Smart Growth Around America

Seneca Falls Ped Crossing, originally uploaded by faceless b. Photo credit: EPA Smart Growth.

A new day is dawning in New York. On August 30, Governor Paterson signed New York State’s exciting smart growth infrastructure act into law.

“The Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act has helped to propel New York to the front of the line among states who are working toward more sustainable development. Reforms like this don’t happen every day — this law marks a real victory for New York. The taxpayers of New York will reap the benefits of more cost effective, fiscally prudent, environmentally friendly growth,” explains SGA President and CEO Geoff Anderson.

As Governor Paterson’s press release details, the act:

…establishes Smart Growth criteria in State law, requires several State agencies to create Smart Growth Advisory Committees that would evaluate public infrastructure investments based on the Smart Growth criteria, and requires such infrastructure investments, to the extent practicable, to meet the criteria.

“An investment in smart, sustainable growth is an investment in the long-term fiscal, economic and environmental sustainability of the State,” Governor Paterson said. “At a time when I’ve been putting all State spending under a microscope, this bill will promote fiscally sound and economically beneficial investments of taxpayer dollars that will help New York survive and thrive in the New Economy.”

Smart Growth America congratulates New York on leading the nation toward more fiscally prudent use of its infrastructure funding.  We look forward to seeing the smart growth criteria applied and hope to elevate this act as a model for other states across the country.

For more information on the Smart Growth Public Infrastructure Policy Act, see this blog post from Rayla Bellis at SGA.

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Smart Growth America is looking for a highly qualified individual to fill the position of Director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design. This position offers a tremendous opportunity to work at the cutting edge of state and local smart growth policy with top level officials and experts, developing innovative policy options and disseminating best practices around building sustainable, creative and livable communities across the country.

Job Description:

The Director of the Governors’ Institute on Community Design is responsible for managing the Institute. The Director will work closely with high-level state and local officials, top consultants and policy experts, will take a leading role in determining policy recommendations for state and local officials across a broad range of topics related to growth and development, including transportation, urban design and planning, economic development, creative placemaking, arts-based development, real estate, energy, sustainability, equity, and government management. The director will help determine overall program direction working in conjunction with federal agency partners, including the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Primary tasks include recruiting state and local officials to participate in the Institute’s programs, managing a small staff as well as teams of outside consultants, devising the structure and content of policy workshops and other high level convenings, drafting reports to state officials, providing guidance to stakeholders on available resources at the state level, and conducting follow up to support specific policy changes. Additional duties include fundraising and grant management, including funder relations. The GICD director will report to SGA’s director of technical assistance. Travel required.

Minimum 5 years experience working on local or state policy and have knowledge of sustainable and livable communities practices and programs.
Significant familiarity with at least three of the following policy areas: transportation, creative placemaking, urban design and planning, economic development, real estate, energy, sustainability, equity, or government management..
• Excellent presentation and writing skills.
Great attention to detail.
Experience managing consultants.

Compensation: Salary will be commensurate with experience, and range from $75-90K. SGA provides excellent benefits, competitive with non-profit organizations in the Washington, DC region.

How to apply: To be considered for this position, please submit application materials to jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org. Please include the job title in the subject line. A complete application will include: 1) resume, 2) cover letter, 3) three references, and 4) short writing sample (not to exceed four pages). Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled. Job is available immediately.

Equal Opportunity Employment: Equal employment opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at Smart Growth America.

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Tags: Jobs

Smart Growth America is seeking an enthusiastic candidate for advocacy work with a new SGA initiative to expand a coalition of smart growth real estate professionals called LOCUS: Responsible Real Estate Developers and Investors. The associate will manage the day-to-day organizing of the coalition, develop communication materials, and create outreach strategies for this unique initiative committed to federal policies that support the smart growth real estate sector. The associate will mobilize executives and leaders in real estate (grasstops leaders) to ensure that the progressive real estate voice is heard in federal transportation, tax, water, and climate debates.

The applicant must be a dynamic individual, prepared to speak to audiences, and recruit and organize private developers and investors, non-profit developers, and related business leaders. This position requires experience in grasstops/executive leadership organizing and political engagement. Knowledge of real estate, smart growth, financing, transit-oriented development, or infill projects is a plus. Tasks will range from working with the President of LOCUS, building relationships with national smart growth developers and their staff, engaging members in legislative and policy actions, developing marketing materials, and cultivating new members.

The associate will work in the Washington, D.C. office of Smart Growth America, will be a member of the government affairs team, and report to the team lead. The associate will work closely with the President of LOCUS, and SGA’s Policy and Communications teams. LOCUS works with the Transportation for America campaign, and its advocacy efforts on reforming transportation policy. This is a full-time position.

