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
Land use and transportation are inherently intertwined. For example, even a strong network of bike lanes or sidewalks will not be used if people have to travel long distances to get from one destination to another. Although land use and transportation should be considered an inseparable pair, we often find that many people have difficulty connecting them.
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
Last month, we spent two days with Complete Streets Champion Institute alumni and community leaders to discuss strategies for implementing Complete Streets in our communities. The event served as an opportunity to connect elected officials, allowing policymakers from across the United States to build capacity, work together, and find solutions to their shared challenges with … 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 fall, SGA concluded a technical assistance partnership with two Massachusetts community organizations, CultureHouse in Somerville and Westside Legends in Pittsfield. The Massachusetts Technical Assistance programming included three distinct phases of support for the two community organizations in their efforts to advance affordable housing production and economic development opportunities in their respective communities. CultureHouse: Encouraging … Continued
Smart Growth America is excited to announce the recipients of the Healing Our Highways grant program. With support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge Foundation, Healing Our Highways will support creative ideas and activities that build knowledge, connection, and power within disadvantaged communities harmed by transportation systems and climate change. Beginning … Continued
This post was authored by Madlyn McAuliffe, communications manager for NUMO, with support from Justyn Huckleberry (NUMO) and Harriet Tregoning (NUMO). NUMO is a partner on Smart Growth America’s Community Connectors grant program. When you hear “infrastructure,” most people naturally think of the physical built environment — roads, bridges, buildings. There’s a lot less emphasis … Continued
Clarksville’s Levee Park Beautification Project, supported by T-Mobile funding and Smart Growth America technical assistance, activated underutilized space in the rural community’s downtown, attracting new development and creating a gathering space for locals and visitors alike.
What is the Healing Our Highways grant program? Smart Growth America, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Kresge Foundation, is launching our new grant program: Healing Our Highways. This initiative aims to generate creative ideas and activities that build knowledge, connections, and power within disadvantaged communities most harmed by transportation … Continued