News

Federal Policy Update

We anticipate that a lame-duck Congress could address several issues after the election. Sequestration or the decision to further delay it, the Bush tax cuts, and tax extenders are all on the table. It is unclear what the priorities of lawmakers will be and will depend heavily on the outcomes of the election.

Smart Growth America launches its Local Leaders Council

Smart Growth America is proud to announce the launch of its new Local Leaders Council. This nonpartisan group of local officials is dedicated to facilitating collaboration and networking among municipal leaders with a shared interest in using smart growth strategies to generate economic returns, save taxpayer money and provide housing and transportation options near jobs, shops and schools.

The Advisory Board of the Local Leaders Council is comprised of 22 municipal leaders from across the nation, representing big cities, rural towns, and suburban communities, each with their own set of challenges and opportunities. The Advisory Board convened for the first time on October 1, 2012, to discuss shared goals and deliberate on the services the Council would provide its members, which will include elected and appointed decision makers at the city and county levels. Members will receive technical assistance in policy development, reviews of best practices across a broad range of issues, and access to one another to share ideas and lessons in smart growth implementation.

With guidance from the Advisory Board, Smart Growth America will begin to recruit the first members of the Local Leaders Council. Initially, membership will be by invitation with Board members and general members making nominations to grow the network. For more information about Smart Growth America’s Local Leaders Council, visit SGA’s website.

Smart Growth America is seeking proposals from organizations interested in working together to provide technical assistance to Brownfield Communities

With support from the National Brownfields Coalition, Smart Growth America will respond to EPA’s RFP for providers of Technical Assistance to Brownfield Communities, and we have issued our own RFP to identify contractors and partners to be part of our team. The EPA will award several grants based on its regions, and SGA will focus on EPA Region 3, which includes PA, MD, DE, WV and VA. The EPA requests that teams provide assistance in at least six areas, including community involvement, health impacts of brownfield sites, science and technology, integrated approaches to clean up and redevelopment, finance, and state and local brownfields programs. If you are interested, or know someone to whom we should reach out, please contact Elizabeth Schilling via email or 202-207-3355 ext. 141.

National Endowment for the Arts is accepting applications for Our Town grants

On October 11, 2012, the NEA posted guidelines and application materials for Our Town, the agency’s primary creative placemaking grants program. Pending availability of funding, grants will range from $25,000 to $200,000.

Our Town will invest in creative and innovative projects in which communities, together with their arts and design organizations and artists, seek to:

• Improve their quality of life;
• Encourage greater creative activity;
• Foster stronger community identity and a sense of place; and
• Revitalize economic development.

Organizations can submit applications until January 14, 2013.

Submit your nominations for the 2013 Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence – Nominations are due Dec. 10

An excellent urban place involves the interplay of process, place and values. Processes may be inclusive, innovative or participatory. Places may be grandiose or modest; new or historic, but must be well designed, and must demonstrate positive contributions to their neighborhoods and cities. Values guide the inevitable tradeoffs involved in bringing a project to life. The Rudy Bruner Award seeks to illuminate the complex process of urban placemaking, so that it may be strengthened to better reflect the balance between form and use, opportunity and cost, and preservation and change.

Established in 1987, the Rudy Bruner Award seeks to promote fresh and innovative thinking about cities, and to encourage us all to demand excellence in our urban environments. The Award is distinguished from other award programs by its broad eligibility criteria, the multi-disciplinary Selection Committee, and the detailed on-site evaluation of each finalist. Each award cycle is documented in in-depth case studies of the winners, and in a distillation of the Selection Committee discussions.

The Rudy Bruner Award for Urban Excellence is given to five winning projects in each biennial award cycle.

• One Gold Medal Winner receives $50,000.
• Four Silver Medal Winners are awarded $10,000 each.
• The winning projects may use prize money in any way that benefits the project.
• All winners are promoted by the Bruner Foundation and are included in a book published by the Foundation.
• All winners will be featured in award ceremonies and in a media outreach effort.

Learn more about the Rudy Bruner Award and how to apply.

Registration is now open for the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference February 7-9, 2013

This year, the New Partners Conference makes its way to America’s heartland—Kansas City, Missouri. The program will span three full days with optional pre-conference events scheduled for Wednesday, February 6th and post-conference events scheduled for Sunday February 10th. The main program will kick off on Thursday morning, February 7th, and continue through Saturday afternoon. The schedule includes a dynamic mix of plenaries, breakouts, implementation workshops, specialized trainings, peer-to-peer learning opportunities, and coordinated networking activities. It will also feature exciting tours of local model projects in and around the greater Kansas City region. Learn more and register on the New Partners website.