Responsibilities:

• Develop recruiting tools and outreach materials to engage current and potential members in advocacy and media efforts.
• Organize strategic activities with LOCUS members both in DC and in other target locations, including coalition member summits and Hill briefings.
• Draft policy briefs for members on key legislative topics.
• Integrate LOCUS members into appropriate legislative campaigns at SGA on such issues as climate, real estate finance, water, and transportation.
• Work with communications staff to create media opportunities for members, a web presence for the coalition, and coalition marketing materials.
• Build the capacity of coalition members to engage target members of Congress about key legislative issues.
• Create a web presence, out reach materials and a brand identity for the LOCUS initiative
• Report regularly to the President of LOCUS, team lead, and the coalition steering committee with written documentation of results.

Qualifications:

This position requires a self-motivated and detail-oriented person with excellent organizing skills. The candidate must have good communication and interpersonal skills, and be able to work independently with minimal supervision.

The candidate should have:

• A minimum of one to three years experience in organizing for political or issue campaigns.
• Interest in real estate, urban planning, finance, water, and/or transportation issues.
• Experience with grasstops leaders through an association or political campaign is a plus.
• Some Hill experience is preferable but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and meet deadlines with willingness to be part of a team working towards a common goal.
• Availability for travel.
• Strong communication and writing skills and an ability to work with a diverse group of people and audiences.
• Ability to recruit and maintain members on-line, in person and by phone.
• Proven ability to report on numbers, metrics and analysis of coalition capacity and activity success.

Compensation: Salary will be commensurate with experience. Smart Growth America provides a generous benefits package.

How to apply:

To be considered for this position, please submit application materials to jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org. A complete application will include: 1) resume, 2) cover letter, 3) three references, and 4) short writing sample (not to exceed two pages).

Resumes will be accepted until the position is filled. Job is available immediately.
Equal Opportunity Employment: Smart Growth America is an equal opportunity employer.

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Tags: Jobs

CNT tours Cleveland’s HealthLine, a Bus Rapid Transit route along Euclid Corridor, originally uploaded by Center for Neighborhood Technology.

It may be time to evolve from “an apple a day” to “a train ride a day” to keep the doctor away.

A new study from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) reports that residents of transit oriented, smart growth communities live healthier, longer lives. Living in these places lowers risk in five of the 10 leading causes of death, including cancer, heart disease, and car accidents.

Why is this the case? Individuals who live near a quality public transportation system drive less, which significantly reduces the risk of an accident. They spend more time walking, which improves overall fitness. Public transportation creates less pollution per passenger mile than cars, which decreases the risk of some cancers and birth defects.

In sum, says APTA president William Millar, “Public transportation enhances the overall quality of life of an individual and a community.”

Fortunately, if you are hunting for your next home and want to reap the health benefits of a strong public transportation system, there’s a new online tool to help. As an added bonus, it helps you estimate just how much extra money could fill your pockets instead of your gas tank.

The developer of the popular Walk Score calculator, which rates the walkability of neighborhoods on a 1-100 scale, has just launched a similar tool called Transit Score in more than 40 cities. Many real estate sites already use Walk Score to help consumers make healthy housing choices. ZipRealty.com announced that it expects to introduce Transit Score, as well.

After calculating a Transit Score, clicking the Commute tab will reveal the estimated housing-plus-transportation costs for the address entered. Zillow.com provides the housing cost estimates while Abogo, a tool from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) calculates the transportation costs using estimates for car ownership, gas, and transit.

Visit Abogo directly to see maps depicting the range of transportation costs across a region. It’s striking what a difference it can make on a household budget to move just a few short miles.

Having more transportation choices can improve your health and financial well-being. And with Transit Score, you now have one more tool to help you make the healthiest choice for you and your family. Forget an apple a day – how ’bout these apples?

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Tags: Driving, New Reports, public health, Transit, Transportation, Walkability

rock bottom rollback, originally uploaded by sssteve.o.

Doug Simpson shares one education company’s exciting efforts — presented last Friday at the Louisiana Smart Growth Summit — to breathe new life into abandoned big box retailers.

AUGUST 20, 2010 – An Alabama-based adult education company seeks out vacant “big box” retail sites and shopping malls to rehabilitate and turn into new campuses, the company’s marketing chief said today.

