Smart Growth and Economic Prosperity: A Sourcebook

The economic benefits of smart growth are broad and deep. The experience of communities across the country, urban to rural, shows that smart growth directly reduces public costs, improves rates of return for public and private investors, and avoids the expensive environmental, health and social equity costs of sprawl.

This overwhelming evidence is only helpful if we can put it to work when we need it. The goal of this Sourcebook is to help you do that.

Uncategorized

New York passes bill to make infrastructure investments smarter

In a time when state public infrastructure funds are already stretched thin, can we afford to exacerbate the problem by making infrastructure decisions that support sprawl, requiring expensive extension of roads and utilities? According to the New York state legislature the answer is no. Last month the state passed the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act.

Uncategorized

North Carolina passes Sustainable Communities Task Force legislation

The North Carolina General Assembly recently passed legislation establishing a Sustainable Communities Task Force within the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. North Carolina is now the latest state to recognize the connections between cross-agency governance at the state level, coordination with stakeholders at the local level, and sustainable communities on the ground.

Uncategorized

Now available: guaranteed high-return investments

In his New York Times blog yesterday, Edward Glaeser asks for nuance and careful thinking on the question of whether countries should spend their way out of the recession: there’s no one answer, and we need to look carefully at the situations different countries are in. Similarly with different kinds of public spending. Some work, some don’t. It’s a good argument, but one he then fails to apply to infrastructure.

Uncategorized

DOT, HUD Give State and Local Agencies More Flexibility on FHWA Projects

In an effort to enhance livability and sustainability initiatives, DOT and HUD have created a new process that removes conflict between HUD and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) contracting requirements. The initiative was published in today’s Federal Register. From the Federal Register notice… Under this initiative, the FHWA will utilize Special Experimental Project No. 14 (SEP-14) to permit, on … Continued

Uncategorized

Webinar: TIGER II Discretionary Grants and HUD Community Challenge Planning Grants

Webinar: National Infrastructure Investments (TIGER II Discretionary Grants) and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Community Challenge Planning Grants Date/Time:  Thursday, July 1 at 2:00pm EDT The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and HUD have issued a joint solicitation for the two planning grant programs in order to better align transportation, housing, economic development, … Continued

Uncategorized

Webinar: Sustainable Communities Grant Program

Sustainable Communities Grant Program: Opportunities for Public Health Leadership and Healthy Community Design Date/Time: Wednesday, July 7, 1:00 – 2:30pm EDT Speakers will include: Rajiv Bhatia, Director of Occupational and Environmental Health, San Francisco Department of Public Health Karen Nikolai, Hennepin County (Minn.) Community Design Liaison Dwayne Marsh, Senior Advisor, HUD Office of Sustainable Housing … Continued

Uncategorized