711 Canal Street in Stamford, CT. Image courtesy of Pullman & Comley Attorneys Thank you to everyone who attending SGA’s National Brownfields Coalition’s webinar What the BUILD Act Could Build on Wednesday, May 8th, 2013. On the webinar, we discussed the … 
Now Available: What the BUILD Act could build webinar archive
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Smart Growth News – May 16, 2013
Announcing the 2013 Vanguard Class
Next City – May 16, 2013
we’ve selected 40 people whose bright ideas for cities, experience in the field and ambition for the future all show great promise. (Congratulations, Alex Dodds!)
It’s Time For City Planners To Adapt A New Model
Forbes – May 15, 2013
Mayors and city councils are somehow more informed as to how to meet the future with ten and twenty year plans in file drawers.
Where Americans Want To Live: New ULI Report, America In 2013, Explores Housing, Transportation, Community Preferences Survey Suggests Strong Demand for Compact Development
ULI Blog – May 16, 2013
A new report from the Urban Land Institute (ULI) underscores the influence that growing demographic groups in the U.S. – in particular Generation Y, African Americans, and Latinos – will have on reshaping urban growth patterns by spurring more development of compact, mixed-use communities with reliable, convenient transit service.
Bike Lane Battles Heat Up
Governing – May 16, 2013
The share of Americans commuting by bike has grown by 47 percent since 2000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2010 American Community Survey.
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Complete Streets News, May 2013
Policy Adoption On April 22, Montevallo, Alabama (pop. 6,000) adopted a Complete Streets resolution. Over the past several years, city leaders and representatives from the University of Montevallo have worked together to create a vibrant community with transportation options, launching …
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A new resource for engaging community members in brownfield redevelopment
Do you know the ten smart growth principles by heart? Me neither, but there’s one I never forget: Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration in Development Decisions.
Engaging community members in decisions about where, what, when and how to invest, build, and preserve is what makes smart growth smart. As basic as this principle is, though, it is not always easy to do. There is a learning curve for everyone involved in the development process and this is particularly true for brownfield sites—properties that are or are suspected to be contaminated by hazardous materials. Brownfields are some of the most complicated redevelopment projects and the more people and official processes that are involved in the process, the steeper the learning curve.
That’s why Smart Growth America is happy to release a new tool designed to help communities organize for effective public outreach. The Organizing to Promote Targeted Improvements in Our Neighborhoods (OPTIONs) Community Engagement Workbook is a series of seven worksheets with instructions designed to help community groups think about how to organize, what they need, and how to build a strategy to participate in the redevelopment process. Community groups can use these tools on their own, but they can be just as useful for local governments seeking working with partners in federally- and state-mandated community engagement programs.
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Tagged Brownfields, Guides, How-to
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Smart Growth News – May 15, 2013
Do American Households Really Prefer “Sprawl” Development?
Bacon’s Rebellion (VA) – May 15, 2013
As Smart Growth America has documented, 84% of the $2.2 trillion in loans, loan guarantees, tax benefits and direct subsidies that the federal government directed to the real estate sector between Fiscal 2007 and 2011 went to single family housing.
Despite Driving Decline, U.S. Builds for Far More Cars
Streetsblog – May 14, 2013
A new study from U.S. PIRG and the Frontier Group projects three scenarios for Americans’ future driving patterns that all fall short of current government projections.
Officials Hold Meeting On Brownfields In Atlanta
41 NBC (GA) – May 15, 2013
Environmental and government officials are planning to hold a conference on brownfields in Atlanta.
Secretary of Transportation: Who Is Anthony Foxx?
AllGov.com – May 15, 2013
Winning election for mayor in 2009, Foxx focused on helping small businesses, improving government efficiency and public safety, and implementating a 10-Year-Plan to End Homelessness.
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Now Hiring: Urban Living Entrepreneur
Smart Growth America is preparing to launch a new venture and we are looking for an experienced entrepreneur to join us in co-founding a startup opportunity. The new venture will create a social community for those living an urban, car-lite lifestyle by providing news, events, and local resources, an easy connection to urban goods & services and bring people together on and offline.
