New Yorkers are lining up to support bills S1332 and A1863, known as “Brittany’s Law,” which would direct inclusion of all users in state transportation projects. The law takes its name from the tragic death of 14-year-old Brittany Vega, whose mother Sandi is tirelessly advocating for Complete Streets policies at the state and local level.
Each Monday, we pose a question to our readers to encourage discussion about smart growth ideas in neighborhoods across America. You can engage in the dialogue by commenting on our Facebook page or through Twitter with @SmartGrowthUSA. If you’re not already a fan or a follower, be sure to sign up so you can participate.
Later in the week, we will compile your responses and post them to our blog – providing a diversity of thoughts and opinions on smart growth issues. We’re excited to hear your stories and share them with all of our readers!
This week’s question: Is there a road in your neighborhood that’s pedestrian unfriendly? How would you change it?
If you’re interested in learning more about pedestrian-friendly street design and how it helps towns and neighborhoods thrive, check out our partner organization Complete Streets.
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
This post was written by Smart Growth America coalition member 1000 Friends of Wisconsin and was originally published on BizTimes.com.
Last December (seems like years ago today) thousands of protesters decried then Governor-elect Walker’s decision to reject $810 million in federal dollars to construct a high-speed rail system in Wisconsin that would link Madison to Milwaukee and Chicago.
Protests were held not just in Madison and Milwaukee but in smaller towns like Waterloo that would gain economically from the rail investment. Among the suspect reasons that Mr. Walker gave for rejecting the aid was that the state couldn’t afford the annual operating costs of the federal gift.
The amount that the state “couldn’t afford” came to about $600,000 a year after federal matching subsidies. So the state ended up losing nearly a billion dollars of federal aid, thousands of engineering and construction jobs, a newly located train manufacturer in Milwaukee and countless dollars and jobs that would have occurred as a result of transit oriented development.
Andrew Basile, Jr., a patent lawyer in metro Detroit, is fed up with Michigan’s sprawl. More specifically, he’s fed up with Michigan’s ongoing loss of talented workers who are leaving the state in the thousands. Basile’s law firm has been directly affected by the trend, hard pressed to find employees locally and unable to entice qualified workers from other places to move to Michigan. And in a letter to Michigan Future published on Streetsblog earlier this week, Basile explains why he believes this is happening: “People – particularly affluent and educated people – just don’t want to live here.”
Basile correlates his law firm’s labor shortages with Detroit’s “poor ‘quality of place,'” a term he uses to describe the area’s spread out development patterns. He points to a lack of transportation choices and missed opportunities to invest in downtowns as reasons, at least in part, why so many Detroiters have left the area. As Basile describes his frustration with Michigan’s failure to innovate and the toll it takes on his business, it’s hard not to sympathize with him:
I noted sadly the other day that the entire Oakland Country government complex was built in a field five miles outside of downtown Pontiac. I find that decision shocking. What a wasted opportunity for maintaining a viable downtown Pontiac, not to mention the open space now consumed by the existing complex.
Earlier this week Smart Growth America asked our readers: Of the neighborhoods you’ve ever lived in or visited, which one is your favorite? Why? We’re excited to share your responses. We’ll be asking a new question next week – be sure to follow us on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook to join the discussion!
So of the neighborhoods you’ve ever lived in or visited, which one is your favorite and why? Here are some responses from Twitter and Facebook:
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Have an idea for a question to ask? Email info [at] smartgrowthamerica [dot] org.
Technology megaplayer Google – known widely for attracting some of the most talented web developers in the world – is using its position as a large employer in a small city to encourage smart growth development.
In a letter to the City of Mountain View, CA, where the company has its headquarters, Google encouraged planners to pursue sustainable development strategies. Mountain View is currently working to update its strategy for development, and asked for public input on the decisions to be made.
In the letter Google VP David Radcliffe voiced the company’s support for “mixed-use development…along with the kind of land use development described in the Final Report by the Mountain View Environmental Sustainability Task Force.” The Task Force’s recommendations – which focus on strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions – would improve the quality of life for Google’s 20,000 Mountain View employees, Radcliffe explained, as well as help the city fiscally and for the long-term. From the company’s letter:
We would encourage you to provide opportunities for the North Bayshore area to continue to be the center of sustainable development for Google’s HQ campus…[and] the model Silicon Valley community – leading the way with visionary development opportunities to create the most efficient, sustainable and fiscally supportive plan to the community of Mountain View and the North Bayshore area.
In a piece out today on WashingtonPost.com, Ezra Klein highlights the fact that smart federal investments are a big part of solving country’s budget deficit. In particular, he highlights that there are some spending cuts that might save the country some money now, but ultimately cost us more in the long run. One example is cuts to inspection procedures, which can subsequently lead to costly recalls or contamination. Another is cuts to enforcement, including the type of enforcement meant to reduce waste within the budget. And thirdly, there’s deferred maintenance. As Klein explains:
In 2009, the Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s existing infrastructure a grade of D. They estimated that simply maintaining America’s existing stock would require up to $2.2 trillion in investment. But Republicans have been cool to Obama’s calls to increase infrastructure investment. Just “another tax-and-spend proposal,” Rep. John Mica (R-Fla.) said when the initiative was announced. But a dollar in maintenance delayed — or cut — isn’t a dollar saved. It’s a dollar that needs to be spent later. And waiting can be costly. It’s cheaper to strengthen a bridge that’s standing than repair one that’s fallen down.
Smart Growth America’s February report Recent Lessons from the Stimulus advocates strongly for road repair and maintenance not only because it cuts future costs but because it also creates more jobs per dollar which helps the economy even more.
Cuts to several other federal programs proposed in this year’s budget are similarly short-sighted attempts to solve long-term problems. Notably, the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, a successful collaboration between the Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Transportation and Department of Housing and Urban Development, is being hit with several proposed cuts in this year’s budget despite the benefits this program brings to local communities. The Partnership helps community leaders get the most out of each federal or state dollar invested in their neighborhoods. By leveraging private sector investment, saving money in municipal budgets, helping families save on things like transportation and creating jobs, programs like the Partnership for Sustainable Communities make sure federal funds go far to rebuild our economy.
Investing wisely can help balance the federal budget AND create jobs in a time of economic hardship. Tell your Senators to preserve federal funding for local smart growth investments: click here to send a letter voicing your support.
Smart Growth America is excited to continue into the second week of SGA Asks. Each week, we pose a question to our readers to encourage discussion about smart growth ideas in neighborhoods across America. You can engage in the dialogue by commenting on our Facebook page or through Twitter with @SmartGrowthUSA. If you’re not already a fan or a follower, be sure to sign up so you can participate.
