Get our monthly Complete Streets News delivered straight to your inbox: Join our mailing list today! Policy Adoption The Peru, IN City Council unanimously approved a Complete Streets ordinance on November 4, and the community is already discussing its first project under the new paradigm. The Miami County YMCA led the policy efforts, working with … Continued
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the nonpartisan federal agency that provides economic data to Congress, recently released a new report, “Options for Reducing the Deficit: 2014 to 2023”. The report presents over 100 options for reducing the federal deficit through spending changes and increasing revenue, some of which impact smart growth programs.
A few recommendations made by the CBO are relevant to recommendations that Smart Growth America made in its report, Federal Involvement Real Estate: A Call for Action, which evaluates options for saving the federal government billions of dollars per year by updating certain federal real estate programs to achieve better outcomes for households, communities and taxpayers.
Today is the start of a brand new focus for Transportation for America.
Since 2008, T4America has been a leading advocate in Washington for a national investment plan for transportation that matches today’s challenges and opportunities. Smart Growth America is proud to call T4America one of our programs.
Today, T4America is launching the next phase: A new alliance of business, elected, and civic leaders from cities, towns and suburbs across the nation. They know how valuable a robust transportation network is for local economies, and that stronger local economies build a stronger America. They will be there to stand up for local communities as Congress in 2014 addresses the growing hole in the transportation fund and the expiration of last year’s MAP-21 law.
Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council recently interviewed Madeline Rogero, mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, to ask her how local governments can catalyze brownfields redevelopment and jumpstart revitalization. In the video above, Rogero discusses how strategic investments by local government have made brownfield sites in Knoxville more attractive to potential developers.
Residents of Flint, MI, at one of the many community meetings that informed the city’s new comprehensive plan. Image via Imagine Flint.
The last time Flint, Michigan approved a master plan for the city’s development, Dwight Eisenhower was president and the city’s population was nearly double what it is today. Now, for the first time in over 50 years, Flint has a comprehensive plan to guide future growth that accurately reflects the opportunities and challenges facing the city today.
The city of Flint was a 20th century boomtown, but decades of job losses, disinvestment and population decline took a hard toll on the community. Flint mayor Dayne Walling, a member of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, knew the city needed a new comprehensive plan that would update city policies and guide future public investments in a way that acknowledged these changes.
On Wednesday, November 20, join Smart Growth America’s coalition partner GrowSmart Maine for their 10th anniversary Annual Meeting.
The meeting will bring together smart growth leaders from across the state for an afternoon focused on the policies, trends, events, and projects that have strengthened Maine’s economy, environment and communities.
Maryland leaders met at the state capitol to discuss the Maryland Chapter of the Local Leaders Council.
Elected officials from towns and counties across Maryland gathered in Annapolis on November 8, 2013 for the first Advisory Board meeting of the Maryland chapter of Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council. The Council’s Maryland chapter, a joint effort of Smart Growth America and 1000 Friends of Maryland, will foster collaboration among leaders in Maryland and promote state-wide smart growth issues.
Downtown Reno and the Truckee Meadows. Photo by Tonya Poole via Flickr.
In October Smart Growth America visited Reno, NV, to meet with residents and local officials there as part of a “Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health” technical assistance workshop.
The workshop aimed to lay the groundwork for the Truckee Meadows Regional Planning Agency (TMRPA) to examine different development models for the region, with the ultimate goal of creating a regional plan for sustainable development.
Virginia Beach, VA’s Town Center. Photo by Barb Watson via Flickr.
Virginia Beach, VA is already a popular summertime destination. Now, city leaders are working to attract more year-round businesses and residents, and they’re using smart growth strategies to make it happen.
Virginia Beach is beginning to implement its comprehensive plan, beginning with the city’s Central Business District Core. The neighborhood is one of the city’s eight strategic growth areas, and Virginia Beach residents have said they want it to have “a mix of urban uses, great streets, mobility and transit alternatives.”
A rendering of Kansas City’s future streetcar. Image via PlanningKC.
In a sign of things to come for downtown Kansas City, MO, a site along the city’s forthcoming streetcar line is being transformed from a parking lot into a mixed-use development. The developer of Crossroads Apartments, who has never built in Kansas City before, told the Kansas City Star that “the streetcar is the big thing that drew us, absolutely.”
The Kansas City Downtown Streetcar Project is comprised of a streetcar loop that will mostly run along Main Street in downtown Kansas City, and will link the city’s main entertainment venues with transit centers and arts districts.