Please enter your password below:

That’s the message of an article published in this morning’s USA Today, which states that “the nation’s development patterns may be at a historic juncture as builders begin to reverse 60-year-old trends.” And it supports the notion that savvy real estate developers are well aware of the market realities outlined in report’s like the one published May 15 by the Demand Institute.

“These are the market signals we’re getting throughout the country,” says Chris Leinberger, president of Smart Growth America’s LOCUS coalition of real estate developers. “The drivable suburban fringe is where the housing market collapsed — 80% of the collapsed market was there. It’s a classic case of the real estate industry overproducing. This is a structural change, not a cyclical downturn.”

To read the full article in USA Today, click here.

Housing’s Future: Renting and Downsizing
Wall Street Journal’s Real Time Economics blog – May 15, 2012
Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like a rented apartment. That may be the mantra of U.S. households for the next three years, according to a new study released Tuesday by the Demand Institute division of the U.S. Conference Board. Most Americans still hope to own a home, the study found — but that home will be smaller than the MacMansions of the housing boom.

San Jose City Council OKs developer incentives to build downtown apartment high rises
San Jose Mercury News (CA) – May 15, 2012
To bring more workers to San Jose, the City Council in January enticed developers with fee and tax waivers to fill or build office space. Now, the council wants to lure more people to live downtown — even though it means giving residential developers millions in tax breaks and other fees to do so.

Residents weigh in on urban boundary expansion
Register-Guard (OR) – May 15, 2012
Eugene residents went to bat Monday in support of a proposal to add industrial land to the city, but ideas to expand the city’s urban growth boundary for residential homes drew a mixed response…If adopted, the recommendations would expand Eugene to the northwest and southwest for single-family homes by adding 200 acres near the Bailey Hill and Gimpl roads area, and 150 acres near Clear Lake Road.

Feisty city neighborhood holds its own in core
Kansas City Star (KS) – May 13, 2012
Those are just some of the things Tapper and many others hope are among the outcomes of the Center City neighborhood inclusion in the new Urban Neighborhood Initiative. The Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Greater Kansas City have targeted a 3.6-square-mile inner city area to improve the safety, health, education and income for residents.

Raleigh council asks county for half-cent tax increase
NBC 17 (NC) – May 14, 2012
The Raleigh City Council is asking Wake County Commissioners to put a half-cent sales tax increase on the November ballot. The City Council urged County Commissioners to schedule the referendum for the Nov. 6 general election so Wake County voters “can approve much needed transit improvements,” according to the city’s resolution.

Boxer: Highway talks past ‘organizational stage’; meeting with Mica Thursday
The Hill- May 15, 2012
Negotiations on a new federal transportation bill are moving quickly down the road, the chairwoman of the 47-member committee appointed to hammer out a deal between the House and Senate said Tuesday.

Local news

With ambitious downtown plan, Hackensack looks to draw people back to Bergen’s center
NJ.com – May 15, 2012
City Manager Steve Lo Iacono remembers the Hackensack of his childhood, when the city was a center of commerce. A destination. “Historically, it was the center of Bergen County,” Lo Iacono told NJ.com recently, adding that the presence of hospitals, several major highways and rail lines and the central offices of county government made the city a destination. “Those factors haven’t changed.”

Big dreams in Pascagoula: A transformed riverfront
WLOX (MS) – May 14, 2012
City officials in Pascagoula have big dreams for a piece of riverfront property that spans several acres. That’s why they are reaching out to private developers they hope share in those dreams…”Our vision is principally a combination of mixed use residential, retails and an office building.”

Vision LI to hold Smart Growth Awards
Newsday (NY) – May 14, 2012
Vision Long Island will hold its 11th Annual Smart Growth Awards on June 15. Several individuals and organizations will be honored for their efforts concerning Long Island issues such as affordable housing, historic preservation and advances in town development.

