. Fulton spoke to a group of elected officials, members of the board of Des Moines’ Metropolitan Planning Organization and other interested residents about how the region can use smart growth strategies to provide better housing and transportation options for its residents in years to come – and protect public budgets in the process.

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Montana Rail Link cuts costs and emissions with help from the EPA

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The following is a guest post from Ann W. Cundy, Senior Transportation Planner, Missoula Office of Planning and Grants

Transportation planners, public health professionals and a private railroad in Missoula, Montana are working together to reduce diesel emissions and improve air quality.

The project is possible thanks to a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Clean Diesel Campaign, which works with public agencies, private companies and community groups to reduce diesel emissions and promotes clean air strategies. The City of Missoula recognized the Clean Diesel Campaign as an opportunity to improve its air quality, protect public health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save money for Montana Rail Link – truly meeting a triple bottom line.

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Smart growth presents opportunities for homebuilders in a struggling housing market

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North 14th St. at Crown Square in Old North St. Louis, part of the Old North St. Louis Restoration Group‘s revitalization work in the city. Photo by Old North St. Louis via Flickr.

Rising demand for smart growth development might be a key strategy for turning around the housing industry.

Speaking to Builder magazine earlier this month, Smart Growth America Vice President Ilana Preuss explained that strong demand for walkable neighborhoods is an opportunity home builders can take advantage of.

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Omnibus package includes full funding for EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities

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A contaminated empty lot is more than just an unsightly nuisance for its neighbors. It’s a financial burden on taxpayers, local businesses and nearby homeowners, not to mention a serious threat to land and water quality.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities helps towns and cities address these kinds of problems and turn them into economic assets. Today Congress is scheduled to vote on the final FY 2012 Omnibus Spending package which includes full funding for the EPA’s Smart Growth Program in fiscal year 2012.

“Today’s vote will be a victory for towns across the country working toward economic prosperity,” said Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America. “The EPA’s Office provides towns with the tools they need to overcome some of the largest, most persistent challenges to creating a stronger local economy. We are thrilled that Congress decided to support this program.”

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Making the most of limited transportation dollars: WYDOT does it right

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State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) across the country face tightening budgets, and one DOT recently stepped up to make the most of the funds it has.

The Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) has positioned itself responsibly for the future. On November 16, the agency announced it will stop approving highway expansion projects and will focus resources toward repair of the state’s existing road system. This announcement comes just months after the publication of Repair Priorities, a report by Smart Growth America and Taxpayers for Common Sense, which made recommendations along these lines.

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The perfect gift for smart growth supporters

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Looking for the perfect gift for the smart growth advocate in your life? Or want to express your pride of place with what you wear? Look no further!

Make a donation to Smart Growth America and receive a custom t-shirt from CityFabric.

Smart Growth America is working harder than ever to advocate for state, regional and national smart growth initiatives. From our Transit Campaign Planner for local advocates, to our work helping Ohio identify policy changes to better support brownfields redevelopment, to bringing economic development tools to towns like Muskegon, Michigan, Smart Growth America is fighting for all our rural, suburban and urban communities.

With a donation of $50 or more, Smart Growth America will thank you with a custom designed t-shirt from CityFabric. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, CityFabric aspires to build community and civic-pride by creating conversations about place through simple design and apparel.

Your donation will help support our work in the coming year so we can keep making great neighborhoods together.

Support Smart Growth America this holiday season and receive a custom designed thank you gift.

More and more Americans want to live in places where housing and transportation choices are near jobs, shops and schools – and Smart Growth America is helping make those places possible. Support Smart Growth America today: click here to make a donation.

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Speak out for EPA's Office of Sustainable Communities

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If new development threatened to pollute your drinking water, who would you look to for help? If your children had to walk past a contaminated empty lot on their way to school, how would you go about fixing it?

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities helps towns and cities address these kinds of problems. These issues pose a threat not only to our health but to our economy, and the Office of Sustainable Communities helps local leaders protect both.

But now the Office itself is in danger. Congress is debating funding for fiscal year 2012, and now is a crucial time to tell your Members of Congress that you support these important programs.

Please take a moment to voice your support: email your Members of Congress today.

The EPA’s Office of Sustainable Communities does more than just protect air and water quality. The Office helps communities develop in ways that are fiscally sound and support their economy for decades to come. And as part of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the Office also helps make the most of taxpayer investments.

Tell Congress that you support the work of the EPA: send an email today.

Emailing your Members of Congress is easy and only takes a few minutes, but your letter could make all the difference. Please take a moment to email Congress today.

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Smart Growth America Visits Middle Tennessee to Learn about Quality Growth Best Practices

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Smart Growth America Visits Middle Tennessee from CRT on Vimeo.

Crossposted from Cumberland Region Tomorrow.

Cumberland Region Tomorrow (CRT) recently hosted a network of quality growth experts from across the country to learn about successful quality growth models and best practices in Middle Tennessee. Participants from San Francisco to Boston learned about CRT’s successful model of collaborative leadership that is creating positive quality growth outcomes in the region. On the ground tours in Nashville, Franklin, and Leiper’s Fork, combined with presentations by local and state leaders, demonstrated how successful community revitalization and conservation efforts are supporting Middle Tennessee’s place-based economies through tourism and agriculture, and music.

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Smart Growth America welcomes Bill Fulton, Mayor of Ventura, CA and urban planning expert, to staff

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Smart Growth America is proud to welcome Bill Fulton, Mayor of Ventura, CA and an expert in the field of urban planning, to its staff.

A longtime writer, researcher, and urban planning consultant, Mr. Fulton is one of the country’s leading experts on the smart growth policies and the relationship between smart growth and economic development. At Smart Growth America, Fulton will focus on Smart Growth America’s programs to assist state, regional, and local government agencies around the nation with smart growth policies and tools.

Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America said:

Bill’s practical experience implementing smart growth strategies will be a tremendous asset to Smart Growth America. Our organization is committed to helping local elected officials use smart growth strategies to create stable, sustainable economies and communities and Bill’s expertise will help us do just that. We are proud to welcome him to our team.

Fulton currently serves as a Principal and Shareholder of The Planning Center | DC&E, a California-based planning consulting firm. He will continue these roles in a limited capacity, focusing on Transfer of Development Rights programs nationwide and high-profile smart growth projects in California. In Ventura, he will step down as Mayor and member of the City Council in December. He also serves as a Senior Fellow at the School of Planning, Policy, & Development at the University of Southern California, where he teaches land use policy and smart growth.

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