Technical assistance Archives - Page 18 of 29

Since the workshop: Focus on sustainability and neighborhood development helps fuel economic revitalization in Tacoma, WA

By Kevin Wender · June 15, 2015

tacoma-brewery The former Heidelberg brewery in Tacoma’s Brewery District neighborhood. Smart Growth America’s 2012 workshop looked at ways to revitalize the neighborhood. Photo by Corey Knafelz via Flickr.

Tacoma, WA is growing fast. The area is projected to be one of the top 10 U.S. metro areas for job growth through 2020, and City leaders are working to support and sustain that economic growth with a smart growth approach to development.

Tacoma’s leaders were already thinking about these strategies back in April 2012, when Smart Growth America conducted a technical assistance workshop with the City. Staff from Smart Growth America and our partner Criterion Planners worked with Tacoma officials and local residents to understand how a smart growth approach could support revitalization in the Hilltop/ Martin Luther King Jr. neighborhood and Dome/Brewery District. The workshop focused on using the Leadership for Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) tool to help city officials establish a framework to set goals, measurements, and eventually brand these neighborhoods as center for green development.

Changing zoning codes to make Charlottesville, VA more vibrant and sustainable

By Kevin Wender · May 14, 2015

Downtown Pedestrian Mall in Charlottesville, VA. Photo by Abi Bhattachan via Flickr.

Charlottesville, VA has ambitious plans to grow its economy while becoming a healthier, more sustainable place to live. In 1998, Charlottesville and surrounding Albemarle County adopted Sustainability Accords and in 2013 completed a regional livability plan. These plans have put forth an ambitious vision and to help achieve those goals, Charlottesville brought in some expert help.

On April 28 and 29, 2015, a technical assistance team from Smart Growth America visited Charlottesville to conduct a Sustainable Land Use Code Audit workshop. Our instructors met with community members to review key portions of the zoning code and to identify zoning changes that could help the city become more sustainable, healthy, and economically vibrant.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Sustainable Land Use Code Audit Charlottesville EPA TA SGA technical assistance Sustainable Land Use Code Audit Virginia

Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization focuses on long-term development goals during Smart Growth America workshop

By Kevin Wender · April 29, 2015

Downtown Cheyenne, WY. Photo via Flickr.

Cheyenne, WY is working to grow in ways that support the community’s economy as well as the quality of life for residents, and as part of that work the Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization welcomed experts from Smart Growth America on April 21 and 22, 2015 for a “Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health” technical assistance workshop.

Cheyenne-area residents joined the workshop’s first day for an introductory presentation that featured an overview of the relationship between how a community grows and the health of its economy and local finances.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health Cheyenne EPA TA Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health SGA technical assistance Wyoming

Macon-Bibb County, GA is making its revitalization vision a reality with help from Smart Growth America

By Kevin Wender · April 22, 2015

Downtown Macon, GA. Photo via NewTown Macon.

Macon-Bibb County, GA has big plans and a grand vision for how they want to revitalize their downtown. A workshop with Smart Growth America will help turn those plans into reality.

Smart Growth America traveled to Macon-Bibb on April 15 and 16, 2015 to conduct a workshop on Implementing Smart Growth 101. The workshop will help local leaders translate the plans for downtown revitalization into actionable next steps.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Implementing Smart Growth 101 EPA TA Georgia Smart Growth 101

Since the workshop: Region-wide prosperity is collaborative effort in Graham County, NC

By Kevin Wender · April 16, 2015

graham-county-nc A new regional vision will help Graham County, NC and its neighbors work together to achieve shared goals.

In April 2013, Smart Growth America traveled to Graham County, NC to hold a “Smart Growth 101” workshop for county staff. The workshop was designed to provide an introduction to smart growth development strategies, including ideas about how the county could work with other jurisdictions in the region to achieve its long-term goals.

This past January that work took a big step forward with the release of Opt-In SWNC: The Regional Vision. The report was authored by the Southwestern North Carolina Planning and Economic Development Commission, which represents a seven-county region in southwest North Carolina that includes Graham County.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Implementing Smart Growth 101 EPA TA Graham County North Carolina SGA technical assistance Smart Growth 101

Bentonville, AR workshop will inform the city’s comprehensive plan update

By Kevin Wender · April 16, 2015

Smart Growth America staff lead a technical assistance workshop in Bentonville, AR. Photo courtesy of the City of Bentonville.

Smart Growth America traveled to Bentonville, AR on April 1 and 2, 2015, to hold a workshop for city staff on “Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health.” The workshop, which was part of our 2015 free technical assistance program, was designed to help Bentonville plan for development in ways that support long term prosperity.

Bentonville is just beginning the process of updating the city’s comprehensive plan, which will guide development in the city for years to come. City officials will use what they learned in this month’s workshop to inform their work on the comprehensive plan moving forward. Bentonville was one of just 14 communities nationwide awarded a free workshop as part of this competitive program.

Technical assistance Arkansas Bentonville Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health EPA TA Planning for Economic and Fiscal Health Planning for fiscal and economic health SGA technical assistance

Evaluating Complete Streets Projects: A guide for practitioners

Across the country, government agencies are working to meet residents’ demands to be more responsive, transparent, and accountable in decisions and investments. Transportation agencies are not exempt from this call—and they face the additional challenges of dwindling capital and maintenance budgets. Performance measures, in the broad sense, provide a quantitative and, sometimes, qualitative indicator of … Continued

Complete Streets Technical assistance Transportation Complete Streets performance measurement Performance measures

The Fiscal Implications of Development Patterns: Overview

Every town, city, and county makes decisions about how to grow and what kind of development to build. These decisions shape entire neighborhoods and form the foundation of communities as we know them. These decisions can also have enormous implications for a municipality’s finances. Over the past 40 years research has shown that low-density, unconnected, … Continued

Advocacy Technical assistance Analysis Fiscal modeling Fiscal policy Land development Municipal costs Public budgets Public costs tax revenue

Vermont Agency of Transportation sets new standards for excellence

By Rayla Bellis · March 31, 2015

VTrans, in partnership with Smart Growth America, has unveiled a work program for revising the Vermont State Standards, which provide VTrans staff and other partners with direction in designing roadway transportation projects.

Technical assistance Design Guidelines M2D2 Multimodal projects Transportation Vermont Vermont State Standards VTrans

Franklin, TN hosts workshop to consider development strategies for economic growth

By Kevin Wender · March 10, 2015

Downtown Franklin, TN. Photo by Wayne Hsieh via Flickr.

Smart Growth America staff met with officials from the City of Franklin, TN, on March 3 and 4, 2015, to discuss a range of strategies to position Franklin for long-term economic growth in the context of new development pressures and rapid population growth. Franklin was awarded the two-day workshop as part of Smart Growth America’s annual free technical assistance competition.

Technical assistance Building Blocks for Sustainable Communities Grant Building Blocks: Implementing Smart Growth 101 EPA TA Smart Growth 101 Tennessee