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Smart growth is an approach to community design that connects housing, transportation, and land use to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods.

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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.
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Smart growth is an approach to community design that connects housing, transportation, and land use to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods.
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Even the best-planned cities have a few hidden alleys.

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The federal government has two strong transit-oriented development financing programs, RRIF &amp; TIFIA, but both have been plagued by administrative burden for a decade. Smart Growth America’s LOCUS coalition believes that now is a key opportunity to improve government efficiency, strengthen public-private partnerships, and unlock economic growth through transit-oriented development.
Transit-oriented development (TOD) is a boon for transit systems and communities because it spurs economic growth, fosters walkable, connected neighborhoods, and shortens commute times for everyone by providing alternatives to personal vehicles. Critically, as transit systems across the country seek paths to financial stability, TOD offers a proven path to increased ridership. In addition, selling or leasing land to developers can generate additional revenue streams for local agencies. By concentrating economic activity, promoting efficient land use, improving access to transit, and expanding housing options, TOD can strengthen communities and the systems that serve them.
Despite the numerous benefits, the federal government has generally been an inconsistent partner for TOD, often bogged down in administrative burdens related to the fact that it can involve multiple federal agencies. By definition—and to great benefit—TOD is at the intersection of transportation and land use, which puts it at a crossroads of interdepartmental and intergovernmental collaboration. This overlap can also create process challenges and raise jurisdictional questions that lead to delays. Uncertainty over which entity should be doing which policy task, and whether they have the authority or funding to do so, has plagued TOD-related efforts due to the cross-agency, collaborative nature of the work.
Rather than supporting transit-oriented development broadly across programs and integrating TOD into transit programs, the approach pursued by Congress and various administrations has to date been much more limited. The Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) efforts to support joint development and value capture, as well as implement the Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning, have all been meaningful. As are recent congressional efforts, like the <a href="https://blakemoore.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-moore-peters-reintroduce-legislation-to-help-tackle-americas-housing-crisis-boost-public-transit-use">Build More Housing Near Transit Act,</a> which would provide a boost to a competitive transit grant application’s score if it incorporated pro-housing policy. However, Congress and the Administration must do more. Specifically, they must make clear that transit-oriented development is a priority, and they must unlock TOD financing through the Railroad Rehabilitation and Financing (RRIF) and the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) programs.
The RRIF and TIFIA programs are two federal financing programs that offer very low-interest direct loans and loan guarantees to finance the development of infrastructure and transit-oriented development projects. Eligible TOD projects must be within a half-mile walking distance of a qualifying station/facility. Between the two programs, eligible projects can include commercial development, residential development, public infrastructure projects, economic development projects that involve public infrastructure, and joint development. While the specific project requirements vary between RRIF and TIFIA, the general goal of TOD eligibility is to offer attractive loan terms for projects that support increased transit ridership. For more information on project eligibility and the program as it stands, visit the <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/TOD">Build America Bureau’s TOD-specific website.</a>
During the lead-up to the FAST Act in 2015, Smart Growth America’s <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/locus/">LOCUS</a> coalition took a leadership role in championing language that included transit-oriented development project eligibility. This language was incorporated into the FAST Act, passed by Congress, and signed into law. While securing TOD project eligibility was a significant win, implementing the provision has been challenging. Both the RRIF and TIFIA programs were not initially designed to finance TOD projects, but were instead originally authorized to provide financing for traditional infrastructure. This has posed a host of challenges as requirements that made sense for one type of project fail to map easily onto the other (like bond rating requirements and NEPA specifics). In fact, only <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/tifias-first-transit-oriented-development-loan-approval/">one TOD project has been successfully financed</a> using these programs to date, with a few more in the pipeline—not nearly enough to address the pressing need for more housing near transit across the country. With high interest rates hampering new housing development, this tool has enormous potential to unlock more well-located housing.
Over the past several years, LOCUS developers have continued to share their perspectives in conversations with the Department of Transportation and Congress in efforts to reform RRIF and TIFIA to allow both programs to better serve as financing tools for transit-oriented development. While there have been a number of improvements, including clarifying language around specific requirements for the financing and process adjustments that have streamlined the program, both RRIF and TIFIA still have issues that make them burdensome and less functional than intended for private sector developers.
