http://www.smartgrowth.org A selection of published news articles, resources, and events relating to smart growth issues. en-us Copyright 2003 DevX http://backend.userland.com/rss Tues, 28 Sep 2010 17:10:00 EST webmaster@smartgrowth.org http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7798 California has adopted goals for more healthy and sustainable communities that improves the way communities are planned and promotes more transportation choices. On September 23, the Air Resources Board adopted targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 and 2035 associated with passenger vehicle travel in the state's 18 Metropolitan Planning Organizations. The proposed targets, required under SB 375 (2008, Steinberg), are designed to help coordinate land use and transportation planning.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/u31XxLbA8GU" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 28 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/u31XxLbA8GU/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7798 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7801 Demolition is officially underway of a segment of Baltimore's infamous ''Highway to Nowhere.'' The demolition will make way for an expansion of parking at the West Baltimore MARC Station. The project will reunite the communities of West Baltimore that have been physically separated since the highway's construction in the early 1970s. The full improvement project is scheduled for completion in fall of 2010. Demolition of the ''Highway to Nowhere'' will support 35 jobs.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/V3S6nDU8DXY" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 28 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/V3S6nDU8DXY/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7801 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7800 U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has announced that 21 nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education will receive Promise Neighborhoods planning grants. With the one-year grants, the recipients will create plans to provide cradle-to-career services that improve the educational achievement and healthy development of children.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/Tm8nDsC7aqc" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 28 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/Tm8nDsC7aqc/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7800 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7802 To better understand the tri-state area's transportation needs now and into the future, the region's transportation planning agencies are launching a Regional Travel Survey that will look at how – and why – people move around 28 targeted counties in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. Beginning in September and continuing over the next year, travel data will be collected from more than 18,000 randomly selected households in this area. The results will allow planners and transportation providers to develop plans to improve transit systems, reduce traffic congestion, address air quality issues, and ensure the safety of the region's transportation network.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/G0Q-3obBVP8" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 28 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/G0Q-3obBVP8/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7802 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7803 1000 Friends of Oregon won a decisive victory in the Oregon Court of Appeals when the court reversed the City of Woodburn's approval of an urban growth boundary expansion.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/h7FporPtStQ" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 28 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/h7FporPtStQ/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7803 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7791 Urban Housing Communities LLC has begun construction of The Crossings at Big Bear Lake, a 42-unit affordable housing. Upon completion next summer, this new $17 million community will offer healthy, supportive and eco-friendly apartment homes to local working families earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of San Bernardino County median income. The apartment community will be convenient to schools, public transportation, shopping, medical services, a public park and recreation areas.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/uO9m_ra8pGo" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 21 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/uO9m_ra8pGo/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7791 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7795 Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced on September 17 the start of a $98-million project to upgrade an initial 90 miles of Union Pacific railroad track between Alton and Lincoln in preparation for high-speed rail service. This initial phase will create approximately 900 direct and indirect jobs, and represents the first high-speed rail upgrades in the nation.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/d0tNKZc7WN4" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 21 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/d0tNKZc7WN4/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7795 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7797 University Heights' first mixed-use complex has received approval from the City Council, although at a smaller scale than originally planned. Proposed by local developer Jeff Maxwell about two years ago for a 5.25-acre site, the One University Place project was to include several multi-story buildings, with 95 residential units and 20,000 square feet of commercial space. The City Council imposed an 80-unit cap on residential units. University Heights is an enclave of Iowa City, with about 1,000 residents.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/FXkNSdA7NfA" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 21 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/FXkNSdA7NfA/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7797 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7789 U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan has awarded an additional $1 billion in funding to all states, along with a number of counties and local communities struggling to reverse the effects of the foreclosure crisis. The grants represent a third round of funding through HUD's Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) and will provide targeted emergency assistance to state and local governments to acquire, redevelop or demolish foreclosed properties.