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Tacoma, WA guides economic revitalization with LEED-ND

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A rendering of the long-term vision community planners have for 25th and Pacific Ave (Dome/Brewery District). Photo from the Brewery District Development Concept Study.

The City of Tacoma currently has its sights on two major smart growth initiatives that will aide in the economic revitalization of two inner city neighborhoods: the Dome/Brewery District and the Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood.

Due to the recession and budget constraints, however, the city currently lacks the tools needed to effectively set goals and benchmark, evaluate and recognize progress for the projects. Tacoma is therefore looking to leverage existing efforts and resources to successfully revitalize these two neighborhoods. In this vein, Tacoma applied for and received a free technical assistance workshop from Smart Growth America funded by EPA’s Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program. The two day workshop focused on using LEED-ND to accelerate the development of sustainable communities.

Technical assistance

Governor Glendening to be keynote speaker at APA Idaho Annual Conference

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On October 10-12, the Idaho chapter of the American Planning Association will host its 2012 Annual Conference in Boise, ID. Parris Glendening, President of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute and of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design will provide the keynote address. As President of the Governors’ Institute, Glendening works with state leaders across the … Continued

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Pittsburgh shoots for sustainability amid an economic comeback

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Pittsburgh, PA skyline. Photo taken by Flickr user wallyg.

In the 20th century, as the result of its booming steel industry, Pittsburgh was thriving as one of the largest cities in the country. But, during the 1970s and 80s, Pittsburgh lost a lot of the success that it once held, due to the collapse of that same industry. The population was cut in half and there was a long period of economic stagnation.

Today, though, Pittsburgh’s economy is on the mend. If there was a golden lining to that period of economic stagnation, it was that the city avoided excess sprawl and financially insolvent development patterns.

Community officials want to use to their advantage as they prime for a new era of prosperity in Pittsburgh. City leaders and residents are gradually reshaping the way Pittsburgh thinks about planning and design, with the goal of transforming the city into a model of sustainable development.

Technical assistance

Partnership in the News: Downtown Memphis to receive $5.6M more for development

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The Main Street to Main Street Multimodal Connector project, a joint regional project between Arkansas and Tennessee, has recently shifted its funding, with $5.6M more going towards Memphis’ downtown development. The money is being re-allocated from Arkansas’ portion of the project.

The money is being provided by the Department of Transportation through a fourth-round of TIGER grants.

Congressman Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) lobbied for the funding, saying “The $5.6 million in funds being redirected to Downtown Memphis will play an important role in revitalizing downtown,” after the change had been approved.

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Smart growth stories: Local planning for global competitiveness in Carmel, IN

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A snapshot of Carmel’s City Center. Photo courtesy of the Mayor’s office.

Carmel, IN wasn’t always the best place to live. As a suburb contiguous to Indianapolis, it faced the same challenges to development that many suburbs near large cities confront.

However, under the leadership of Mayor Jim Brainard, Carmel has managed to become the kind of place that appeals to families and businesses alike. By anchoring its redevelopment efforts around an Arts & Business District and a City Center, Carmel has found a way to boost economic development while bettering quality of life.

“We had to figure out how we were going to compete,” Brainard says. “We realized that if we wanted to succeed, we had to make Carmel a place that the best and brightest – from around the country and around the world – would want to live in. And we had to do it through the built environment.”

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Complete Streets News, September 2012

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This monthly newsletter from the National Complete Streets Coalition provides a roundup of news related to Complete Streets policies from around the country. Subscribe to the newsletter, or learn more about the Coalition.

Policy Adoption

Highlands Park, Illinois has become the latest community in the Chicago area to adopt a Complete Streets policy. With a unanimous vote on August 27, the City Council pass both a Complete Streets policy and the broader Bike-Walk 2030 plan (PDF). Both will be incorporated into the city’s Master Plan this fall.

The Borough of Glen Ridge, New Jersey committed to a Complete Streets policy on September 10, directing all newly constructed and reconstructed roadways to be designed for safe travel by all.

Complete Streets

A new online home for the National Complete Streets Coalition

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Back in May we announced that our close ally and coalition partner the National Complete Streets Coalition was to become an official program of Smart Growth America. After a summer of working on the details of this transition, we are proud to announce a new online home for the Coalition at www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets.

Complete Streets

Helping Pima County, Arizona, audit its land use codes

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A detail from Pima County’s Cultural Resources map. Image from the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan.

Pima County, Arizona, has made a concerted effort in recent years to improve how it uses land and maintains its infrastructure.

The County already is already working to improve the area’s zoning codes, and the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, which works to balance development with preserving open space, has been touted as “one of the best and most comprehensive habitat conservation plans in the country.”

Technical assistance

Partnership in the News: Secretary LaHood visits TIGER-funded Spokane site

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On the afternoon of August 23, Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA., visited Spokane County, WA to tour the construction being done on the U.S.-395 North Spokane Corridor.

This project is ongoing, funded by a DOT TIGER grant and about halfway completed, and has also recently received another $10m TIGER grant to continue construction, totaling $45m in grants thus far.

LaHood also took the opportunity to announce a new national Freight Policy Board, with the hope of double American exports within three years.

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