Don Keith, a vice president at Education Corporation of America, said a planned new campus in an old shopping mall in Baton Rouge will be the latest in a string of old retail properties the firm has modified and transformed into classrooms and offices. The company plans to open a campus of its Virginia College at the site of the former Cortana Mall in Baton Rouge.

“We love abandoned Wal-Marts and K-Marts,” Keith told a group of community planners. “And there are a lot of them out there.”

Keith spoke at the Smart Growth Summit, an annual gathering of those involved in community planning in Louisiana occurring this week. The summit is organized by the Center for Planning Excellence, a nonprofit organization that facilitates planning processes at multiple community scales.

Keith’s company has also opened campuses in old retail sites in Chattanooga, Tenn., Jacksonville, Fla., and Birmingham, Ala., he said. The company’s headquarters, in Birmingham, is at a former headquarters of HealthSouth Corp., he said.

Also speaking at the summit’s forum on reusing empty buildings was Karen True, community development director at Bellevue, Wash.-based Third Place Company. Her company got its start with a bookstore in a then-abandoned mall, which has since expanded with shops and restaurants and now regularly hosts concerts, health fairs and other events.

For more information on the Smart Growth Summit, visit http://summit.cpex.org

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Tags: big box, Coalition Members, redevelopment, Sprawl

Capitol Grocery, originally uploaded by de*.

Doug Simpson provides us the following update from the 2010 Louisiana Smart Growth Summit, underway now in Baton Rouge:

AUGUST 19, 2010 – The federal government is expected to continue providing funding for cities to expand passenger rail service because public transport can drive down travel costs for residents, trigger economic growth and reduce pollution, Beth Osborne, deputy assistant secretary with the U.S. Department of Transportation, said today.

She also said high-speed rail linking cities such as Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Houston would spur economic growth for the entire region.

“We know that high-speed rail is the new frontier,” Osborne said.

The federal government has thus far offered state and local governments over $10 billion in grants for high-speed rail, with more grants expected next year, she said, add that, thus far, most grant winners have been regions where all levels of government work together on rail projects.

Osborne spoke via teleconference at the Smart Growth Summit in Baton Rouge. The annual summit is organized by the Center for Planning Excellence, a nonprofit organization that facilitates planning processes at multiple community scales throughout Louisiana.

For more information and eventual video of the summit’s speakers, go to http://summit.cpex.org.

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The National Complete Streets Coalition has an opportunity available for a qualified candidate:

Strategic Partnership Manager

The National Complete Streets Coalition seeks an experienced candidate to manage our relationships with Coalition partners, advance our federal policy goals, and oversee our new project to help measure the effectiveness of Complete Streets policy implementation. This is a tremendous opportunity that features a great deal of responsibility, direct collaboration with a diverse national organizations, and valuable hands-on experience.

For more information and to apply, see the National Complete Streets Coalition job listing.

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Tags: Complete Streets, Jobs

Affordable Senior Housing, originally uploaded by faceless b.

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the combined burden of housing and transportation on low-income families. Many household budgets are being squeezed and people from every income level are looking to decrease their costs.

A number of new studies have shown that neighborhoods that seem affordable when housing costs are examined alone (usually distant from a city center) become very expensive when the costs of commuting to work and accessing everyday essentials are added into the equation. The good news is that federal lawmakers are recognizing this cost and setting in place policies that will help to ensure that poor households aren’t overwhelmed by housing OR transportation costs.

In late July, the House Financial Services Committee approved the Housing Preservation and Tenant Protection Act of 2010 (HR 4868). The legislation is aimed at stemming the loss of affordable rental units across the country and preventing the displacement of low-income tenants in the process. And thanks to an amendment that Smart Growth America worked on with Representative Lynch’s (D-MA) office to add to the bill, it will do a better job of ensuring that the units located near regional job centers, within walking distance of essential community services, and, where applicable, near a planned or existing transit station, are prioritized in that process.

It will also direct the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to gather information about the proximity of subsidized housing units to transit stations and frequently served bus stations, and the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide the data HUD needs to do so – a critical (currently missing) piece that will allow researchers to more accurately track linkages between affordable housing and transportation choices.

Because land prices in walkable places are at a premium, creating new affordable housing that is close to jobs and transit stations can be very expensive for cash-strapped public agencies, making the preservation of existing units a critical strategy. Unfortunately, though, a 2009 study of 20 major metropolitan areas found that federal contracts for 69% of affordable apartments located within a ½-mile radius of public transit stations were set to expire by 2014 . Representative Lynch’s amendment will help make sure that we don’t lose those units, and create a brighter future for the low-income families, elderly, and disabled residents that call them home.

