Smart Growth America is pleased to introduce Katharine Burgess, our new vice president of land use and development, who brings long experience in land use planning, real estate, and climate resilience in the built environment.
Improving racial and social equity is directly connected to building strong local economies, but there’s a mistaken perception that those goals are opposed to one another. Done right, both goals are not just achievable, but essential to a smart growth approach. We’re going to spend the rest of the summer explaining how and why.
Reporting to SGA’s President & CEO, the VP will be responsible for setting the strategic direction for the Land Use and Development (LUD) Team, leading and motivating LUD staff, and helping to create a vision for the LUD team and SGA’s niche in the national conversation on housing, land use, zoning, community revitalization finance (e.g., opportunity zones) and equitable development, including issues of racial equity and economic inclusion.
How can communities build an economic recovery in the wake of the departure of a major employer? Our Technical Assistance for Nuclear Communities program heard from a few local leaders who have faced that challenge, and they shared some of the fundamental lessons and best practices that can help communities address many types of economic shock.
As former Maryland Governor Parris Glendening begins his transition away from Smart Growth America after nearly 20 years of service to the organization, we wanted to share a few reflections from our staff about how the Governor has affected us, shaped our work, and influenced our approach to smart growth.
Smart Growth America President & CEO Calvin Gladney and Governor Parris Glendening jointly announced that the former Maryland Governor and current President of the Smart Growth America Leadership Institute will be transitioning out of his current role at SGA, while staying on as a senior advisor for the next year.
Transportation for America (T4A), a program of Smart Growth America, supports the Southern Rail Commission (SRC) to promote passenger rail connecting Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana to each other and the broader nation. As part of this work, the SRC was awarded several planning and construction grants from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for both passenger rail stations and capital improvements to support better intercity passenger service along the Gulf Coast. T4A currently manages these grants for SRC and is seeking support for grant reporting.
Have a street that could be safer? Submit photos of your dangerous streets to be included in the 2021 Dangerous by Design report. As the Smart Growth America and Complete Streets team prepares for the upcoming release of Dangerous By Design 2021, our landmark report on pedestrian safety, we feel like we’re just waking up … Continued
Smart Growth America is excited to announce the selection of three transit agencies to participate in the second round of the Arts & Transportation Rapid Response initiative. A call for locally-based artists interested in working on the projects is now open.
COVID-19 has forced community leaders, planners, and placemakers to reconsider the value of shared spaces to every aspect of public life. Our new Public Realm Learning Journeys are bringing together leaders from three cities to learn what it takes to create and maintain public spaces that are attractive, safe, accessible to everyone, and meaningfully contributing … Continued