Parking and Complete Streets
The connective tissue of our cities—the streets, roads, and transportation networks that enable people to move from place to place—are not exempt from the influence of parking minimums.
Land Use and Development
The climate cost of free parking
Large parking lots and excess parking spaces put a strain on our environment, and we’re already experiencing the short- and long-term effects.
How parking influences travel behavior
The vast amount of underused parking spread across our communities has not only led to wasted space, stifled development, and higher costs—a topic discussed in a previous post in this series—but it has also encouraged more driving, even in otherwise walkable places with plenty of options for getting around. Cities, towns, and even individual business owners can seize this as an opportunity to encourage a much more balanced and efficient transportation landscape.
Your community’s free parking is costing you money
Everyone pays for free parking, whether or not they use it.
Parking minimums are a barrier to housing development
Right now there are almost eight parking spaces per person in America amounting to almost two billion parking spaces, yet there is a housing shortage of almost two million housing units. How did we get here?
Honoring LOCUS founding member Bernie Glieberman: A visionary leader in smart growth development
LOCUS, Smart Growth America’s advocacy coalition for triple-bottom-line real estate developers, is deeply saddened by the passing of Bernie Glieberman, a founding member of LOCUS and visionary developer. Bernie’s dedication to ensuring accessible housing and livable neighborhoods for everyday Americans helped shape LOCUS’ mission from its earliest days. His vision and unwavering commitment to improving … Continued
Building Resilience: Housing Access in Greater New Orleans Post-Disaster
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
Press release: Six counties selected for inaugural Counties for Housing Solutions cohort
The National Association of Counties (NACo) and Smart Growth America announced the launch of the first Counties for Housing Solutions (C4HS) cohort, a program designed to increase housing supply in urban counties.
Health equity and the built environment
From reduced opportunities to travel by bike or foot to a lack of parks and green spaces, our built environment actively contributes to the state of our physical and mental well-being, and nowhere is its negative impact felt more than in Black and Brown communities.
Now hiring: Land Use and Development Intern
Smart Growth America (SGA) and its Land Use and Development team are looking to recruit a Fall 2024 intern to support its economic development portfolio and technical assistance work. Organizational Overview About Smart Growth America Smart Growth America is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a country where no matter where you live, or who … Continued