Determining how many and where new housing units can be built in a community is essential to supporting growth and economic development. Nuclear host communities tend to be located in rural areas, with smaller populations and fewer options for economic diversification. Supporting new, affordable housing is one strategy to diversify a local economy. Focusing development … Continued
Zoning represents the foundation of development in many communities that host nuclear power plants. When planning for economic resilience and diversification, it can be very useful to evaluate your local zoning codes to determine where it is legally viable to construct new housing, businesses, and industry. This process is especially important for nuclear host communities … Continued
An important strategy for economic diversification and development is to attract new business or industry to an area, and this is especially true when redeveloping existing underutilized land. Examples of underutilized land are sites with a condemned, vacant building, a brownfield, or a vacant greenfield. Many times, these underutilized sites present opportunities for profitable economic … Continued
Smart Growth America helped organize a coalition that urged the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow climate funds to go towards adaptive reuse projects in location-efficient areas. The decision by the EPA to grant this funding is a climate justice win. Thousands of buildings lie vacant in rural and low-income communities, and not for lack … Continued
Building on its earlier series of executive orders on advancing racial equity and supporting underserved communities (EO 13985 and 14091), the Biden administration has announced a series of interagency actions and principles to strengthen equitable urban development. The proposed actions address federal infrastructure investment, land use, housing, and regional planning policies.
Co-authored by Toccarra Nicole Thomas This spring, SGA partnered with the Urban Land Institute (ULI) on a new report, Reshaping the City, which examines how zoning reform can advance racial equity, support housing attainability, create healthy communities, and decarbonize buildings to mitigate climate change. On March 24th, we cohosted a webinar to dive into the … Continued
Smart Growth America (SGA) is seeking an experienced videographer for consultant services for its Climate Change, Health, and Equity initiative. Such services will help SGA and its community-based partners produce a 4-8 minute video to raise awareness of the risks associated with extreme heat, who is most affected by extreme heat, and to feature lived, … Continued
Deadline Extended: Proposals are now due on Friday, August 25th. About SGA Smart Growth America (SGA) is a national non-profit organization which is dedicated to advancing equitable, sustainable land use, development and transportation. The organization empowers communities through technical assistance, advocacy and thought leadership to create livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity. We work … Continued
Why should we invest in multimodal transportation for American rural communities and small towns? Click here to download the full report pdf. This report was developed with funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-OT18-1802). The views presented in this product do not … Continued
When we set out to conduct this field scan of best practices in rural mobility from across the country, we didn’t have to start from scratch. The Smart Growth America team was able to reach out to many communities, old friends, and partners we have worked with in the past. In fact, thanks to our … Continued