Whenever hurricanes strike, wildfires rage, floods drown, or extreme heat swelters, they leave behind damage and destruction. Extreme weather events like these sometimes result in displacement, with people unable or unwilling to remain in their homes as climate disasters wreak havoc more frequently. But where can these climate-displaced people go? The nation is already experiencing … Continued
Smart Growth America is excited to announce the release of a new U.S. Climate Alliance resource to help states and territories advance climate mitigation and resilience goals through their land use policies. Climate and Land Use Planning: A Policy Guide for U.S. States and Territories, produced with support from Smart Growth America and Climate Resilience … Continued
If communities want to seriously reduce their carbon emissions, they must reduce the amount of driving that people need (and want) to do. That means enacting zoning reform to allow for a range of housing units and typologies, incentivizing infill development, and updating excessive parking requirements. Critical emissions thresholds are already being crossed; To stave … Continued
Local election results send a clear message: housing and the environment are priorities for voters across the country in diverse political climates. In this post, we delve into the key affordable housing, residential displacement, and climate resiliency measures that were passed in state, county, and local elections.
As the dust from this election cycle settles, it is more apparent than ever that communities are facing increasingly severe and compounding challenges. Economic inequities and the financial pressures tied to the needs of daily life are squeezing communities of every shape, size, and geographic location—and housing and transportation costs are clear contributors to these burdens.
Transportation for America’s latest report highlights the need for fiscal responsibility to meet the country’s transportation goals.
As part of our Climate & Land Use Technical Assistance Program, we worked with Florida-based community organization, Incubate Neighborhood Center (INC), to raise awareness about the ways that climate change is impacting their community’s infrastructure, insurance rates, and economic opportunity. In this video, business owners, government officials, and regional resilience partners talk about how flooding … Continued
Smart Growth America (SGA) is seeking a contractor to support the organization’s Climate and Land Use work including ongoing technical assistance and research projects. The contractor will contribute to key climate adaptation projects on a regular, part-time schedule over a 3-5 month period, writing communications materials, managing aspects of a new technical assistance program, and/or … Continued
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.
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