Earlier this spring, our 2025 Equity Summit brought smart growth leaders, advocates, and practitioners together to explore how communities can work together to address their most pressing priorities for the built environment. From moving beyond housing scarcity to focusing on outcomes over process, the conversations we had over our two days together helped us gain … Continued
Congress invited testimony from former National Brownfields Coalition Steering Committee member Michael Goldstein, giving the Coalition another opportunity to champion the federal brownfields program and highlight potential improvements. On Wednesday, May 7th, the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Subcommittee on Water Resources and the Environment Subcommittee held a hearing focused on brownfields. Michael Goldstein, Managing … Continued
On Thursday, May 8th, Smart Growth America, LOCUS, and a coalition of 12 other impact-focused stakeholders in the federal housing and community development policy space sent a letter to Congress detailing suggestions on how the Opportunity Zone (OZ) incentive could be sharpened for impact if extended in upcoming tax legislation. The letter emphasized that the … Continued
Through a partnership with AARP Vermont and as part of AARP’s Livable Communities Technical Assistance Program, SGA evaluated the proposed Community Housing Infrastructure (CHIP) program for its potential impact on housing development. The CHIP program offers a new approach to fund infrastructure for housing at the project scale —a common and challenging funding gap to … Continued
Last Friday, May 2nd, President Trump released his “skinny budget,” a document that sets out his vision for the federal government by providing a rough outline of the more detailed budget request he will release later this year. While the president has attacked core federal programs before, this limited budget request proposed a deep and … Continued
Washington, DC (May 2)—Today, Smart Growth America responded to President Donald Trump’s discretionary budget request for FY 2026, which proposes deep cuts to programs including Community Development Block Grants (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnerships Programs, and housing assistance programs—slashing vital housing and community development programs that serve millions of Americans. “President Trump’s budget proposal is … Continued
Join Smart Growth America, the National Brownfields Coalition, and the Center for Creative Land Recycling for a webinar on Tuesday, May 20th at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the current political environment for brownfields and how you can take action. It’s a time of change and disruption in Washington and in the midst of it … Continued
Brownfield remediation addresses environmental hazards, unlocks new land for housing, and paves the way for economic growth in many communities that have borne the burden of environmental contamination for decades. As Congress considers reforms to the federal brownfields program, the National Brownfield Coalition (NBC)—a non-partisan, smart-growth aligned alliance that advocates for policy change and funding … Continued
Smart Growth America’s Calvin Gladney Stepping Down After Seven Years as President & CEO Beth Osborne to step in as Interim CEO Washington, D.C. (April 24) — Smart Growth America today announced that Calvin Gladney has notified the Board of Directors that he has decided to step down as President and CEO. Beth Osborne, Vice … Continued
In 2024, Smart Growth America brought the Complete Streets Leadership Academy to Maryland. This program uses quick-build demonstration projects to bring state transportation departments and local jurisdictions together to improve mobility on state-owned roads and build partnerships for future work. The Town of Bel Air, the City of Hagerstown, and Howard County worked with Maryland … Continued