To address these challenges, LOCUS recently provided input on draft legislation being considered in Congress and submitted a <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/177VcOXJB_yaddKpNjPJUaopP03T3JqQjZ8pmwllAeXo/edit?usp=sharing">comment letter</a> to USDOT on how RRIF and TIFIA might be reformed in the upcoming surface reauthorization bill. Specific recommendations include:
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<li>Extend the period that the programs can be used for TOD projects</li>
<li>Harmonize the definitions of what a transit-oriented development project is between programs for clarity</li>
<li>Consider exemptions in statute from NEPA, Davis-Bacon, and Buy America requirements for TOD projects, and clarify that TOD projects should not be required to appear on State Transportation Improvement Programs (STIPs)</li>
<li>Streamline the internal deliberation process within the federal government to shorten the overall loan processing timeline</li>
<li>Create a new, targeted, and more streamlined loan program for smaller TOD projects, which could be especially helpful in smaller communities and rural areas with existing downtowns or activity centers with demand for transit-oriented development</li>
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<div class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 20px;" aria-hidden="true">In the upcoming surface transportation reauthorization bill, Congress and the Administration have a chance to provide clarity on TOD and present a vision that states clearly: the Department of Transportation can and should pursue transit-oriented development, not only because it supports transit systems, but because it facilitates economic growth and makes good fiscal sense. A critical way to achieve this is to pursue long-overdue legislative reforms to the RRIF and TIFIA programs. 
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Earlier this month, the Gulf Coast celebrated a long-awaited milestone nearly 20 years in the making: the return of passenger rail service between New Orleans and Mobile, AL. With brass bands, second lines, and Mardi Gras regalia, communities across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama welcomed the launch of Amtrak’s new Mardi Gras route—marking the first time passenger trains have run this corridor since Hurricane Katrina.
Smart Growth America’s transportation program, Transportation for America (T4America), has played a leading role in bringing passenger rail back to the Gulf Coast and creating programs to expand passenger rail across the country. What began as a regional vision grew into a national movement, with T4America lending policy expertise, navigating regulatory hurdles, convening stakeholders, and helping build a strong coalition of local leaders and residents committed to bringing trains back to the Gulf Coast.
Along the way, our team helped build new federal programs to fund the service, coordinated test rides to show feasibility, and built the public and political will to make passenger rail a reality. These efforts didn’t just lead to the restoration of Gulf Coast rail. They also helped pave the way for the creation of a federal rail program with the potential to expand passenger rail nationwide.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-107210 size-large" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MardiGras13-1024x576.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MardiGras13-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MardiGras13-300x169.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MardiGras13-768x432.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MardiGras13-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/MardiGras13.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
[button type=&#8221;info&#8221; block=&#8221;true&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;https://t4america.org/gulf-coast-rail/&#8221;]See our timeline that breaks down how this decade-long effort came together! [/button] 
T4America Senior Policy Advisor John Robert Smith, along with other staff, was part of the inaugural train ride, joining local leaders, community members, and long-time advocates at every stop along the new route. From the second line sendoff in New Orleans to the joyful welcome in Mobile, members of the T4America team witnessed firsthand how much this service means to the people of the Gulf Coast—and just how powerful it is when federal policy and local voices come together to deliver real change.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-107211" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7286-1024x768.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7286-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7286-300x225.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7286-768x576.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7286-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/IMG_7286-2048x1536.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
The Mardi Gras line is proof of what’s possible when communities organize, elected officials lead, and federal policy supports progress. The same programs and policies that made Gulf Coast rail restoration possible can, and should, be leveraged to expand passenger rail across the country.
To truly build a national passenger rail network, federal policy needs to go beyond one-off projects. That means sustained investment in rail infrastructure, a clearly coordinated national vision, and the authority to deliver service faster and more equitably. Transportation for America’s <a href="https://t4america.org/reauthorization/#policies">new policy proposal</a> lays out a path to make that vision real in the next federal transportation reauthorization. The Mardi Gras line is just the beginning. The future of American passenger rail is ready to leave the station.