State grant will help Fall River restore blighted properties
Herald News (MA) – May 15, 2012
“The Neighborhood Stabilization Program is a key part of the Patrick-Murray administration’s mission of helping our cities and towns redevelop and revitalize abandoned and vacant properties,” Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki said. “These grants are a great example of what happens when federal and local government and agencies work together to help local communities continue to recover and grow.”

Downtown dormitories could give Main Street a boost
WACH (SC) – May 15, 2012
Columbia city council has approved a measure that could clear the way for downtown dormitory living along Main Street…”Main Street’s growing, they keep adding new things,” said Gordon. “I think it’s going to be great . It’s going to help the area develop businesses.”

Lansing City Council to consider tax incentives, special development waivers at Monday meeting
MLive.com (MI) – May 14, 2012
The Lansing City Council will hold a public hearing on a proposed $6.4 million brownfield redevelopment tax incentive for Emergent BioSolutions, the maker of the anthrax vaccine…If approved, the brownfield plan would capture about $10.7 million in new taxes the project is expected to generate.

Developer has plan for ex-Buffalo library branch
Buffalo Business First (NY) – May 14, 2012
After sitting empty for more than six years, the 115-year-old former Fairfield Library branch may soon find new life as a mixed-use development, anchored by five apartments.

Editorial and Opinion

Senate transportation bill is the one that works
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (WI) – May 15, 2012
House and Senate leaders are in a conference committee this week negotiating over a federal transportation bill that is necessary to continue funding for highway and other transportation projects and the jobs that depend on them. But in truth, there isn’t much to negotiate. The Senate passed in March a bipartisan bill that will do the job for the next two years. Although not ideal, it’s the bill that Congress should approve without delay.

Getting it right in the Queen City
The Architects Newspaper – May 11, 2012
America has a deep-seated anti-urban streak, which happens to dovetail, in the eyes of many, with a mistrust of government at every level. The Republican presidential primary has flared with anti-urban rhetoric, which is particularly shortsighted given the still-weak state of the economy, one in which urban areas are bouncing back faster than their rural and exurban counterparts. That cities are the country’s economic engine seems obvious almost to the point of being self-evident, so why is it still seen as politically advantageous to denigrate urban areas? And why are urbanists so bad at making the case for cities with the public? Meet Cincinnati Mayor Mark Malloy [sic].

The Shifting Nature of U.S. Housing Demand, released May 15, examines the state of the U.S. housing market and the new trends emerging as real estate prices begin to recover from the recession.

Notably, the report predicts that areas with homes within walking distance of amenities and public transportation will recover more quickly and more strongly than those without these features. The report authors refer to these communities as “Resilient Walkables”:

About 15 percent of the population lives in this segment, which comprises populous urban or semi-urban communities well served by local amenities. House prices here fell by less than the national average between 2006 and 2011, in some cases by much less. The same is true of local employment…These localities will be the first to recover. We expect house prices here to rise by an average of 3 percent in 2013, and by up to 5 percent a year between 2014 and 2017.

By contrast, homes without access to public transportation and far from jobs or shops will recover the most slowly. The authors call this sector “Weighed Down”:

About 20 percent of the population lives in this segment, which will see the slowest rate of recovery. Price drops have been higher than the national average and there is a large proportion of foreclosure inventory. These localities also suffer from higher than average unemployment, are more sparsely populated, and have low walkability. The fact that housing is relatively cheap compared to the national average will not greatly assist recovery. Indeed, long-term prospects are most uncertain. We do not expect price rises to reach the national average even by 2017.

Demand remains high for homes in Resilient Walkable communities, and these findings reinforce the work already being done by LOCUS, Smart Growth America’s national coalition of real estate developers and investors who advocate for sustainable, walkable urban development in our metropolitan areas.

Despite the market momentum made clear in Demand Institute’s report, many local, state and federal policies remain at odds with the kinds of development consumers want. Incentive structures, tax credits, transportation investments and zoning regulations often make it easier to develop properties that wouldn’t qualify as Resilient Walkable. Those sorts of policies hinder developers from meeting demand for walkable housing, and hinder an industry key to economic recovery in the process. Public policy will partially determine whether and how consumers will be able to move to Resilient Walkable communities, and LOCUS members are working to clear the way for developers to meet these new demands.

