There’s a lot happening at SGA this week and next—don’t miss these six chances to learn more, hear some vital discussions, and hopefully help fuel your own local advocacy for building sustainable, equitable communities. It starts tomorrow, Tuesday, October 20:
With investments from the Opportunity Zone tax incentive flowing into these newly designated zones for a few years now, our new report sought to find out: Are these investments supporting small business stability and growth, achieving the stated goal of place-based economic development and job creation in distressed communities? If not, why not? And what are the risks and rewards specifically for minority-owned legacy businesses within Opportunity Zones?
With transportation accounting for the largest share of carbon emissions in the U.S., we’ll never achieve ambitious climate targets or create more livable and equitable communities if we don’t find ways to allow people to get around outside of a car—or provide more housing in places where that’s already an option. Our new report shows how we can reach those targets while building a more just and equitable society.
Today, we are proud to announce the selection of 21 local elected officials to join the inaugural class of the Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Champions Institute. Over the course of six months, these leaders will receive comprehensive training to help them become champions in their communities to promote activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations.
Smart Growth America is excited to announce the selection of five artists for our Arts & Transportation Rapid Response initiative. These five artists will be working in tandem with five local transportation agencies to design and implement projects that address pandemic-related transportation challenges and systemic inequities.
A Complete Streets policy is just part of what makes it possible for a community to create safer streets, but political leadership is key. To help prepare more of our elected officials to effectively advocate for and support Complete Streets, Smart Growth America has launched the Champions Institute. We are accepting applications from local officials through September 10, 2020.
Smart Growth America (SGA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity are now accepting applications for the Champions Institute, a new initiative for elected officials focused on safe streets and healthy communities. The Champions Institute will serve to prepare mayors, city council people, tribal representatives, and other local elected-officials to act as champions supporting plans, policies, and funding that promote activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations.
A new report from CityHealth finds that 90 percent of the nation’s 40 most populous cities have medal-worthy Complete Streets policies on the books. The report makes a case for building safer streets to improve the overall health of cities, especially in the era of COVID-19.
With the country still in urgent need of more economic relief from the pandemic, Congress continues to be deadlocked on producing a legislative package. In the latest proposal, Senate Republicans unveiled the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act last week—their latest legislative response to COVID-19 following the HEROES Act passed by the House more than two months ago.