Protected: SGA Coalition Update – 8/15/11
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Join Smart Growth America at the Solutions for Sustainable Communities conference in September
State and local leaders are looking for more efficient ways of utilizing existing resources to achieve their housing, transportation and environmental goals. The National Housing Conference’s Solutions for Sustainable Communities, Septmber 26-28, 2011 in Washington, DC, will arm practitioners and policymakers with the best available information on how to work collaboratively and creatively to develop more sustainable and inclusive communities while reducing overall government costs.
Now's the Time: Talk to Your Members of Congress in August
As major decisions on federal transportation loom, and with Members of Congress back in their districts for August recess, now is a great time to talk to your representatives about all the benefits of Complete Streets and ask them to support the Safe and Complete Streets Act of 2011.
"Advocacy Training 201" webinar materials now available online
Thank you to everyone who attended Smart Growth America’s Sustainable Communities Network webinar earlier this week, “Advocacy Training 201.” Telling Members of Congress about your projects and the benefits of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities is a crucial part of supporting these valuable federal programs.
Christopher Coes, Manager of LOCUS, provided additional training on how to talk about your project, The Partnership for Sustainable Communities, and Member of Congress meetings. The webinar also included a simulated in-district meeting with a Member of Congress, which can be viewed below.
As we’ve mentioned before, August recess is one of the best times to meet with your member of Congress (or their staff) to discuss the importance of the Partnership on the ground in your community and to our nation as a whole. To help you make these meetings happen, we have a toolkit available on the Partnership Blog and we are more than happy to assist you with scheduling or provide more infomation. Please contact Melissa Schreiber-Stahl at mschreiberstahl [at] smartgrowthamerica [dot] org with questions or to request scheduling help.
The Better Block Project shows how changing a street can change a neighborhood
What hidden potential do roads have to become lively, walkable neighborhoods? One group in Texas is helping reveal what streets in many places could be.
The Better Block Project temporarily transforms underused streets into vibrant neighborhood centers. The project acts as a living charrette so communities can see what “complete streets” look like, as well as the potential for revitalized economic activity in an area. By setting up retail stands, sidewalk cafes, places for children to play and making the area friendlier to pedestrians, the project creates a temporary town square that organizers hope will have a lasting impact.
Michigan communities overwhelmingly support public transit ballot measures
As municipalities across the country feel the crunch of tightening budgets, voters are choosing to prioritize public transportation at the ballot box. Transit agencies large and small are feeling enormous fiscal pressures and many are being forced to cut service, lay off workers, and, in some cases, stop operating altogether. According to the American Public Transportation Association, 84% of U.S. transit agencies are being forced to make these choices. However, in the great state of Michigan, voters are choosing to save local transit through property tax levies. Eleven communities held ballot elections on transit funding in 2011, and ten of these were approved.
A ballot measure (sometimes referred to as initiative, proposition, or referendum) is a form of direct democracy where voters decide to approve or reject a policy proposal that is presented on Election Day. The proposal could enact a new law, create or direct a funding source, change the local or state constitution, or even recall an elected leader. Each year, states bring dozens of ballot measures about transportation funding to a vote, particularly about public transit. Often these measures propose creating or renewing a source of funding by enacting a fee or tax, and they can include project lists and designate specific receiving jurisdictions or transit agencies. Transportation ballot measures tend to pass at twice the rate of funding measures for things like arts, education, and open space. According to the Center for Transportation Excellence, transit funding ballots have had a 70% approval rate over the last ten years. They win in both red and blue districts, indicating voters’ willingness to prioritize transportation choices in their communities.
A ballot measure (sometimes referred to as initiative, proposition, or referendum) is a form of direct democracy where voters decide to approve or reject a policy proposal that is presented on Election Day. The proposal could enact a new law, create or direct a funding source, change the local or state constitution, or even recall an elected leader. Each year, states bring dozens of ballot measures about transportation funding to a vote, particularly about public transit. Often these measures propose creating or renewing a source of funding by enacting a fee or tax, and they can include project lists and designate specific receiving jurisdictions or transit agencies. Transportation ballot measures tend to pass at twice the rate of funding measures for things like arts, education, and open space. According to the Center for Transportation Excellence, transit funding ballots have had a 70% approval rate over the last ten years. They win in both red and blue districts, indicating voters’ willingness to prioritize transportation choices in their communities.
Living may actually be cheaper in the region's core
Originally written by David Alpert and posted on Greater Greater Washington
August 3, 2011
The classic rule of thumb, “drive ’till you qualify,” holds that the farther you go from a city center, the cheaper the cost of living. But a new report shows how in the DC area, housing near the core and near transit stations can be cheaper when transportation costs are factored in.
The Office of Planning worked with the Center for Neighborhood Technology to customize their “H+T” housing and transportation index for our region, and to incorporate more recent American Community Survey data as well as Census data.
Spotlight on: SvR Design Company
Our success truly results from the efforts of our coalition. Today in our new series on our members’ and partners’ work to support the Complete Streets movement, we look at SvR Design Company, a Platinum Partner and Steering Committee member.
Opinion: How state zoning rules foster sprawl, hike costs
Originally posted on Northjersey.com on Sunday, July 31, 2011
Opinion from Smart Growth America’s Coalition Member, New Jersey Future: How state zoning rules foster sprawl, hike costs
ON A regular basis we hear how sprawl development continues to eat up the last remaining open spaces across New Jersey, and residents continue to express confusion about how this keeps happening.
One look at local zoning ordinances, though, and it becomes obvious that municipalities are getting exactly what they are asking for – a steady procession of large-lot subdivisions that gobble up land, increase infrastructure costs and push housing out of the reach of more and more people.
A new study by Rowan University’s Geospatial Research Laboratory documents the cumulative effect of these local zoning decisions: a land-use pattern that has grown substantially more exclusionary and sprawling over the last two decades.
Stormwater management, green infrastructure and the challenges of redevelopment
Smart growth strategies are a key part of protecting water quality. Compact, mixed-use development means fewer paved and impervious surfaces, which helps reduce environmentally damaging stormwater runoff. Walkable neighborhoods with transportation choices mean fewer vehicle miles traveled, which helps reduce air pollution that falls into rivers as rain. And redeveloping greyfields or brownfields can significantly improve the environmental performance of a building site, while accommodating growth that might otherwise occur in greenfields.
Green infrastructure – including green roofs, rain gardens, tree plantings and permeable pavement – can go even further to protect water quality. Environmental advocates (including Smart Growth America) support rules that would require green infrastructure for new development projects as a way to protect waterways and water quality. But should redevelopment projects be subject to the same regulatory requirements for stormwater as greenfield development?
Because redevelopment already benefits water quality, and because it already faces greater regulatory and site-specific hurdles than greenfield development, many advocates argue no. Several groups, including Smart Growth America, have expressed concern that holding redevelopment projects to the same stormwater standards as greenfield development will raise the cost of these projects and discourage developers from reusing already-developed land. Water quality groups counter that evidence is lacking to support this fear, and that other regulatory factors are more significant in making development decisions.