Other noteworthy findings from the report include Americans’ growing preference for smaller homes, the growing role of young people in the real estate market, the growing role of rental homes and several factors related to each of these.

Download the full report: The Shifting Nature of U.S. Housing Demand [PDF]

Bike Score is here!
Walk Score- May 15, 2012
Just in time for Bike to Work Week, we are thrilled to launch Bike Score and our first ranking of the most bikeable U.S. cities.

Follow Chicago’s example: Invest in infrastructure
Politico- May 13, 2012
On the day I announced the Building a New Chicago plan to create 30,000 jobs and invest $7.3 billion in our city’s infrastructure, Congress passed its tenth 90-day extension of the highway bill. It hasn’t passed one since 2005.

In good news for Obama, housing markets improve in key states
Reuters- May 14, 2012
(Reuters) – Kathleen and Brett Sache are building a six-bedroom, six-bathroom home of their dreams in a sought-after corner of northern Virginia after taking encouragement from a robust local market.

Golden age of public transit
Atlantic Journal-Constitution- May 14, 2012
Transit enthusiast Taras Grescoe, 45, has never owned a car. “I was always trying to make a life without a car,” says the veteran travel writer, who lives in Montreal. “It’s a challenge and it makes you look at things differently.”

Missouri Public Transit Association Releases Report on Planning for the Future of Transit
STL Today- May 14, 2012
The Missouri Public Transit Association (MPTA) today released Planning for the Future of Transit, a report that elaborates on the chronic underinvestment in public transportation in Missouri, the continued erosion of service levels statewide, and the inability to invest in transit service and infrastructure improvements.

Local

Texting While Walking Banned in New Jersey Town
Yahoo via ABC News- May 13, 2012
Avid texters beware: Fort Lee, N.J. police said they will begin issuing $85 jaywalking tickets to pedestrians who are caught texting while walking.

Downtown Greenville drawing firms from the suburbs
Greenville Online- May 13, 2012
Ryan and Michael Beck, Charles Carter and James River worked along Main Street a decade ago when they were software programmers at telecommunications firm Nuvox.

Project would use shipping containers for bars, restaurants downtown
Las Vegas Review-Journal- May 14, 2012
Three large, corrugated steel crates stacked a few yards from the bustling Fremont Street corridor look like they would be more at home in the Port of Los Angeles than in the center of downtown Las Vegas’ biggest revival project in decades.

Feeling of resurgence sweeping through downtown Cleveland as the city seems poised for comeback
News Channel 5- May 11, 2012
CLEVELAND – The sense that something big is taking place in downtown Cleveland is sweeping through the entire region. Cleveland seems poised to make an historic comeback, the kind that helped the city in the late-1980s and 1990s before the local economy took a hiccup.

Phoenix-area cities got innovative during economic downturn
AZ Central- May 13, 2012
Responding to a growing demand for library services in east Mesa, the city in 2011 opened an express library at a vacant strip mall for $360,000 rather than building a stand-alone library for as much as $10 million.

Report, Event: TOD that is Healthy, Green & Just
Seattle Transit Blog- May 14, 2012
Today Puget Sound Sage released a new report on Transit Oriented Development (TOD) in the Rainier Valley. It outlines changes seen in the Valley over the last decade, makes an environmental and social equity arguments for a greater emphasis on affordable housing and living wage jobs in TOD, enumerating racial justice principles for TOD, and calls for urgent and aggressive actions and creation of tools necessary to achieve these principles.

Atlantic on the move
LA Times- May 13, 2012
The 5600 block of Atlantic Avenue doesn’t look like much at first glance, especially if you’re zipping through at 45 mph. A dry cleaner, a pupuseria, a T-shirt shop and a medical marijuana dispensary line the low-rise street in the North Village Annex section of Long Beach. About a third of the storefronts are vacant.

