Rural communities across the country have abundant natural beauty and a heritage of hard work. By bridging the gap in broadband capabilities, these communities are creating a new resource for their current residents and making themselves more competitive in the national economy.
This was a huge year for Smart Growth America. So big, in fact, that we wanted to share with you some of our highlights.
Photo credit: Recast City
Last month we announced a new, free technical assistance workshop designed to help communities incorporate small-scale manufacturing into neighborhood revitalization efforts.
To learn more about this opportunity and small-scale manufacturing, join us for an informational webinar Monday, December 19, 2016 at 2:00 pm EST. This online event is free, but registration is required.
When we opened applications for our free standard technical assistance workshops earlier this fall, one type of assistance we offered was a brand new Complete Streets Consortium Series.
The Consortium Series is an opportunity for three communities from the same state to work closely together to implement Complete Streets—streets that are safe and accessible for people of all ages and abilities.
Five communities working to support development around transit projects will get a big boost this year thanks to technical assistance from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), in partnership with Smart Growth America.
The National Public Transportation/Transit-Oriented Development Technical Assistance Initiative is a four-year project of FTA in partnership with Smart Growth America that helps communities across the country build equitable, compact, mixed-use development around transit stations or along transit corridors, with a focus on development in economically disadvantaged areas.
Participants at our 2016 workshop in Chattanooga, TN.
Last week we announced the six new communities that will receive one of our free standard technical assistance workshops in 2017. This program, now in its sixth year and funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Sustainable Communities’ Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Program, has helped more than 70 communities across the country use development strategies to meet their goals.
As we look forward to working with next year’s communities, we wanted to take a moment to look back on the diversity of faces and places we’ve visited this year.
The Southern Gateway’s iconic view of downtown Raleigh.
Raleigh, NC is well on its way to becoming one of the South’s next major population hubs. To accommodate that rapid population growth and to help more people participate in the economic growth it will likely entail, Raleigh leaders are planning to create a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line. In October, Smart Growth America traveled to Raleigh to convene a Successful and Equitable Revitalization workshop to help the community ensure that project is both economically successful and socially equitable.
Over the last several years we’ve worked with more than 100 communities as part of our technical assistance program.
Today I’m excited to announce six more.
Small-scale manufacturers like woodworkers, steel fabricators, hardware prototypers, microbrewers, and coffee roasters with regional distribution have emerged as a significant force in today’s urban economy. For many cities and neighborhoods suffering the loss of skilled-labor employers, this emerging, city-oriented industrial sector offers a powerful revitalization tool that can connect residents to good paying jobs and economic opportunity in the neighborhoods they call home.
Pittsburg, KS is turning to its rich history as a mining and manufacturing hub to forge a plan for sustainable growth.