Designation 2050: The case for updating Vermont’s Designation Program

Vermont’s Designation Programs guide development and state investment priorities for revitalization. In response to the Program’s evolving needs, Smart Growth America and Community Workshop collaborated on Designation 2050, a strategic report that evaluates the current Designation Programs, sharing insights and recommendations for reform. The report’s key findings aim to position a reformed Designation Program to … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance

Designation 2050: Vermont State Designation Program Evaluation and Reform

Vermont’s Designation Programs guide development and state investment priorities for revitalization by offering benefits to municipalities and property owners like tax credits, grant funding, and easier permitting for housing in designated areas to municipalities and property owners. While the programs have been successful in leveraging hundreds of millions of dollars in funding for local development … Continued

Land Use and Development

Inspiring progress: Reimagining development in Vermont

Smart Growth America partnered with Community Workshop LLC to work with Vermont decision makers as they reevaluate and reimagine their state’s Designation Programs. The recent Designation 2050 Design Summit helped advance this project to improve climate resilience and housing affordability. Last month, planners, state and local leaders, and business and property owners came together to … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance

Active Roadmap Case Study: Montpelier, VT

CREATING CONNECTIONS IN MONTPELIER, VT Location: Montpelier, VT Population: 7,434 (2020) Typologies: Traditional main street Key takeaway: In small cities and rural areas, the effects of emergency situations like a global pandemic can hit especially hard. Finding ways to connect the community during crisis can be essential for resiliency in rural areas Vermont’s capital city, … Continued

Complete Streets Rural Development

Power of Place: Reimagining Vermont’s State Designation Programs

Smart Growth America is working with a team of practitioners and leaders with deep knowledge of state and local land use policy to reform Vermont’s state designation programs that guide development and state investment priorities for revitalization. This project offers an exciting opportunity to support livable, walkable, thriving communities with a range of attainable housing … Continued

Land Use and Development Technical assistance

Building Resilient States: Profiles in Action Webinar

Communities shouldn’t wait for a flood or a hurricane to see how land use choices will affect their ability to remain resilient in the face of disaster. Many states and municipalities are already thinking strategically about how land use, transportation, and infrastructure decisions can help them prepare for and mitigate the impact of disasters. Building … Continued

Economic development Resilience

Building Resilient States: Profiles in Action

In October 2015, the Governors’ Institute on Community Design, a program run in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Smart Growth America, released Building Resilient States: A Framework for Agencies, a report intended to introduce and integrate land use and transportation issues into states’ conversations about resilience. The Framework was designed to help … Continued

Economic development Resilience

Strengthening Vermont’s Economy by Integrating Transportation and Smart Growth Policy

The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and Smart Growth America partnered to demonstrate that policies and programs at VTrans that connect smart growth and transportation will strengthen the state’s economy and support the Agency’s vision for a safe, efficient, and multimodal transportation system. A Project Stakeholder Group, consisting of a broad spectrum of representatives from … Continued

DOT Innovation Technical assistance

New program will help Vermont communities coordinate land use decisions and transportation investments

vergennes-vt
A street sign in Vergennes, VT, one of the first participants in VTrans and ACCD’s Strong Communities, Better Connections program. Photo by The Selby.

In a new collaboration to support vibrant community centers and increase in town and regional transportation options, the Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) and the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development are pleased to announce the Strong Communities, Better Connections Pilot Grant Program has funded three projects that help align land use planning and community revitalization efforts with transportation investments.

Technical assistance