Blog - Page 121 of 297 - Smart Growth America

First regional LOCUS Leadership Summit brings deals and groundbreaking research to New England

By Justin Bensan · March 25, 2015

On March 11, more than 175 real estate professionals from the greater Boston area came together for the 2015 LOCUS New England Leadership Summit: Closing the Next [Smart Growth] Deal.

Massachusetts Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash kicked off the day’s events with an opening plenary on the future of housing in Massachusetts. Secretary Ash discussed the state’s successes and challenges when it comes to creating walkable communities. “We ought to make sure to prepare communities for success,” Ash said. “There are opportunities across the Commonwealth, and my challenge to developers is to think big.”

Neighborhood revitalization workshop teaches Maryland leaders new strategies and ways to overcome challenges

By Smart Growth America · March 25, 2015

Maryland revitalization workshop Local leaders from Western Maryland and Maryland’s Eastern Shore discuss revitalization challenges and successes.

Nearly twenty members of the Maryland Chapter of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council gathered in Silver Spring, MD on Friday, March 13 for a Revitalizing Downtowns and Regional Centers for the Triple Bottom Line workshop sponsored by Smart Growth America and 1000 Friends of Maryland. Montgomery County Councilmember Hans Riemer, an Advisory Board member of the Maryland Chapter, sponsored the event at the Silver Spring Civic Building in the heart of Downtown Silver Spring.

Local Leaders Council east Economic Development Events LLC Local Success Maryland

New research outlines five reasons to build Complete Streets

By Stefanie Seskin · March 24, 2015

What have communities gotten for their investments in Complete Streets?

Fewer automobile collisions and injuries, and more people biking, walking, and taking transit. These projects were inexpensive yet can be effective, and were related to broader economic gains.

These are the findings of Safer Streets, Stronger Economies, released today by Smart Growth America’s National Complete Streets Coalition. The new report analyzes data from 37 Complete Streets projects across the country, and explores the outcomes communities got for their investment. Our new research finds:

	Streets were usually safer: Automobile collisions declined in 70 percent of projects, and injuries declined in 56 percent of projects.
	This safety has financial value: Within our sample, Complete Streets improvements collectively averted $18.1 million in total collision costs in just one year.
	The projects encouraged multimodal travel: Complete Streets projects nearly always resulted in more biking, walking, and transit trips.
	Complete Streets projects are cheap: The average cost of a Complete Streets project was just $2.1 million—far less than the $9 million average cost of projects in state transportation improvement plans.
	They can be an important part of economic development: Our findings suggest that Complete Streets projects were supportive of increased employment, net new businesses, higher property values, and new private investment.

Complete Streets Reports

A new bill in Congress would create new financing option for transit-oriented development

By Alex Dodds · March 23, 2015

Transit-oriented development (TOD) can make it easier for people to live and work near public transportation. These places are in high demand and real estate developers are eager to build them, but because they’re often complicated TOD projects can be difficult to secure financing for.

LOCUS congress Federal LOCUS Rail RIFIA TOD Transit-oriented development Transportation for America

Department of Planning Executive Director Rick Bernhardt on community engagement for a better Nashville, TN

By Claire Jaffe · March 23, 2015

rbernhardt Rick Bernhardt, right, discusses different development strategies with Nashville residents. Photo by NashvilleNext via Twitter.

Nashville, TN, is a creative city with a rich history in the arts that has recently seen new growth in both its population and economy. Rick Bernhardt, the Executive Director of the Metropolitan Nashville-Davidson County Planning Department and member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, is working to make sure the city’s development supports that growth.

Local Leaders Council Nashville NashvilleNext Tennessee

Complete Streets News – March 2015

By Stefanie Seskin · March 20, 2015

Photo by San Francisco Bicycling Coalition

Read

Safer streets, stronger economies — How well do Complete Streets projects achieve transportation goals like safety and throughput? How do they support broader economic efforts? Our new report, out on March 24, looks at data from dozens of Complete Streets projects from across the country to compare the outcomes communities get from their investments. On Tuesday, join our online discussion to hear from Seattle, North Carolina’s Department of Transportation, the Central Florida Partnership, and the Mayor of Normal, Illinois. Register today >>