Cheh: D.C. parking may be subject of summit
DC Wire- May 14, 2012
Whether you’re a frustrated motorist, resident or business owner, you may soon get a chance to sound off about the future of how much, and at what cost, parking is available in the increasingly dense District.

City block a ‘laboratory’ for downtown Wichita development
The Wichita Eagle- May 13, 2012
Work is progressing on Project Downtown’s “laboratory,” a one-square-block stretch of Douglas between Broadway and Topeka that is the site for three major downtown revitalization projects.

Smart Growth America is hiring for three Fellowship positions in our core programs to engage with Congress, the Obama Administration, state leaders and allies on the benefits of smart growth policies. This is an opportunity that features a great deal of responsibility, direct collaboration with organizations, and valuable hands-on experience.

Fall 2012 Fellowships

Communications and Web Fellow
The Communications Fellow contributes to all aspects of Smart Growth America’s Communications team, including drafting press releases and media advisories, writing content for the organization’s website and blog, conducting outreach to reporters and bloggers, compiling news clips, and maintaining our social media presence. Core web responsibilities include posting and maintaining content online, document formatting and review, contributing to communications strategy discussions, supporter outreach and list management. Knowledge of HTML/CSS, Photoshop or WordPress content management are a definite plus.

Government Affairs and Outreach Fellow
The Government Affairs and Outreach Fellow assists with engaging Congress and the Administration on the benefits of smart growth policies, and helps maintain relationships with various constituencies. Core responsibilities include researching and analyzing administrative and legislative proposals to incorporate smart growth principles, helping manage relationships with Congressional and Administration officials, and writing fact sheets on how smart growth relates to other issues such as health, the environment, and safety. The Government Affairs and Outreach Fellow will also be responsible for supporting our coalition members, developers coalition and the Sustainable Communities Learning Network by updating and maintaining website content; drafting documents, letters, email alerts, blog posts, etc.; compiling resources and research for partners; and participating in conference calls, webinars and meetings with national, state and local partners. Experience with Capitol Hill, federal agencies or federal advocacy is highly desirable.

Leadership Institute Fellow
Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute Fellow will support our burgeoning technical assistance program for state and local governments. Core responsibilities include providing research, development, logistical, and administrative support for policy workshops for governors, multistate and local summits, authoring blogs, and promoting Smart Growth America technical assistance through social networking. Experience and skills required: Exceptional writing abilities, research experience, and ability to coordinate logistics associated with event planning.

Requirements

Fellowship positions each require a self-motivated, detail-oriented person with excellent writing, oral communication, research, and organizational skills and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision. Candidates should have a strong interest in smart growth, economic development, transportation, community growth or related areas. Candidates should have at least a bachelor’s degree and either an educational background or work experience in transportation policy, urban planning, environmental studies, real estate, finance, public policy, business, or a related field. All candidates should be highly computer literate with experience in web research, database management, and the Microsoft Office suite of programs (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).

Compensation
Fellowships comes with a stipend of $1,500 per month. In addition, Fellows receive six days of paid sick leave or vacation per 6-month fellowship and will have paid leave on all federal holidays that occur within the tenure at Smart Growth America.

Timeframe and Location
The position is full-time, 40 hours a week. Minimum commitment of six months required. Potential to extend fellowship to 12 months is available. All Fellowships are located in Washington, DC.

Equal Opportunity Employment
Equal opportunity and having a diverse staff are fundamental principles at Smart Growth America. Employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

How to Apply
Interested applicants should send their cover letter, resume, three references and two short writing samples (no more than five pages) to jobs [at] smartgrowthamerica [dot] org. Please include the name of the Fellowship for which you are applying in the email subject line. Candidates may apply for more than one position, but this must be noted in the email subject line.

Applications are open immediately and will be accepted on a rolling basis.

The week ahead: Highway talks move behind the scenes
The Hill- May 14, 2012
Negotiations in Congress about a new federal transportation bill will move from committee rooms to behind the scenes as lawmakers in the House and Senate continue talks about a possible deal.

