Blog - Page 130 of 308 - Smart Growth America

Secretary Anthony Foxx to deliver keynote address at 2015 LOCUS Leadership Summit

By Smart Growth America · May 6, 2015

Great, walkable neighborhoods are stronger when people of all income levels can afford to live there. Next month, real estate developers from across the country will gather to talk about how they can help make that happen as part of the 2015 LOCUS Leadership Summit.

Transportation is a crucial part of this discussion and no one is more important in this arena than the U.S. Department of Transportation. The good news is that USDOT will join the Summit to speak frankly about how developers and transportation advocates can work together to build walkable, equitable communities.

We are excited to announce that U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx will deliver the keynote address at the 2015 LOCUS Leadership Summit. Under Secretary Foxx’s leadership, USDOT is working to make sure transportation investments support working families and America’s broader economy. Foxx’s keynote will provide insights into USDOT’s current programs, its plans for the future, and how real estate developers can be part of the national effort for more equitable, walkable communities. Register today to join the event:

Bipartisan coalition introduces the Safe Streets Act of 2015

By Administrator · April 29, 2015

safe-streets-act-2015

A new bill in the House of Representatives would help communities across the country make streets safer and more convenient for everyone who uses them.

Late yesterday, Representatives Doris Matsui (D-CA) and David Joyce (R-OH) introduced the Safe Streets Act of 2015 (HR 2071), a bill which would require all new federally-funded transportation projects to use a Complete Streets approach to planning, designing, and building roads.

Complete Streets Action congress Federal Rep. David Joyce Rep. Doris Matsui Safe streets Safe Streets Act

Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization focuses on long-term development goals during Smart Growth America workshop

By Kevin Wender · April 29, 2015

Downtown Cheyenne, WY. Photo via Flickr.

Cheyenne, WY is working to grow in ways that support the community’s economy as well as the quality of life for residents, and as part of that work the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization welcomed experts from Smart Growth America on April 21 and 22, 2015 for a “Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health” technical assistance workshop.

Cheyenne-area residents joined the workshop’s first day for an introductory presentation that featured an overview of the relationship between how a community grows and the health of its economy and local finances.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health Cheyenne EPA TA Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health SGA technical assistance Wyoming

Are you looking for your next smart growth deal?

By Megan Pierce · April 28, 2015

The fourth annual LOCUS National Leadership Summit is your opportunity to shake hands and rub elbows with the best, most influential smart growth real estate developers and investors who are creating great, walkable urban places.

LOCUS 2015 LOCUS Leadership Summit Blog Deal-Making LOCUS LOCUS events LOCUS LinkUp Responsible real estate

Councilmember Mike Kasperzak brings a smart growth approach to Mountain View, CA's boomtown

By Claire Jaffe · April 27, 2015

Google_Campus,_Mountain_View,_CA Googleplex in the North Bayshore of Mountain View, CA. Photo by Austin McKinley via Wikipedia.

Mountain View, CA, is booming. New companies are brining new residents—and with them worsening traffic congestion and rising home rental prices. Mike Kasperzak, a Councilmember in Mountain View and member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, is using a smart growth approach to help Mountain View solve these problems now and stay vibrant for the long term.

Local Leaders Council California Companies Corporate headquarters Google Intuit LLC Local Success west

Macon-Bibb County, GA is making its revitalization vision a reality with help from Smart Growth America

By Kevin Wender · April 22, 2015

Downtown Macon, GA. Photo via NewTown Macon.

Macon-Bibb County, GA has big plans and a grand vision for how they want to revitalize their downtown. A workshop with Smart Growth America will help turn those plans into reality.

Smart Growth America traveled to Macon-Bibb on April 15 and 16, 2015 to conduct a workshop on Implementing Smart Growth 101. The workshop will help local leaders translate the plans for downtown revitalization into actionable next steps.

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

Green Carts are tackling New York City’s food deserts

By Claire Jaffe · April 21, 2015

Green Carts in New York City, NY. Photo via the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. How difficult is it for you to pick up a tomato for tonight’s dinner or some apples for the week? Unfortunately, for over 23 million people in the United States it is extremely tough. They live in food deserts—urban and rural neighborhoods … Continued

Local Leaders Council Economic Development New York sustainability

Since the workshop: Region-wide prosperity is collaborative effort in Graham County, NC

By Kevin Wender · April 16, 2015

graham-county-nc A new regional vision will help Graham County, NC and its neighbors work together to achieve shared goals.

In April 2013, Smart Growth America traveled to Graham County, NC to hold a “Smart Growth 101” workshop for county staff. The workshop was designed to provide an introduction to smart growth development strategies, including ideas about how the county could work with other jurisdictions in the region to achieve its long-term goals.

This past January that work took a big step forward with the release of Opt-In SWNC: The Regional Vision. The report was authored by the Southwestern North Carolina Planning and Economic Development Commission, which represents a seven-county region in southwest North Carolina that includes Graham County.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Implementing Smart Growth 101 EPA TA Graham County North Carolina SGA technical assistance Smart Growth 101

Bentonville, AR workshop will inform the city’s comprehensive plan update

By Kevin Wender · April 16, 2015

Smart Growth America staff lead a technical assistance workshop in Bentonville, AR. Photo courtesy of the City of Bentonville.

Smart Growth America traveled to Bentonville, AR on April 1 and 2, 2015, to hold a workshop for city staff on “Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health.” The workshop, which was part of our 2015 free technical assistance program, was designed to help Bentonville plan for development in ways that support long term prosperity.

Bentonville is just beginning the process of updating the city’s comprehensive plan, which will guide development in the city for years to come. City officials will use what they learned in this month’s workshop to inform their work on the comprehensive plan moving forward. Bentonville was one of just 14 communities nationwide awarded a free workshop as part of this competitive program.

Technical assistance Arkansas Bentonville Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health EPA TA Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health Planning for fiscal and economic health SGA technical assistance