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/pHipEXU7Dug" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 21 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/pHipEXU7Dug/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7789 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7794 Officials in Waco, Texas, are embracing New Urbanism, evidenced by the city's mixed-use, high-density, pedestrian-friendly downtown development plan. Waco's principles and goals were formulated at heavily attended workshops last October, during which participants identified 12 city planning priorities that embrace smart growth principles.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/mJQHuICmaUk" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 21 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/mJQHuICmaUk/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7794 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7774 Despite being set in the middle of a key scenic bike touring route through the Rockies, Black Hawk, Colorado, has banned bicycling on its main streets. ''It's an important issue to us, and we believe that Black Hawk should have the right to control its streets,'' said City Manager Mike Copp in a report.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/oXcHOuMSF74" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 1 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/oXcHOuMSF74/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7774 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7769 Smart growth is increasingly proving its broad adaptability for mixed-use, diverse and sustainable neighborhoods. Still, many middle-class families with school-age children struggle to find apartments that are large enough, affordable, and located near good public schools. ''Unsubsidized apartments built today are almost exclusively designed for and marketed to people without school-age children,'' says University of Maryland Professor Emeritus of Architecture Roger K. Lewis. Lewis calls the situation ''a bit of a dilemma for anti-sprawl advocates'' in their work to locate ''a significant amount of future metropolitan growth'' in compact, walkable, transit-served urban areas, with jobs and affordable housing.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/FuRYcX6NAvw" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 1 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/FuRYcX6NAvw/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7769 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7770 The Las Cruces City Council unanimously approved a project to convert the old Community Action Agency building into a Pro's Ranch Market store. According to report in the , the store will revitalize ''a moribund commercial center,'' fitting perfectly into the El Paseo corridor vision being created ''through the federal government's 2010 Smart Growth Implementation Assistance program.''<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/Rkn--RPyyg0" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 1 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/Rkn--RPyyg0/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7770 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7773 In the 1920s, El Paso was a city of 100,000 with a dynamic downtown business district. At that time, urban planner George Kessler (1862-1923) expected the city to become an economic and quality-of-life model under a boulevard-based master plan he drew up just before his premature death. El Paso officials are now re-launching that effort through smart growth.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/UGdUI97xcpg" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 1 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/UGdUI97xcpg/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7773 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7771 The Jordan School District is eliminating busing along 75 percent of walking routes throughout its six municipalities just south of Salt Lake City. Part of a larger effort to reduce costs, the move will save some $900,000 each year. The district includes nearly 50,000 students. According to the , thousands of students are left with no busing, causing worry among cities and parents over their children's safety, especially on major thoroughfares lacking enough sidewalks, crosswalks or traffic lights.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/ZXSXosICQNQ" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 1 Sep 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/ZXSXosICQNQ/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7771 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7763 Astonished by the Accretive Group's mailer claiming a Sierra Club endorsement for its controversial Valley Center Sustainable Community (VCSC) proposal to build 1,476 varied-lot homes and a commercial hub on 416 unincorporated acres in San Diego County, Escondido North County Times – Californian columnist Brigid Brett found the claim to be a hoax. ''Not only do we not endorse this development, but we adamantly oppose it,'' said Sierra Club San Diego Development Coordinator Richard Miller. ''The developers have deliberately attempted to deceive the public by taking our words out of context and using them in this way.''<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/wjaOraIPGYI" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 24 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/wjaOraIPGYI/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7763 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7768 With a third of metro area populations eager for pedestrian-friendly settings, a key path out of the recession leads through urban infill and walkable mixed-use redevelopment of car-dependent suburban malls and strips – some 10,000 now awaiting new life. Meeting that pent-up market demand will take a generation, said Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program Visiting Fellow Christopher Leinberger at the fifth annual Louisiana Smart Growth Summit. Leinberger advised cities to combine transportation and affordable housing strategies to ensure the viability of walkable neighborhoods, saying, ''Plan for your walkable future. Economic development will follow.''<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/HOlbQhR97GI" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 24 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/HOlbQhR97GI/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7768 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7762 Between 1950 and 2004, the size of the average American home increased from 983 to 2,349 square feet, as Americans strived for large homes with 3,200-plus square feet. Consumers are moving toward smaller houses again, entering a ''right-sizing'' trend. Citing multiple earlier reports of a ''McMansion glut'' or ''backlash,'' and new market research, CNBC writer Cindy Perman says the era of giant houses is ''over.'' Case in point: A survey conducted in July 2010 by Harris Interactive for Trulia.com found that just 9 percent of respondents still believe the ideal home should have at least 3,200 square feet.