Evaluating Complete Streets projects — In tandem with our Safer Streets, Stronger Economies report, we’ve developed an introductory guide on how agencies can measure the impact of Complete Streets projects. The guide includes a comprehensive list of relevant measures and metrics related to access, safety, economic impact, the environment, and quality of place. It’s out on March 31, with a webinar featuring an expert panel. Register today >>

USDOT Mayors’ Challenge update — On March 12, the U.S. Department of Transportation kicked-off a year of action on improving safety for people walking and bicycling in cities nationwide by hosting an all-day summit at DOT headquarters in Washington, DC. As of last week, nearly 190 communities have signed on. Nearly 70 have already committed to Complete Streets by adopting a policy and several more have already stated their intentions to adopt a policy as part of the Challenge. Read more about the summit >>

Complete Streets Local Leaders Council Complete Streets News

Registration now open for 2015 LOCUS Michigan Leadership Summit

By Megan Pierce · March 16, 2015

locus-michigan

Real estate developers and investors in Michigan are invited to join LOCUS and the Michigan Municipal League for the inaugural Michigan Leadership Summit on June 23, 2015 in Detroit, MI. This day-long event will bring together local elected officials and real estate developers to network, make deals, and discuss policy strategies to build great, walkable places across Michigan.

Local Leaders Council LOCUS LOCUS LOCUS events LOCUS Leadership Award LOCUS Leadership Summit Michigan Michigan Leadership Summit Michigan Municipal League

Inside "The WalkUP Wake-Up Call: Boston"

By Smart Growth America · March 11, 2015

Metropolitan Boston is poised to be one of the most walkable metro areas in the country. This is one of the exciting findings of The WalkUP Wake-Up Call: Boston, a new report unveiled in Boston today at LOCUS’s first-ever New England Leadership Summit.

The new research defines—for the first time—the form and function of all land use in metropolitan Boston’s 3,100 square miles, identifying 57 regionally significant walkable urban places (or “WalkUPs”) in metro Boston and ranking them based on economic performance, measured by the real estate valuations for each product type and the fiscal revenues generated for local governments, and by social equity performance, measured by accessibility, opportunity, and affordability for residents. Looking ahead to future opportunities, the report also identifies emerging and potential WalkUPs where new development could go.

As shown by substantial and increasing real estate valuation premiums in all real estate product types (office, hotel, rental apartment, retail, and for-sale residential), the report found strong and growing signs of pent-up demand for walkable urban neighborhoods in the Boston area—marking a reversal in real estate development that has long followed the drivable suburban model. Even more remarkable is the fact that these WalkUPs, account for just 6% of the total land area in the Boston metro region.

LOCUS Boston LOCUS LOCUS events LOCUS Leadership Summit New England WalkUP Wake-Up Call WalkUps

Franklin, TN hosts workshop to consider development strategies for economic growth

By Kevin Wender · March 10, 2015

Downtown Franklin, TN. Photo by Wayne Hsieh via Flickr.

Smart Growth America staff met with officials from the City of Franklin, TN, on March 3 and 4, 2015, to discuss a range of strategies to position Franklin for long-term economic growth in the context of new development pressures and rapid population growth. Franklin was awarded the two-day workshop as part of Smart Growth America’s annual free technical assistance competition.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Implementing Smart Growth 101 EPA TA Smart Growth 101 Tennessee

The benefits of Complete Streets — and how to measure them

By Stefanie Seskin · March 10, 2015

The National Complete Streets Coalition is coming out with two new resources detailing the benefits of Complete Streets projects, and how to measure them.

Safer Streets,
Stronger Economies

Coming out March 24, 2015
1 PM EDT

How well do Complete Streets projects achieve transportation goals like safety and throughput? How do they support broader economic efforts? This new research looks at data from dozens of Complete Streets projects from across the country to compare the outcomes communities get from their investments. Join the online kickoff discussion to hear about the success some cities have had with Complete Streets.

Evaluating Complete Streets Projects

Coming out March 31, 2015
1 PM EDT

A Complete Streets approach connects community goals to transportation investments, and measuring the performance of these projects can help communicate that connection. This introductory guide will provide an overview of how to evaluate Complete Streets projects, including the measures and metrics most useful to common goals, and a handy list of resources for more in-depth application.

Complete Streets Complete Streets Implementation Economic Development Performance measures Reports Safer Streets Stronger Economies