Author Archives: Tom Madrecki

Changing demographics and shifting consumer demands have deeply impacted the real estate market, causing developers to put a greater emphasis than ever before on the creation of smart growth neighborhoods within easy distance to jobs, shops and schools. From millenials …

To create jobs, drive innovation, attract talent and keep housing costs affordable, American cities would be right to address the growing demand for smart growth development, says The Economist’s Ryan Avent in a recent interview with Silicon Valley Leadership Group CEO Carl Guardino.

“Well, my tendency as an economist, working for The Economist, my inclination is to say build with what the market will demand,” Avent says. “And so that’s why I think we have a great opportunity here, because what the market is increasingly demanding are homes that are within walking distance of job centers.”

Avent, a resident of Arlington, VA, and the author of The Gated City, emphasized that in building with market demand in mind, it’s also crucial to change common misperceptions about density. In his book, Avent uses the phrase “hogs stacked on hogs” to describe what makes people afraid of added housing units. The realities of increased density, however, are radically different and the addition of in-demand housing options contributes to robust regional economic growth.

“If you think about the sort of density that might work, if it builds around transit and a walkable environment, you don’t add a lot of the downsides that are typically associated with density, like congestion,” Avent says. “When you build in a sprawling pattern and force people into cars, that’s what actually causes congestion.”

Smart Growth America released the following statement April 5: WASHINGTON DC — Analysis of U.S. Census estimates released today reveals that population growth in town and city centers is outpacing that of suburbs for the first time in more than …

Wonkbook: Congress fails on infrastructure. Again.
The Washington Post – April 2, 2012

On Friday, President Obama signed the Surface Transportation Extension Act of 2012. Odds are you didn’t hear about it. There wasn’t a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden, and no one on the Hill rushed to the cameras to take the credit. The White House’s statement was less than 50 words, and neither John Boehner, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, or Mitch McConnell even issued a press release. And for good reason: Each and every one of them is ashamed of this bill. As they should be.

The Simple Math That Can Save Cities From Bankruptcy
The Atlantic Cities – March 30, 2012

In its vacant state in the 1970s, the Asheville Hotel didn’t contribute much to the public coffers. Today, though, that same parcel of land is responsible for exponentially more property tax revenue that helps pay for police, parks and city streets.

The Spiky World of Innovation
The Atlantic Cities – April 3, 2012

In a famous line from his best-selling book, Thomas Friedman wrote: “When the world is flat, you can innovate without having to emigrate.” But instead of flattening out across the world, innovation remains extraordinarily concentrated and spiky.

Calif. high-speed rail’s pared-down plan touted
Associated Press – April 3, 2012

The authority overseeing planning for California’s high-speed rail project has released a fresh proposal with a new price tag and a scaled-back design.

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.”

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 …

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 …

“I’ve been in this town 10 years, and I love this little town,” said Juanita Syljuberget, a resident of Notasulga, Alabama, who works as a contract and grant specialist at nearby Auburn University. “There’s nothing fancy about it, but it’s a quiet little place, and everyone is very nice.”

“But it’s going to dry up and go away unless we do something.”

The plight of Notasulga and its 850-some residents in rural Macon County is not unlike hundreds of other small communities across the country. Years of changing economic and development patterns limited growth opportunities, and the very nature of remote towns left local businesses and municipal services more vulnerable than their counterparts in busy urban centers.

But while the story of a “Small Town USA” grappling with tough financial decisions has been played out countless times nationwide and even in emotional books and films, there is something that sets Notasulga apart: strong local leadership.

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.”

National News:

Shilling: Why Renters Rule U.S. Housing Market (Part 1)
Bloomberg – February 22, 2012

The collapse in housing and the 33 percent plunge in house prices since 2006 are favoring renting over homeownership. This trend will dominate the housing market for the next four or five years, and put additional pressure on a weak economy.

Taxes pay for things
The Economist – February 19, 2012

But Mr O’Malley makes a compelling case for why reinvestment might require more broad-based tax increases. America’s infrastructure is crumbling. It will cost money to fix it—and delaying maintenance and postponing key projects will only cost taxpayers more in the long run.

Transportation bills to get tune-up during recess
Politico – February 22, 2012

A top GOP aide confirmed the bill’s funding is being reworked, but that’s far from the only hang-up: The severing of a link between the gas tax and federal transit funding threatens to open an urban-rural divide among Republicans.

K Street pessimistic about highway bills
The Hill – February 21, 2012

Supporters of the two transportation bills stuck in the House and Senate are pessimistic either will win chamber approval now that they have lost any momentum they once had.