Blog

Growing our Climate & Land Use Technical Assistance Cohort

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Smart Growth America (SGA) is excited to announce a second round of climate and land use technical assistance (TA) opportunities for community-based organizations across the U.S. This new round builds on our successful partnerships from 2023, offering expanded support for communities advocating for equitable and climate-resilient land use, housing, and infrastructure policies. A couple of our existing partners include Incubate Neighbood Center (Fort Pierce, Florida) and Freedom Org (Edgecombe County, North Carolina), who came together in Washington, DC with the broader cohort to celebrate nine months of working collaboratively.

Climate Change Land Use and Development Technical assistance

Introducing new SGA Board Members

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We’re excited to welcome two new members, Elise Jones and Alison Goebel, to the Smart Growth America Board! Their expertise and experience in government, advocacy, and leadership in nonprofit spaces will help contribute to our efforts to create more livable, equitable places. Learn more about Elise and Alison! Alison Goebel is Executive Director of the … Continued

Uncategorized

Smart growth in rural communities: Key takeaways from the latest Smart Growth Network convening

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Rural communities face unique challenges when it comes to growth and development. At the recent Smart Growth Network meeting hosted by the National Endowment for the Arts, experts came together to discuss how smart growth principles can be applied effectively in rural settings. The Smart Growth Network (SGN) is a national alliance of advocates, practitioners, … Continued

Complete Streets Events

Week Without Driving has arrived—here’s why it matters

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Started in 2021 by author and Director of the Disability Mobility Initiative Anna Zivarts as a Washington state based campaign, the Week Without Driving challenge illuminates the ways our current system is failing, and encourages us to envision a system that works better for everyone. With the support of America Walks, Week Without Driving has now expanded into a national effort and is happening September 30th through October 6th this year.

Complete Streets Transportation

How smart growth can protect against flooding in vulnerable communities

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As climate change brings more frequent flooding and storms to large swaths of the U.S., under-resourced communities tend to bear the brunt of their effects. This inequity is, in large part, due to a long history of discriminatory land use policies and practices that segregated and disinvested in Black and Brown communities, leaving them oftentimes … Continued

Climate Change Resilience

So your community has too much parking. What can you do about it?

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More often than not, communities take their parking for granted. When parking is discussed at all, the general assumption tends to be that more parking is needed, not less. But as we’ve covered before, American cities and towns often have more parking than they need, thanks to archaic parking requirements that fail to respond to the needs of the day. Adjusting these requirements can have numerous benefits, if decision-makers know where to begin.

Land Use and Development Transportation Zoning
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