As part of a Sustainable Growth webinar series for Climate Resilience Month in August, Smart Growth America’s Vice President of Land Use and Development, Katharine Burgess, participated in a webinar conversation that reflected on how the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina has shaped housing and community resiliency in both the Gulf Coast region and our national … Continued
This July, Smart Growth America traveled to Atlanta to support the Partnership for Southern Equity’s (PSE) screenings of the video, “ATL Rising: Building resilience in the face of extreme heat,” which highlights the interactions between extreme heat, the built environment, and health equity in the city. The two video screenings brought together residents, activists, and … Continued
On Sunday, August 18, and Saturday, August 31, Atlanta artists Emma Chammah and Eddie Farr will host interactive workshops exploring the need for an improved public transportation network in Atlanta. During the free workshops, all are invited to engage with the artists’ project, Traffic Cams, which creates a real-time augmented reality experience to show what Atlanta could look like with expanded transportation options. The project is supported by Smart Growth America’s Healing Our Highways grant program.
This July, SGA hosted the Smart Growth Network (SGN), a national coalition of smart growth-oriented organizations, in its offices for the coalition’s Summer 2024 Quarterly Discussion. The discussion focused on extreme heat, which has been especially prevalent globally in recent years, and the role that smart growth, urban forests, and community organizing can play in … Continued
Co-authored by Joseph Mendonca Millions of people across the U.S. now experience extreme heat every year—facing threats to their health, well-being, and financial security. As climate change is only making extreme heat even worse, inaction cannot be an option and communities must work together to mitigate its effects. Through strategic land use and by using … Continued
Co-authored by Joseph Mendonca Together with the Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE), Smart Growth America has been raising awareness about the compounding effects of climate change, including the interactions between extreme heat, the built environment, pre-existing health conditions, and social inequalities in Atlanta, Georgia. In southwest Atlanta, PSE and SGA interviewed residents, activists, and climate … Continued
Healing Our Highways is a grant program led by Smart Growth America’s Arts and Culture team providing funding and technical assistance for arts and culture projects that confront the harms perpetuated through our transportation system on marginalized communities of color. On May 15, 2024, a cozy Filipino restaurant in a suburban Atlanta Asian shopping plaza was filled with energy, connection, and delicious food as the Healing Our Highways cohort of artists and cultural workers deliberated on strategies for community organizing, building power, and making change.
Last month, Smart Growth America brought together partners from community-based organizations across the country to discuss climate, land use, and housing issues impacting their communities, with a special focus on strategic communications and intersectional storytelling in the climate and social justice space. The convening celebrated nine months of working collaboratively to advocate for planning policies … Continued
A little-known governing board pulled electric vehicle-readiness out of proposed future American building codes—a move that, until it is corrected, will create an increasing penalty for apartment living as cars go electric.
As we celebrate Earth Day (April 22) and National Fair Housing Month (all of April), it’s a perfect time to reflect on the intersectionality of these two important themes and explore how designing communities that are dense, walkable, transit-oriented, and green can lead to places that are not only more sustainable but also more affordable … Continued