Building great places through small-scale manufacturing


Smart Growth America is once again soliciting applications for a new round of free technical assistance for communities interested in using small-scale manufacturing as a strategy to create economic opportunity, boost the prospects of Main Street, and build great places.

Uncategorized

KC Streetcar: A demonstration of the possible


This month on Building Better Communities with Transit we’re joined by the Executive Director of the KC Streetcar Authority, Tom Gerend. In 2016, Kansas City, MO opened the first streetcar the city has seen in almost 60 years and transformed the city’s downtown. Former skeptics of the line are now some of the KC Streetcar’s biggest proponents as businesses have boomed and more people are moving to—and spending in—the center city. The 2.2 mile KC Streetcar, akin to a downtown circulator, is “a demonstration of the possible.”

Uncategorized

Building affordable housing around transit: plan ahead and spread it out


Cities of all sizes are facing a shortage of housing for their poorest, most vulnerable residents. And a smaller set of booming cities are becoming completely unaffordable to even the middle class. To ensure enough attainable housing is built to satisfy demand, particularly as new transit service comes to an area and raises land values, such housing has to be planned for and spread out as much as possible.

Economic development LOCUS Uncategorized

FY18 spending bill protects community development and affordable housing programs, reauthorizes EPA Brownfield program


Today, the House of Representatives passed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018—a $1.3 trillion proposal to fund the federal government through September 30, 2018. The omnibus package demonstrates strong bipartisan support for rebuilding our nation’s neighborhoods and repairing its crumbling infrastructure and is expected to move swiftly through the Senate and be signed into law by President Trump in the coming days.

Advocacy LOCUS Uncategorized

Bipartisan omnibus bill represents a strong federal commitment to local communities

Yesterday, congressional leaders released a bipartisan FY18 omnibus funding agreement. In response Smart Growth America President and CEO Geoff Anderson issued the following statement: “This bipartisan appropriations bill reflects a strong federal commitment to rebuilding our country’s neighborhoods and investing in a range of federal programs that will help local leaders and advocates build strong … Continued

Uncategorized

Albuquerque investing in place


In this month’s episode of Building Better Communities with Transit, we connect with a planner who helped bring high-quality bus rapid transit to Albuquerque. ART, as the new line is called, is just one project but it forms a frequent and reliable backbone for Albuquerque’s entire transportation system.

Uncategorized