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/sEQHzA4ib0Q" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 24 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/sEQHzA4ib0Q/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7762 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7764 When deciding where to live and work, not only do you want to know what amenities and services are nearby, you also want to understand your transportation options. How easily can you walk, bike or take the bus? How long will it take to get from point A to point B? And how much will it cost? Now, Walk Score has launched Transit Score, along with custom commute reports, and a home and transportation costs calculator, which together empower anyone to quickly understand the proximity of public transportation, their commuting options and associated costs.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/lsAsYnW2U4Y" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 24 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/lsAsYnW2U4Y/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7764 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7766 New York City is planning to redesign more than 60 miles of streets for pedestrian safety next year. ''It's unprecedented re-engineering of our streets,'' said Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, to make them ''safer and better to walk around on.'' The plan involves installation of countdown pedestrian signals at 1,500 intersections, overhaul of 20 intersections on key two-way streets, and several safety programs, including a 20-mph neighborhood zone test.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/omNf5d83p7E" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 24 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/omNf5d83p7E/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7766 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7756 With initial funding from the 2009 Recovery Act, redevelopment of San Francisco’s 71-year-old Transbay Transit Terminal into a mixed-use multimodal Transbay Transit Center is now underway. The first phase of the project is slated for completion by 2017. The $4.2 billion transit center will include two underground levels – a shopping concourse, and both Caltrain commuter tracks and the future high-speed line below – and two higher levels, a bus connection platform, and a 5.4-acre rooftop park. Flanked by a first-phase 100-floor residential tower, and many other skyscrapers planned for the whole new neighborhood later, the center will link services of 11 transit agencies, serve up to 45 million people a year, and cut the area’s annual carbon dioxide emissions by some 36,000 tons.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/IFbn5PlPmb8" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/IFbn5PlPmb8/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7756 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7759 ''We must have a state-of-the-art light-rail system to be competitive in the 21st century,'' says Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, stressing the need again and again at town meetings and other events as she campaigns across Hillsborough County for voter approval of a penny sales tax increase this November. The increase, from 7 to 8 cents per dollar, reports the , would provide 75 percent of the new revenue for the proposed light rail and for expanded bus service, and the rest for road improvements.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/MYDQKy0isEA" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/MYDQKy0isEA/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7759 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7757 Chosen by EPA for its Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) in April 2009, Las Cruces is gathering public input on redevelopment of its economically depressed El Paseo Road corridor. The process of visioning and following community preferences for the 1.7-mile corridor, from downtown Las Cruces through mostly low-income neighborhoods to the New Mexico State University (NMSU) campus, will be a model for the city's other locally focused and eventually wider master planning, and for its involvement in implementation of a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) comprehensive regional plan currently in the works.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/La2waxbNgtk" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/La2waxbNgtk/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7757 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7758 Already overburdened by infrastructure and maintenance costs, Amarillo needs a development pattern change before its 2009 population of 190,000 reaches some 250,000 by 2030, reports writer Karen Smith Welch from a Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee workshop with city and planning and zoning commissioners. ''It's time we try to look outside of what's comfortable and what we're familiar with, and think outside the box,'' stressed Steering Committee Vice Chair Lilia Escajeda. ''The citizens, in nearly every sector, said they did not want more sprawl. They want revitalization.''<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/tMZDVfM6-hE" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/tMZDVfM6-hE/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7758 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7760 Last March, the Utah Legislature authorized the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) to partner with developers for mixed-use projects on its surplus land at five TRAX light-rail stations. Now, UTA has announced two such ventures, to augment its revenue and help more people shift from cars to trains. Both ventures are expected to ensure lenders' repayment priority, a 5-percent return on UTA land value, and an even partnership split of additional profits, reports Salt Lake Tribune writer Brandon Loomis. Upon project completion, each partnership would co-own the land and pay local property taxes.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/NNL_1eaUn-A" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 17 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/NNL_1eaUn-A/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7760 http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7750 With $125 million raised by business and civic leaders and $25 million awarded through the U.S. DOT's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant, Detroit's 9.3-mile Woodward Avenue light-rail project will now enter the Environmental Impact Statement stage. The 9.3-mile line is likely to cost between $450 million and $500 million, with much of the money expected to come from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), under the New Starts discretionary grant program. Construction could begin next year, with the whole line operational by 2016.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~4/yUa3sEs8jmE" height="1" width="1"/> Tues, 10 Aug 2010 17:10:30 EST http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/SmartGrowthOnline/~3/yUa3sEs8jmE/article.asphttp://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=7750