Amazing Place Ideas Forum: Gearing up for Greenville, SC

With part one of the forum in Denver, CO now in the rearview, Smart Growth America is getting ready for the second round of the Amazing Place Ideas Forum, happening November 14-16 with generous support from the Knight Foundation. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the sites and attractions we’ll tour in our host city, Greenville, SC. Read about the city’s 40-year effort to create one of America’s most beautiful main streets through historic preservation, brownfield redevelopment, and riverfront investment. The participating Amazing Place cities also weighed in with what they most look forward to learning about in the southern city, and the lessons they hope to bring back to their hometowns. 

Economic development

Watch the recorded webinar on financing for development projects that don’t pencil out

Thank you to everyone who joined LOCUS for a live discussion of Financing for Projects that Don’t Pencil Out on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Bob Stevens, principal for M&S Development, presented several creative financing techniques available to communities and economies hoping to fill project funding gaps.

LOCUS

Policy #3: Complete Streets projects and phases should commit to all users and modes

The ideal Complete Streets policy has a strong commitment that all transportation projects and maintenance operations account for the needs of all modes of transportation and all users of the road network. Existing projects and maintenance should be seen as opportunities to implement Complete Streets. However, this does not mean every street needs to add a bike lane during regular maintenance but it is worth considering the potential benefits. We spoke to one of our Steering Committee members Ignacio Bunster-Ossa from AECOM to hear more about how jurisdictions can implement this revised policy element.

Complete Streets

Introducing Made in Place: Small-Scale Manufacturing and Neighborhood Revitalization

A new report from Smart Growth America and Recast City illustrates how encouraging more small-scale manufacturing in downtowns and neighborhood centers can help create a more resilient and inclusive small business environment, increase the accessibility of the local job market, and create a foothold for future growth.

Economic development

Help protect America’s threatened community development and affordable housing programs


On Thursday, November 2nd, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady released the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, a draft tax proposal which, if passed, would have a negative impact on community development and affordable housing.

LOCUS

As House unveils new tax plan, LOCUS launches Rebuild America’s Neighborhoods campaign

Today, we officially launch the Rebuild America’s Neighborhoods campaign to organize developers and investors to advocate for a federal tax and budget plan that increases private capital investment in public infrastructure, affordable housing and economic development.

LOCUS

Policy #2: Diverse users – Prioritize Complete Streets where it is needed the most

A Complete Streets approach requires “diverse users” to be more than just a buzzword. This brand new addition to our policy framework aims to hold jurisdictions accountable for including equity into their plans based on the composition and objectives of the community, a requirement that was lacking from the previous framework. The U.S. history of systemic discrimination and exclusion based on race and income is part of the transportation context and cannot be ignored. Transportation choices should be safe, convenient, reliable, affordable, accessible, and timely regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, income, gender identity, immigration status, age, ability, languages spoken, or level of access to a personal vehicle.

Complete Streets

Policy #1: Vision and intent – Complete Streets are intended to benefit all users equitably


No two communities are identical, and no two Complete Streets policies should be exactly the same either. Vision and intent, a revised element in the updated Complete Streets policy framework, is an opportunity for jurisdictions to customize and prioritize their motivations for adopting a Complete Streets policy. The following post explores the reasoning behind this revisions, and how it can help communities better reach their most vulnerable populations. 

This post is part of Complete Streets month at Smart Growth America; we will be sharing a series of blog posts that cover and explain each of the 10 revised policy elements in some detail.

Complete Streets