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Fountain streetscape silver spring, originally uploaded by faceless b and credited to EPA Smart Growth.

Young professionals seek bustling career centers. Parents want their kids to have more options for biking and walking. Empty-nesters crave more nightlife options and more manageable homes. And seniors seek a level of independence that car-dependent communities cannot provide.

For all these reasons and more, demand for amenity-rich, walkable, urban smart growth development has been steadily increasing for years.

But this Reuters Special Report suggests that—in an economy that’s struggling to regain its footing—money is what’s sealing the deal for many urban smart growth projects around the country. For developers, homeowners, and governments, there are dollars to be saved and dollars to be made.

Some of the report’s attention-grabbing stats include:

Money for developers

• A home that is located within walking distance of amenities carries a home price premium of $4,000 to $34,000 (2009 CEOs for Cities report)
• Smart growth housing also carries a “virtue premium,” the additional price that consumers are willing to pay for environmentally friendly living
• Public-private partnerships for smart growth, which new federal grant opportunities increasingly incentivize, make developments even more affordable
• More and more studies and successes demonstrate that high market demand for smart growth exists

Money for consumers

• During the recession, homes located near downtowns tended to retain value, while houses located in fringe suburbs  experienced the deepest plunges (2008 Zillow report)
• Walkable neighborhoods with transportation options help to insulate consumers from volatile gas prices

Money for state and local governments

• Even in the midst of recession, 76% of ballot initiatives to raise taxes in support of transportation passed in 2008 and 2009, compared to 35% in the past (Center for Transportation Excellence)
• “[L]ocal governments reap much more in taxes from urban centers than from malls or “big box” retail like a Wal-Mart, but pay more to build suburban infrastructure such as sewers and streets.”
• For example, in Sarasota County, Florida, an urban residential development generates 830% more in annual county taxes than a comparable multi-family suburban development. And, the clincher: In Sarasota, “Suburban housing takes 42 years to pay off its infrastructure costs” while downtown infrastructure is paid off in 3. (Curious for more? A presentation on Sarasota’s study can be found here)

However you approach it, smart growth makes short- and long-term financial sense. If you’re resource conscious, that’s reason enough to rethink development patterns.

The recession has forced governments and businesses to cut back on services and amenities consumers would normally like to have. In this case, however, the revenue-generating, cost-saving approach lines right up with what a growing number of Americans both need and want.

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Tags: Economy, Sprawl, suburbs, Trends

Downtown intersection, originally uploaded by Complete Streets.

Building local capacity to plan for growth and development in ways that cut traffic congestion, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, protect rural areas and green space, revitalize urban centers, and create more affordable homes just makes sense.

Today, the Senate moved forward a bill that would provide federal resources to help make that happen.

The Livable Communities Act, passed out of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee this morning, would establish a number of grant programs at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) that would give local decision makers in all kinds of towns and cities the resources they need to pursue the livable communities their residents want, including:

• A Comprehensive Planning Grant Program that would fund planning activities aimed at integrating transportation, housing, economic development, and environmental issues;
• A Challenge Grant Program that would fund the implementation of projects, programs, or policies identified in these integrated regional plans;
• A Small and Rural Communities Grant Program that would set aside 15% of funds under both the grant programs above for small and rural communities; and
• A Regeneration Planning Grant Demonstration Program that would provide funding for communities that have lost population and are coping with widespread housing abandonment to develop sustainable strategies for reclaiming vacant properties.

The Act would also put in place the office at HUD that would administer these programs, and coordinate the Interagency Partnership for Sustainable Communities. (More information on this Partnership can be found through the Initiative for Sustainable Communities and States.)

The Livable Communities Act is now poised to move to the Senate floor, a victory that was only made possible by the letters, emails, and calls from residents, mayors, and organizations – from small towns in Montana to struggling cities in Ohio to growing regions in Oregon – made to their Senators in favor of the bill. Thanks to this outpouring of support, localities interested in pursuing smart growth goals are now one step closer to having a new arsenal of tools to do so.

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Tags: Federal Policy, Livability, Policy, sustainability

[left to right]: Joshua Schank from the Bipartisan Policy Center, Geoff Anderson from Smart Growth America, and Deron Lovaas from the Natural Resources Defense Council discuss transportation policy with Ray Suarez on Destination Casa Blanca on July 29. Screenshot from HITN.

Transportation investment decisions have had many inequitable impacts on low-income and minority communities in the U.S.

How can transportation policy move us toward a system that rights these wrongs and meets the mobility needs of underserved populations?