Transit groups win award for ad featuring Reagan, Bill Clinton
Politico- May 11, 2012
A pair of Washington-based transportation lobbying groups has won an advertising award for its campaign featuring former Presidents Reagan and Clinton.

Opinion: Too little is spent on transportation
Politico- May 13, 2012
It’s impossible to envision the United States without its transportation system. George Washington knew we needed a “smooth way” — a road connecting Eastern cities with Western territories if our nation was to survive.

What Killing the American Community Survey Would Actually Mean
The Atlantic Cities- May 11, 2012
So the Republican-led House of Representatives this week voted 232-190 to eliminate the American Community Survey, the annual survey of about 3 million randomly chosen U.S. households that’s like the Census only much more detailed. It collects demographic details such as what sort of fuel a household uses for heating, the cost of rent or mortgage payments, and what time residents leave home to go to work.

Local

Smart Growth summit draws hundreds
Providence Journal- May 11, 2012
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — If attendance at the biennial Power of Place Summit is an indication, then the movement to build Rhode Island’s economy while improving quality of life is gaining momentum. About 400 attended the day-long 2010 conference — but some 500 came Friday, according to sponsor Grow Smart RI.

Area cities spend millions to create, retain jobs
Dayton Daily News- May 12, 2012
Area cities have agreed in the past two years to pay $2.9 million to 33 businesses promising to retain or create more than 2,500 jobs, according to a survey conducted by the Dayton Daily News.

Silicon Valley Is Stuck In An Uncanny Valley Of Density
Forbes- May 11, 2012
Reader daviddelosangeles argues that there just isn’t room for more people in the San Francisco Bay Area:

New survey shows overwhelming support for bike facilities
SF Streetsblog- May 10, 2012
As Congress debates funding for our future transportation system, America Bikes released the results of a survey that shows Americans overwhelmingly support funding for bike and pedestrian facilities. According to America Bikes:

A Kansas town tries to keep the train coming through
CNN- May 13, 2012
(CNN) — For well over a century the world has come to call on Garden City, Kansas, every day of the year.

Editor’s note: Thoughts on rail lines and economic engines from one outer suburbanite
Washington Post- May 13, 2012
I recently attended a breakfast hosted by a Northern Virginia bank, where I met a longtime business person from Loudoun County. How’s business out there? I asked.

East Bay’s Record-Breaking Bike to Work Day: Ten Mayors, 17,000 People
SF Streetsblog- May 11, 2012
Bike to Work Day in the East Bay broke records once again yesterday, with ten mayors, dozens of council members, and over 17,000 participants riding — an overall 22 percent increase across the East Bay. The record-breaking number of elected officials riding in included the mayors of Albany, Berkeley, Piedmont, Dublin, Fremont, Emeryville, Hayward, Richmond, and Union City.

Transportation bill plays the waiting game
Politico- May 11, 2012
THE WAITING GAME: With the first formal conference meeting out of the way, the transportation bill is moving …slowly. Staff and members haven’t yet scheduled any meetings — public or private — two House conferees told MT yesterday. “We’re waiting for schedules now,” T&I freshman and conferee Richard Hanna told MT. “As far as I know, everything everywhere is up in the air.”

How Millennials Are Saving the Economy
The Fiscal Times- May 10, 2012
John T. Rogers, age 26, grew up in rural West Texas, raised by a single mother who often worked three jobs to make ends meet. He says his 59-year-old mother remains fiscally conservative, refusing to spend a dime on herself, though she now earns a respectable income.

Are Americans Driving Less Because They’re Working Less?
DC Streetsblog- May 10, 2012
Everyone’s trying to figure out why, after decades of consistent growth, the amount Americans drive is leveling off and even declining. The decline started during the recession, to be sure, but was more dramatic than in previous recessions. As the economy began to get back on its feet, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) just barely ticked upward — and then fell again.

