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The short- and long-term benefits of better development strategies
Last week Smart Growth America Vice President of Policy Development and Implementation traveled to Nashville to unveil new research about development trends there.
Partnership in the News: 20 communities receive grants to plan for brownfield cleanup and reuse
Groundwork Hudson Valley, which help residents reclaim and revitalize communities with great need, is one of this year’s grant recipients.Photo via Groundwork Hudson Valley.
Twenty communities looking to bolster their economy by revitalizing abandoned land will have the help of a 2013 Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced last week.
EPA’s Brownfields Area-Wide Planning program provides funding for research, technical assistance and training that will result in an area-wide plan and implementation strategy for key brownfield sites. EPA launched the program in 2010 with the goal of adopting a broader approach to brownfield redevelopment.
Partnership in the News: Bergen County, NJ wants transportation choices, less traffic, more walking and biking
At a recent public workshop, residents of Bergen County noted that sitting in traffic, few transportation choices, and the lack of affordable housing are things they’d like to see changed.
Together North Jersey, a partnership between 60 local governments, public agencies, non-profits, and others, held the workshop to begin to find out what residents of the 13-county region like about where they live and what they would change. Eventually that input will be turned into a development plan to deal with uneven job growth, high taxes, and an aging population among other regional concerns.
Video: Bill Fulton on development strategies and taxpayer savings in Nashville, TN
Earlier this week, Smart Growth America’s Vice President of Policy Development and Implementation Bill Fulton spoke in Nashville, TN as part of the NashvilleNext speakers series. Watch the full video of his presentation above.
During the talk Fulton detailed Smart Growth America’s analysis of three development scenarios in Nashville-Davidson County. See our earlier posts with the research’s full findings and our Storify recap of the event.
Smart Growth America Joins Source Water Collaborative
John Larson, CEO of the National Association of Conservation Districts with SGA President and CEO Geoff Anderson
Smart Growth America became an official member of the national Source Water Collaborative on Monday during a celebration of the Collaborative’s seventh anniversary. SGA CEO Geoff Anderson joined National Association of Conservation Districts’ CEO John Larsen to become the 24th and 25th members of the Collaborative, which also includes national associations of water agencies and water utilities, federal agencies, and non-profit groups such as the Trust for Public Land and the River Network.
In his remarks, Anderson referred to the similarities between the national Smart Growth Network and the Collaborative. “The Source Water Collaborative creates an opportunity for us to work with critical partners to help local governments save money and protect resources for the long haul. Smart growth works at the federal, state and local level to help communities get out in front of environmental problems – whether from air and water pollution, flooding, or destruction of habitat and working lands.”
Bill Fulton speaks about smart growth strategies and unveils new research at Nashville Next
Bill Fulton speaking last night in Nashville. Photo via Nashville Next.
Smart Growth America’s Vice President of Policy Development and Implementation Bill Fulton spoke in Nashville last night as part of the Nashville Next speaker series.
During the discussion Fulton unveiled new research about development strategies in Nashville, including ways the city could reduce costs and improve its bottom line. Here’s what attendees had to say about the talk.
DOT announces fifth round of TIGER grants
On Monday the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the availability of $474 million in Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants for 2013.
DOT is looking for surface transportation projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a region, or a metropolitan area and projects, such as:
- Improve existing transportation facilities and systems;
- Contribute to American economic competitiveness;
- Create and preserve jobs;
- Increase transportation choices and access to transportation services for people in communities across the U.S.;
- Improve energy efficiency, reduce dependence on oil, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and
- Improve safety.
New analysis of Nashville area development reveals opportunity for public savings
The Watermark restaurant in The Gulch district in Nashville. The Gulch generated far more revenue per unit than the two other development scenarios. Photo by The Gulch.
Tennessee taxpayers could save money by using smarter development strategies, according to new research published by Smart Growth America.
Fiscal impact analyses of three development scenarios in Nashville-Davidson County, TN (PDF) examines the public costs and benefits of three development scenarios in Nashville-Davidson County: The Gulch, a smart growth oriented development project; Lennox Village, a New Urbanist-style development in a ‘greenfield’ location; and Bradford Hills, a conventional suburban residential subdivision outside of the city.
Partnership in the News: Reinvent PHX aims for walkability
Pheonix began to see its future a little differently in 2008, when the city began operating a 29-mile light rail line with 28 stations. To take advantage of this new infrastructure, Phoenix focused the city’s growth and giving its residents with what they wanted: more housing and transportation choices.