“We have to do a better job of looking at the different impacts of our project decisions,” explained Geoff Anderson, President and CEO of Smart Growth America, on the latest episode of HITN’s Destination Casa Blanca.

Stream excerpts from the episode here.

“Really, if you aren’t driving a car, we’re not building a transportation system for you,” he continued, arguing that we must move away from that status quo and “enable everyone to participate in the community and to participate in the economy in a meaningful way.”

Joined by Joshua Schank from the Bipartisan Policy Center and Deron Lovaas from NRDC, Geoff discussed these transportation equity challenges with host Ray Suarez – and why he’s optimistic that we are moving toward solutions.

For example, scores of Complete Streets policies have passed around the country, which means that more and more streets will be designed to meet the needs of those who do not have access to a car. In addition, the range of people who recognize they have a stake in an improved transportation system continues to expand. “Frankly,” Geoff said, “transportation is too important to leave to transportation people…it affects us all on a daily basis.”

This broad-based commitment to reform is what will move us toward a future in which no one, regardless of background or income, has to encounter dangerous or impassable situations (like this one outside of Atlanta) just to get work or school.

Destination Casa Blanca is a weekly television show featuring roundtable analysis and political debate about issues of importance to the Latino community.

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Tags: Equity, Policy, Traffic, Transit, Transportation, Video

New York State Senate Chamber Originally uploaded by bill85704

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, which seeks to align state infrastructure investments with smart growth principles for a more efficient and sustainable use of funds.

The bill, which amends the state’s Environmental Conservation Law, requires state agencies to comply “to the extent practical” with specified smart growth criteria as they prioritize infrastructure projects, including:

• Advancing projects in already-developed areas and projects consistent with local governments’ plans for development.
• Prioritizing projects related to existing infrastructure over expansion.
• Protecting New York’s natural and historic resources.
• Fostering mixed land use, compact development, and affordable housing near jobs.
• Providing mobility through transportation choices and reducing automobile dependency.
• Coordinating planning among government jurisdictions
• Ensuring predictability in land use and building codes.

The bill specifies that all government agencies designated as “State Infrastructure Agencies” (those that do the bulk of infrastructure planning and spending, including transportation agencies and development agencies) establish a smart growth advisory committee to evaluate agency projects based on the criteria.  The committees must include environmental and community stakeholders.

According to Peter Fleischer, Executive Director of Empire State Future, “It’s a significant advance for Smart Growth principles, fiscal rectitude, and better land use practices in New York.” Empire State Future and their coalition played a crucial role in the passage of the legislation.

Senator Suzi Oppenheimer of Westchester and Assemblyman Sam Hoyt of Buffalo sponsored the bill. You can view the legislation here.

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Tags: Infrastructure, legislation, New York, Planning, SGA partner, Smart Growth Legislation

Rotunda Room, originally uploaded by dtraleigh.

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.

With $250,000 in state funding and six guiding principles that reflect the federal Sustainable Communities Partnership, the 13-member task force is charged with:

• Promoting regional sustainability partnerships
• Providing technical assistance to state agencies, local government, regional collaborations, and nonprofits
• Indentifying and pursuing sustainable development funding
• Making recommendations for sustainable development policies and program appropriations to Governor Bev Perdue, members of her cabinet, and the General Assembly
• Distributing task force grants to regional sustainable development partnerships
• Developing a common local government sustainable practices scoring system
• Pursuing opportunities for coordination among state agencies and reduced overlap in the responsibilities of regional entities

The task force’s design makes the connection between land use patterns and a range of sustainability challenges. Members include appointees from the North Carolina Departments of Commerce, Environment and Natural Resources, Transportation, Administration, Health and Human Services, and the Housing Finance Agency, as well as representatives from the North Carolina American Planning Association, county government, city government, a regional collaborative organization, a sustainability nonprofit, the building industry, and the banking industry.

State Senator Floyd B. McKissick, Jr. and State Representative Jennifer Weiss sponsored this legislation, which is based upon the work of the North Carolina General Assembly’s Legislative Study Commission on Urban Growth and Infrastructure Issues. The Governors’ Institute on Community Design, a project of the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, hosted an April workshop for Governor Bev Perdue, members of her cabinet, state legislators, and local leaders assisting with this and other sustainability initiatives in North Carolina.

As one of the fastest growing states in the country, North Carolina faces tremendous development needs. This task force leverages federal and state sustainability leadership to meet those needs through smart, sustainable development.

The Sustainable Communities Task Force legislation can be seen on pages 112-116 of S. 897, available here.

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Tags: Policy, SGA Programs, State Policy, sustainability