At the 20th Congress for the New Urbanism, a Movement Feels its Age
The Atlantic Cities- May 10, 2012
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — The season, as it’s known, ended in April, leaving Lily Pulitzer-clad stragglers shopping for sunglasses on Worth Avenue and ordering the steak au poivre at Flagler’s. Until this week, when the stomping grounds of the Kennedys, Donald Trump, and Rod Stewart are descended upon by an entirely different brand of aging rocker: the New Urbanist.

Congressional report says ‘drill, baby, drill’ won’t protect U.S. from oil price spikes
Grist- May 10, 2012
More domestic drilling does not make America less susceptible to global supply disruptions or protect consumers from gasoline price volatility, according to a new analysis [PDF] from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

Local

A double shot of urban-type feel
Illiniois Times- May 10, 2012
“Everyone wanted it to have an ‘urban’ type feel,” said one focus group participant to the State Journal-Register about the new supermarket that Niemann Foods Inc. plans to build at Second and Carpenter, “although it’s in a neighborhood.”

Austin adds 10 miles to proposed urban rail system
Statesman.com- May 10, 2012
Austin’s urban rail plan is growing tentacles.

Group aims to raise $10 billion for high-speed rail in Texas
Star-Telegram- May 9, 2012
LEIPZIG, Germany — They travel more than 200 mph, and during 48 years of operation in Japan, they have never been involved in a fatal crash.

What can DC learn from its successful subsidies?
Greater Greater Washington- May 10, 2012
New data from the Office of the DC CFO reveals that the initial wave of development subsidies, such as Gallery Place, have repaid to the city well ahead of schedule. While excellent news for the city’s finances, these subsidies also provide important lessons that some present-day corporate subsidies don’t always follow.

Chicago Wants to Zero Out Traffic Fatalities By 2022
Transportation Nation- May 11, 2012
New York’s transportation department has had safety bragging rights — reducing traffic fatalities to their lowest level ever.

Why Seattle needs a new urban environmentalism
Crosscut- May 11, 2012
Sure, Seattleites score high when it comes to environmental awareness, but it’s about time we took a good look at how we treat our city.

For public transit, the recession’s still not over
Washington Post- May 9, 2012
Public transportation in the United States has faced a perverse situation these past few years. Thanks to high gas prices, more and more Americans are riding buses and trains. But thanks to budget crunches, transit agencies are actually cutting services at the exact same moment.

Gas prices fall and Obama gets a boost
Politico- May 9, 2012
Gasoline prices are no longer headed for $5 a gallon, but that doesn’t mean Republicans plan to stop using them to attack President Barack Obama.

Pro-Bike Group: Four out of Five Americans Want $$ For Biking & Walking
Transportation Nation- May 9, 2012
You always have to be a little leery when a group supporting a particular outcome puts out a poll showing support of that outcome, but an America Bikes poll being released today shows pretty lopsided results: a plurality (47%) of Americans wants more funding for bike and pedestrian programs, and when you add in those who believe existing funding should be maintained, four out of five Americans in all categories support maintaining or increasing funding. — Republican, Democrat, Independent, rural, urban, suburban, young old, etc.

Transportation Hurdles Keep Many With Disabilities Homebound
Disability Scoop- May 9, 2012
Transportation is a major obstacle for people with disabilities, with more than 500,000 never leaving their homes simply because they lack a way to get around, according to a new report.

Sneezy in the City
Mother Jones- May 9, 2012
Are you an urban-dweller who suffers from allergies? Maybe you need more bacteria in your life, according to a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Five things that the final House/Senate transportation bill should do
Transportation for America- May 9, 2012
The “conference” on the transportation bill between the House and Senate began yesterday, with opening remarks and a long public hearing — though much of the real work will happen behind closed doors.

Local

Reversing Years of Neglect on a Hill Above Nashville
The New York Times- May 8, 2012
NASHVILLE — On a bluff overlooking the Cumberland River, the odd collection of trolley barns and old hospital buildings here known as Rolling Mill Hill has been in some stage of redevelopment for the last 14 years.

