Geoff Anderson on smart growth strategies in Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Last week, Smart Growth America’s President and CEO Geoff Anderson spoke with Jim Engster of Baton Rouge, Louisiana’s WRKF FM about smart growth strategies in Lousiana and across the country. Tonight Anderson will speak in Baton Rouge as a guest of Smart Growth America’s coalition partner the Center for Planning Excellence (CPEX). Anderson will speak about how economic development, fiscal conservatism, and smart growth as a great benefit to business owners, community leaders and residents. Find out more about tonight’s event here, and read an excerpted transcript or listen to the full audio of Anderson’s interview with WRKF using the player below.

WRKF: In Baton Rouge we have a vote coming in a few weeks, April 25, a measure to preserve the bus system in this area. What’s your take on whether or not a public bus system is a necessity or not for a city the size of Baton Rouge?
GEOFF ANDERSON: I think that there’s a common myth out there that public transportation is all about big cities. And of course we have a good system here in Washington. But in fact in a lot of those smaller towns and cities around the country public transportation is even more important because often we find that people are using those systems to get to their jobs, to participate in the economy. It’s the thing that’s getting a lot of people in rural places to their medical appointments, it’s the only option they have. And with the volatility that we’re seeing in energy prices, in gas prices, we’ve seen a lot of pain in different communities as people are trying to control their household costs and figure out a way to avoid paying high gas prices this is what they’re turning to. We’re seeing public transportation ridership at all time highs, and certainly a lot of fiscal pressure on those systems. But if you want to keep people employed in the economy and you want to keep them as active participants in the workforce and not end up paying costs that are associated with having people be unemployed, this is a great way to do it.

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Free Technical Assistance Available: Plans, Policies and Practices for Sustainable Communities

Envision Minnesota announced on Thursday that the EPA Office of Sustainable Communities’ Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities program has awarded grant funds to Forterra and the Building Sustainable Communities Consortium. These organizations will provide technical assistance for community development.

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Upcoming Webinars: April 2012

Monday, April 2, 2012, 12:30- 1:00pm ET. Housing and Urban Development Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities: Broad Stakeholder Call. RSVP here by Monday, April 2nd at 10am.

Thursday, April 5, 2012, 1:30- 3:00pm ET. New Tools in Scenario Planning: Denver Region’s Metro Vision 2040 Update. Register here.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 3:00- 4:00pm ET. Creating a Unique Public Space: The Uptown Roundabout in Normal, Illinois. No registration required. More information.

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EPA Announces 2012 Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Recipients

The Environmental Protection Agency recently announced the 2012 recipients of the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program. SGIA will provide technical assistance to five communities nationwide that request the EPA’s help in finding the best strategies for sustainable growth. As part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the EPA will be working along with the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The 2012 recipients are: the state of Vermont; Madison County, NY; San Francisco, CA; Spokane Tribe of Indians, WA; and Billings, MT.

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Still time to apply for EPA's 2012 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently accepting applications for its annual National Award for Smart Growth Achievement, due April 6th, 2012.

The award recognizes communities nationwide that have developed successful strategies for promoting and implementing sustainable practices in the economy, housing, transportation, and the environment.

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Partnership in the News: Agencies Participate in USDA Rural Roundtable Discussion

The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Office recently held a roundtable discussion in Ogden, Iowa with local residents and representatives from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Environmental Protection Agency’s field offices. Bill Menner, the USDA Director of Rural Development for Iowa, described the roundtable in his blog on March 16th as, “A great opportunity to talk with rural residents, business owners, and leaders about the issues facing their communities – and the opportunities that exist.”

It was also an opportunity to speak with Steve Eggleston, HUD’s Iowa and Nebraska Field Office Director, and David Doyle, Sustainable Communities Coordinator for EPA Region 7; continuing the collaboration between USDA and Partnership agencies.

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Smart growth equips cities for business growth, job creation

What makes a city good for business? To get a sense, we looked two prominent business magazines that recently ranked cities all across America for their business climates. Four cities made it to both lists’ top ten: Washington, D.C.; New York City, New York; Austin, Texas; and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

What do these “best for business cities have in common? They’re all using smart growth strategies.

“Great neighborhoods and great cities are where employees want to be and where businesses want to move,” said Geoffrey Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, “That’s why smart growth strategies are good for economic development – it helps businesses connect with workers and customers.”

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Briefing Profiles Partnership for Sustainable Communities Grants

In a briefing at the Capitol, Wednesday morning, a panel comprised of three Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Regional Planning Grant recipients recognized the benefits the grants are having in each respective community. The HUD initiative, as well as HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities, is a vital component of the interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

Northern Maine, southern Florida, and the Memphis, Tennessee region have been able, with the help of grants, to address the unique needs of their community. Briefing facilitator Joe McKinney, Executive Director of the Land-of-Sky Regional Council in Asheville, NC, highlighted the economic focus and long-term benefits of the HUD initiative: “The guiding force behind our program is how these things [land use, housing, and transportation] contribute to economic prosperity.”

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Ask your Senators to support the Partnership for Sustainable Communities in FY 2013

Last November, when Congress passed the appropriations bill to fund the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for FY 2012 it did not include funding for another round of the vital Regional Planning and Community Challenge grants run by HUD’s Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities. This cut hurts communities across the country as they work to address their housing, transportation, and economic needs.

President Obama’s FY 2013 budget proposal would restore $100 million in funding to for these local grants, and we need your help to see that funding through.

Ask your Senators TODAY to support the President’s Budget request for the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities: click here to send a letter to your Senators.

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