Candidates must have previous experience running or playing a senior role in a startup as well as have an understanding of and passion for the urban lifestyle. Experience in a startup with a significant web/mobile presence and successfully promoting brand affinity preferred. Experience with market segmentation, customer discovery and validation, taking a product through launch, and scaling to multiple cities are all core to the position. We are looking for someone to work with us to take our concept, develop a business plan, test the offerings, and help us bring it to fruition.
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How much could your town save?
Local leaders across the country have already built their way to better budgets.
Dozens of municipalities have compared development scenarios and the impact they would have on public finances. Nearly as many places have found that they could save money—and increase revenue—by using smarter development strategies.
How much can other communities expect to save with these strategies? And how much revenue, on average, does smart growth development generate compared to the alternatives?
Next week Smart Growth America will release new research that answers these questions. The new report collects local studies from across the country and will unveil new analysis on how smart growth strategies would impact an average municipality’s budget.
Smart Growth News – May 14, 2013
Young Americans Lead Trend to Less Driving
New York Times – May 14, 2013
For six decades, Americans have tended to drive more every year. But in the middle of the last decade, the number of miles driven — both over all and per capita — began to drop, notes a report to be published on Tuesday by U.S. Pirg, a nonprofit advocacy organization.
Could L.A. Mayoral Candidate’s Smart Growth Advocacy Cost Him the Election?
Planetizen – May 14, 2013
As L.A.’s mayor race enters its final week, polls suggest the two candidates are essentially tied.
Complete Streets policy has full backing of GDOT commissioner
Saporta Report (GA) – May 14, 2013
State transportation Commissioner Keith Golden says his department is committed to the Complete Streets policy adopted by the board in September.
Obama Designates Day, Week for Transportation Recognition
Journal Of Commerce – May 14, 2013
President Obama has designated the third Friday in May of each year as National Defense Transportation Day, and the week during which that Friday falls as National Transportation Week, in an effort to recognize the importance of U.S. transportation infrastructure.
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Smart Growth News – May 13, 2013
Smart growth experts coming to aid Charlotte
Charlotte Observer – May 13, 2013
Officials from Smart Growth America, a national group focused on “smart growth” practices, will meet with city officials as part of a free, grant-funded assistance program designed to give Charlotte new tools for managing growth and development.
3 mayors push for expanded passenger rail service
San Francisco Chronicle – May 13, 2013
Supporters of expanded passenger rail service through Wichita have joined forces with officials in Missouri and Oklahoma.
Environmental Conservation Is Costly, But Economic Benefits Are Great
Planetizen – May 13, 2013
A new report has sought to quantify the annual costs of America’s assorted environmental protection efforts for the first time.
A Proposal to Make the Micro Apartment a Little More Livable
Atlantic Cities – May 13, 2013
Micro apartments are rapidly becoming the favorite affordable housing solution for young professionals and moderate-income renters in high-cost, crowded cities like New York and San Francisco.
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Smart Growth News – May 10, 2013
Walkable Infill Proves Its Worth
Planetizen – May 9, 2013
A study of three different development types in Nashville shows that mixed-use infill projects deliver an exponentially greater return on investment than traditional suburban, or even New Urbanist-style, greenfield development.
White House Champions of Change features tech innovators in transportation
US DOT Blog – May 10, 2013
As we look forward to next week’s National Transportation Week, it was great to kick-off the celebration a few days early with a White House Champions of Change in Transportation event yesterday recognizing “Transportation Technology Solutions for the 21st Century.”
Walking linked to economic prosperity
Teton Valley News (ID) – May 9, 2013
“The demographics show that Gen “Y”ers and active baby boomers are willing to pay a 20 percent premium [for houses in walkable neighborhoods],” Bill Knight, Victor’s city planner, explained at the Annual Summit of the Greater Western Yellowstone Consortium.
Four Ways That Technology is Transforming Civic Engagement
Planetizen – May 9, 2013
A new study from the Pew Research Center looks at the way digital technology is changing civic engagement.
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