Advocates Dr. Scott M. Crawford and Gladys Bunzy give a ground-level perspective on what it’s like to rely on transit, walk and get around using a motorized wheelchair and other assistive devices in Jackson, MS, the #7 most dangerous large metro area in this year’s Dangerous by Design report.
Latanya Byrd tells a personal story of loss and grief on Roosevelt Boulevard, the most deadly street in Philadelphia, PA. With 12 lanes through most of its length, 700+ crashes per year, and several deaths of people walking each year, it’s a prime example of a street designed for speed over safety, and Latanya tells the personal story of how this dangerous street affected her family.
Our team has spent the last few months speaking to a variety of communities who host nuclear power plants to navigate the process of closing down and chart a sustainable economic future. Here’s a short summary of what we’re learning:
How can communities build an economic recovery in the wake of the departure of a major employer? Our Technical Assistance for Nuclear Communities program heard from a few local leaders who have faced that challenge, and they shared some of the fundamental lessons and best practices that can help communities address many types of economic shock.
As former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening begins his transition away from Smart Growth America after nearly 20 years of service to the organization, we wanted to share a few reflections from our staff about how the Governor has affected us, shaped our work, and influenced our approach to smart growth.
Smart Growth America President & CEO Calvin Gladney and Governor Parris Glendening jointly announced that the former Maryland Governor and current President of the Smart Growth America Leadership Institute will be transitioning out of his current role at SGA, while staying on as a senior advisor for the next year.
Transportation for America (T4A), a program of Smart Growth America, supports the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) to promote passenger rail connecting Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to each other and the broader nation. As part of this work, the SRC was awarded several planning and construction grants from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for both passenger rail stations and capital improvements to support better intercity passenger service along the Gulf Coast. T4A currently manages these grants for SRC and is seeking support for grant reporting.
COVID-19 has forced community leaders, planners, and placemakers to reconsider the value of shared spaces to every aspect of public life. Our new Public Realm Learning Journeys are bringing together leaders from three cities to learn what it takes to create and maintain public spaces that are attractive, safe, accessible to everyone, and meaningfully contributing … Continued
Smart Growth America is pleased to share the exciting but bittersweet news that Christopher Coes, Smart Growth America vice president of land use and development and Director of SGA’s LOCUS coalition of real estate developers and investors, has been selected by the Biden-Harris administration to serve in the U.S. Department of Transportation as Principal Deputy … Continued
Late last night, after months of fruitless negotiations and inaction, Congress finally passed a $900-billion COVID relief package at the same time as a $1.4-trillion omnibus appropriations bill to fund the government through the end of the FY 21 fiscal year. Congress’ actions are a good start, but America needs more in order to survive and bounce back from this health and economic crisis. This bill must simply be a downpayment, with more help on the way.