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Senator Menendez introduces S. 1621, the Livable Communities Act

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Last week, Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), along with 17 cosponsors, introduced S. 1621, the Livable Communities Act. The Act promotes local leadership to develop innovative solutions that reflect the unique economic assets of communities that will maximize the returns of Federal funding of housing, transportation, and other infrastructure investments. The Livable Communities Act will spur private sector investment, cut red tape, and help federal agencies work more effectively, and create jobs at a time when America needs it most.

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Partnership for Sustainable Communities Web Briefing materials now available

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Thank you to everyone who attended SGA’s Sustainable Communities Network “Partnership for Sustainable Communities Web Briefing” earlier this week.

Smart Growth America hosted senior leadership from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the White House Office of Public Affairs on the briefing and provided an opportunity to ask questions and receive updates on this year’s Partnership for Sustainable Communities grants, where the Partnership stands in the fiscal year 2012 budget, and upcoming announcements and opportunities. We also heard about the American Jobs Act and a joint report to Congress from DOT and HUD on barriers to coordinated transportation and housing investments.

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Shifting demand spurs new development in downtown Las Vegas

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Real estate developers in Las Vegas are seeing growing demand for homes downtown.

An article in the Las Vegas Sun this week chronicles the change, explaining that offers for homes in the heart of the city are coming in above asking price, and as new amenities are created in the city developers expect demand to rise even higher.

“That’s what you need for a city to grow is rental housing,” said New York developer Barnet Liberman, as quoted by the Sun. “There shouldn’t be any barrier for lower-income people to be able to grow and prosper. The only question for developers, guys like myself, is they’ve got to know that there’s a real solid, almost certainty that if they do A, B and C, then they get D. When you see that the city is behind you in terms of a common goal, it helps eliminate some of the risk.”

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Senate votes to preserve funding for Partnership for Sustainable Communities programs

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Washington, DC – The Senate Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development voted today to preserve funding for two key components of the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities in the FY2012 appropriations bill. Smart Growth America President and CEO Geoff Anderson released the following statement:

“The Partnership for Sustainable Communities is helping dozens of communities across the country grow in ways that support their local economies and are fiscally responsible. We applaud the Senate for protecting these innovative, effective programs.

“The Partnership’s programs are helping small towns rebuild their main street, and they’re helping mid-sized cities improve their business districts. These projects are rebuilding roads, renovating abandoned properties, creating pedestrian friendly downtowns and dozens of other worthwhile projects that will help American communities recover from the economic downturn and stay strong in the coming decades. We strongly encourage Congress to approve funding for these critical programs.”

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Open Streets in Missoula, Montana

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The following guest post was written by Alexandria Stokman at Sunday Streets Missoula.

After a summer of bands and beer, Missoula, Montana took a break from the traditional festival atmosphere to host an active, healthy, sustainable transportation event that celebrates Missoula as a bikeable and walkable community.

The City of Missoula Parks & Recreation, the Downtown Business Improvement District and Missoula In Motion worked together to create Sunday Streets Missoula. The most recent event took place on September 11, 2011, transforming Missoula’s main street into a car-free environment. Combined with riverfront trails, the space made a two mile pedestrian loop. It may seem to be a short distance compared to the 6.5 miles from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park during New York City’s Summer Streets, but quite an accomplishment for Big Sky Country, where pick-ups and SUVs fill our valley with countless vehicle miles traveled and road dust.

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Support the Partnership for Sustainable Communities

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When cities, towns and suburbs plan their future transportation, housing, water and sewer infrastructure and public services strategically, they save money and so does the federal government. The Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a collaboration between the EPA, DOT and HUD, is about making that type of planning possible. 45 regions containing 80 million Americans in rural, suburban and urban communities are already benefiting from the Partnership programs.

The Senate is scheduled to vote on funding for the Partnership tomorrow, and now is a crucial time to ask your Senators to support these programs. Calling your members of Congress is simple and only takes a few minutes: click here to find out how to call your Senators.

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Cuts to the Partnership for Sustainable Communities will hurt communities across the country

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Over 200 communities in all 50 states and the District of Columbia have received grants or assistance through the federal Partnership for Sustainable Communities. The Partnership has helped communities plan for growth that will strengthen their regions and their economies, but funding for the program is under threat in 2012’s federal budget.

Speak out for these communities: Tell the Senate to fund the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

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