NJ Transit gets acceptable grade for first time since creation of satisfaction ‘Scorecard’
NJ.com- May 10, 2012
For the past three marking periods, NJ Transit has been the student who sheepishly hands the report card to parents. Grades on the agency’s “Scorecard” customer satisfaction survey either went down from the previous marking period, or barely budged.

Hollywood Community Plan Moves to City Council ‘Without Recommendation’
Hollywood Patch- May 9, 2012
The Planning Land Use and Management Committee opted not to take an official stance due to the “sensitivity” of the decision at Tuesday’s meeting.

Is Your Commute Killing You?
US News- May 8, 2012
People with long commutes are likely to experience a myriad of health problems, according to a new study

Highway conference gets off to slow start
The Hill- May 8, 2012
The committee of lawmakers appointed to negotiate a new federal highway bill met for the first time Tuesday, with members of the panel pledging bipartisanship but not straying far from their party’s starting lines.

Buy America’s Shocking Pricetag
Streetsblog- May 8, 2012
Within the big pro-transit tent, positions on Buy America policies — which compel agencies to purchase domestically-made materials — vary wildly. But from the perspective of providing more rail service to more people, these restrictions are unequivocally bad news. How bad?

U.S. manufacturing’s next phase
Los Angeles Times- May 9, 2012
Our cities are poised to be the incubators for new American factories.

Small Cities Are Becoming New Engine Of Economic Growth
Forbes- May 8, 2012
The conventional wisdom is that the world’s largest cities are going to be the primary drivers of economic growth and innovation. Even slums, according to a fawning article in National Geographic, represent “examples of urban vitality, not blight.” In America, it is commonly maintained by pundits that “megaregions” anchored by dense urban cores will dominate the future.

IDOT unveils new multi-modal transportation program
Progressive Railroading- May 8, 2012
Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann Schneider recently unveiled the state’s first multi-modal transportation improvement program, which combines the state’s multi-year, $9.2 billion highway program with multi-year programs for rail, public transportation and aeronautics.

Local

Amazon adds details to planned 3-tower complex
Seattle Times- May 8, 2012
Amazon architects gave more details on the company’s proposed 3.3 million-square-foot office complex to the city’s advisory Downtown Review Board Tuesday night.

Where Needed Most, Public Transit Faces Cuts
Next American City- May 8, 2012
The board of the Port Authority of Allegheny County, Pa., serving the Pittsburgh metropolitan region, announced last week that it would have to cut services by 35 percent by September 2 — the largest cut ever for the agency — if it is not provided an increase in state aid. The agency expects that it will have to increase fares and lay off 500 workers. This comes a year after the agency reduced services by 15 percent.

Group claims climate change will impact public transit
Metro- May 7, 2012
Members of the Metro Boston Climate Defense team, a mashup coalition conjured up by 350.org and MassUniting, claim an intense nor’easter or destructive hurricane as a result of extreme climate changes could put parts of the Hub’s public transit system underwater by 2040.

Survey: Oklahoma City Tops for Small Business
Wall Street Journal- May 7, 2012
Small businesses in Oklahoma City may be less frustrated with local regulations than small businesses elsewhere.

Urban farms, gardens, reforestation all part of Detroit Works vision for remaking city
Detroit Free Press- May 8, 2012
Faced with growing vacancy in the city, Mayor Dave Bing’s Detroit Works long-term planning team is moving closer to recommending a set of diverse options for remaking Detroit’s neighborhoods.

Fighting over the future in two suburbs
Washington Post- May 8, 2012
NIMBYISM IS AT LEAST as old as the suburbs, but it’s a shape-shifting impulse. Over the years the objects of its wrath have evolved, particularly in affluent areas, to include not just undesirable neighbors (landfills, prisons) but also what many people would consider desirable ones, such as chic stores and modern transit hubs. The idea is the same and deeply conservative: Don’t change our neighborhood! Don’t build it here!