Category: Blog

Workshop targets future growth
South Padre Parade – May 16, 2013
The City of Port Isabel is one of 22 cities to be awarded Smart Growth America’s 2013 free technical assistance.

Nonmetro Areas as a Whole Experience First Period of Population Loss
USDA Blog – May 16, 2013
Population growth rates in nonmetro areas have been lower than those in metro areas since the mid-1990s, and the gap widened considerably in recent years.

Are streetcars the future of public transportation?
Salon – May 17, 2013
When President Obama nominated Charlotte, North Carolina, Mayor Anthony Foxx to head the U.S. Department of Transportation last month, he cited among Foxx’s other relevant accomplishments “a new streetcar project that’s going to bring modern electric tram service to [Charlotte’s] downtown area.”

Gas tax alternative drive takes wrong turn: Our view
USA Today – May 16, 2013
As revenue falls, states turn to punitive, complex or intrusive alternatives.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Study: Walkable Infill Development a Goldmine for City Governments
Streetsblog – May 8, 2013
A study out of Nashville by Smart Growth America provides more evidence that building walkable development in existing communities is best for a city’s bottom line.

A Lesson in Agricultural Alchemy: Greening Brownfields into Economic Gold
USDA Blog – May 9, 2013
Since its inception in 1995, EPA’s Brownfields Program has helped communities across the country successfully clean up, mitigate, and reclaim land that otherwise would sit underused and abandoned.

Can Charlotte growth policies get smarter?
PlanCharlotte.org – May 7, 2013
How can the city of Charlotte boost both the value of its neighborhoods and their quality of life?

You’re an Urban Planner Too: Design a More Walkable City with this Tool
Good.is – May 8, 2013
Can a mobile tool allow us to collaboratively design more walkable streets?

Home Values Near Transit Outperform
Urban Land Institute blog – May 7, 2013
Homes near public transit retained their value better during the recession than their counterparts in auto-dependent areas, according to a recent study.

Public Housing Agencies Push to Impose Time Limits, Work Requirements for Aid Recipients
Wall Street Journal – May 6, 2013
Deep in the president’s new budget is a plan that could transform public housing in the nation by allowing housing authorities to increasingly set time limits or work requirements for participants.

Walkable Neighborhoods May Decrease Childhood Obesity
Babble.com – May 7, 2013
A new study shows that kids are less likely to be overweight if they live in walkable neighborhoods, meaning they live within walking distance to parks and retail stores.

Advocates of distance based road pricing look to Oregon in the coming months
Road Pricing – May 8, 2013
I’ve written before about Oregon’s efforts to develop a Vehicle Mileage Tax intended for the most fuel efficient vehicles to replace its fuel tax.