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Spotlight on Sustainability: Western New Hampshire

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With more and more emphasis being placed on personal health in relation to healthy, vibrant communities, western New Hampshire has joined the numerous places around the county working to improve access to healthy food choices for all sectors of the population. Through funding provided by a U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Community Challenge Grant, the Upper Valley Lake Sunapee Regional Planning Commission (UVLSRPC) is spearheading an effort to not only assess the geographic availability of healthy food options in relation to housing, but to then work with municipalities who hope to turn that analysis into a concrete set of policy changes that ensure accessibility, lower obesity rates, and improve public health.

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Smart Growth Stories: A Mayor’s Perspective

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Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory is on a mission to support economic development in his city, and he’s using smart growth and downtown development strategies to accomplish that goal.

“People were slow to embrace some of the changes we were proposing because they didn’t necessarily see how, say, the development of a street car would lead to more jobs,” Mallory says in Smart Growth America’s first “Smart Growth Stories” video interview. “They didn’t necessarily see how investing so much money in downtown allowed for improvements in neighborhoods. So I’ve had to explain to people that downtown is the engine, the economic engine, for everything that happens in our entire region.”

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Cloture Vote on Senate Transportation Bill Falls Short

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WASHINGTON D.C. — President and CEO Geoffrey Anderson released the following statement after the Senate’s cloture vote today on its surface transportation authorization: “Smart Growth America is disheartened to learn that members could not reach full agreement and cloture on MAP-21. Though today’s efforts were unsuccessful, we remain confident in the Senate’s bi-partisan bill and … Continued

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Senate’s vote on bi-partisan transportation bill tomorrow crucial for economic development, great neighborhoods

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Smart Growth America lauds latest draft of surface transportation authorization MAP-21, pushes for successful cloture vote Tuesday WASHINGTON DC — The newest version of the Senate transportation bill, presented by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) with bi-partisan support, includes key provisions that preserve existing infrastructure, grow the economy and improve the mobility of all Americans. … Continued

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Partnership in the News: Somerville Residents Planning for Future

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Three years of work have paid off, with the release of Somerville, Massachusett’s first 20-year comprehensive plan, reports the Somerville Journal.

“This is an extraordinary achievement made possible by the hard work of hundreds of community-minded contributors both inside and outside government,” said Mayor Joe Curtatone at the event. “Because it is based on so much public input and review, it truly represents a consensus view of our values and priorities as a community.”

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Partnership in the News: Chamber of Commerce Leaders Promote Southwest Light Rail Line in St. Paul

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A study commissioned by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, and the TwinWest Chamber, as reported by Minneapolis-St. Paul’s KARE 11,

found that 76 percent of Minnesotans polled agree the state would benefit from expanded public transportation. The same poll showed that 69 percent would like to use public transportation more often.

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Upcoming Webinars: March 2012

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Thursday, March 8, 2012, 2:30pm – 4:00pm ET. From Grassroots to Grasstops: Values-Driven Planning, Issue Identification, and Partnership Building for Scenarios Planning. Register here.

Thursday, March 15, 2012, 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET. Advancing Local Sustainability Initiatives through Improved Stormwater Management. Register here.

Thursday, March 22, 2012, 2:30pm – 4:00pm. Off the Starting Block: Data Gathering, Assessment, and Scenarios Modeling Tools Selection. Register here.

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Western North Carolina looks to harness regional potential

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It’s thousands of miles from more recognized hubs of smart growth activity like Seattle and San Francisco, but Western North Carolina has emerged as one of the nation’s leading examples of what is possible when regional planning and economic development strategies find common ground.

Thanks to a $1.6 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, government officials, local citizens and business leaders in the region are taking control of their communities’ future. If recent initiatives meet with the success they promise, an area that was once an afterthought even for many North Carolinians might become a staging ground for new businesses at the forefront of the state’s economy.

“I want my kids and grandkids to have a future here,” said Mark Burrows, Planning and Economic Development Director for Transylvania County. “Even before we knew what sustainability was, this is what we have always wanted…a place where there are jobs and people can walk to work.”

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