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Two decades in the making: Passenger rail returns to the Gulf Coast

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On Thursday, July 24th, LOCUS and Smart Growth America hosted the third webinar in the “Building the Stack” series. This series of conversations with real estate developers and community partners focuses on demystifying how to finance and build high interest projects. This recent webinar focused on innovative approaches to financing housing development and featured three speakers from across the country.
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Alternative approaches in financing or project development can be slow to move from one community to another. The Building the Stack series is designed to help lift up good ideas and demystify the development of key project types of interest by allowing attendees to explore real case studies with a variety of stakeholders who are developing the projects, providing the financing, or steering development in their communities. This webinar featured leaders championing new models for funding and constructing smart growth-aligned housing types such as co-ops and affordable housing.
The first speaker was Sherry Taylor, the Executive Director of Durham Community Land Trustees, who spoke about the community land trust (CLT) model and two projects in the Durham area. Dave Foster of BDP Impact Real Estate then presented on Community Solutions’ social impact equity fund and its efforts to help nine communities house veterans exiting homelessness by acquiring existing multifamily buildings. Josh Morrison, COO and Co-founder at Frolic Community, then discussed Frolic Community’s work redeveloping rezoned single family lots into multi-family housing co-operatives in partnership with the previous single family homeowner.
<h2>Key takeaways</h2>
Throughout the webinar, a number of key takeaways emerged:
1. Non-conventional financing methods can and have been templated from one place to another. Sherry Taylor discussed the beginnings of the land trust movement and the proliferation of the model across the country since 1969. Dave Foster discussed how Community Solutions is currently in process on Fund II of their Large Cities fund aimed at ending veteran homelessness after Fund I, their initial round, successfully raised capital to support projects in several communities across the country.
2. Non-conventional financing methods offer innovative frameworks for development, but require flexibility and patience from developers and funders to bring projects into reality. Sherry Taylor explained that land trusts provide an overall model for development and perpetual affordability, with several different collaboration options that shape how development occurs. She also discussed the way that taking out the land from a capital stack complicates the financing for a project, requiring creativity from all partners involved to complete the stack. Josh Morrison discussed the complexities of working with a homeowner to convert a single family home and financing through a co-op structure.
3. Non-conventional financing methods can help bring homeownership within reach for a broader range of community members. Both the Frolic model and the community land trust model both deliver affordable homeownership options for community members. While they are not operating at the scale of traditional financing methods, they are helping to fill a critical gap for households traditionally unable to own homes.
4. Constraints of the development ecosystem as it stands are real–but that’s where innovative approaches can help fill the gap. Dave Foster highlighted the way social impact capital was able to deliver affordable units at a fraction of the cost on a much faster timeline than a traditional Low Income Housing Tax Credit project. Sherry Taylor highlighted how the Guthrie Village ADU project took advantage of the ability to add ADUs in her community to create a pocket neighborhood to create affordable, supportive housing for veterans.
Are you a purpose-driven developer or investor? Consider joining Smart Growth America’s 
 LOCUS, latin for ‘place’, is a national coalition of real estate developers and investors who advocate for smart growth at the federal level, with occasional work at the state and local levels. LOCUS brings together real estate developers and investors from across the country to change policy and to build neighborhoods that are more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable for America’s future. LOCUS is driven by the vision of a country in which every person lives in a vibrant and healthy community. Membership provides access to monthly briefings, policy development conversations, and curated newsletters to keep you and your organization informed. Learn more about joining <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/locus/join-locus/">LOCUS</a>!

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Complete Streets is not just a term to be slapped onto a policy or resolution. Complete Streets is an approach to road design that not only improves the safety for those walking, biking, or rolling, but also boosts local economies, and helps create resilient and vibrant communities. Strong policies are the first and critical step in the larger process of creating roads that are designed for all users, regardless of their mode, age, or ability.
In 2023 and 2024, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/signature-reports/best-complete-streets/">43 Complete Streets policies</a> were adopted across the nation as state and local governments try to enable safe road access for a larger variety of users. Many of these policies were from <a href="https://www.nj.gov/transportation/eng/completestreets/pdf/CS_Policy_703_Signed_and_dated.pdf">New Jersey,</a> likely influenced by a new <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/signature-reports/best-complete-streets-state-policies/#:~:text=Policy%20scores%20averaged%20around%2050%20points%20for%20New%20Jersey%20and%20around%2025%20for%20Washington.%20These%20patterns%20may%20be%20driven%20by%20statewide%20incentives%2C%20guidance%2C%20and%20model%20policy%20language%20aimed%20at%20encouraging%20policy%20adoption.">statewide policy</a> that gives special consideration to municipalities that have adopted Complete Streets policies when allocating state and federal transportation funds. Though this sparked many local governments in NJ to create and pass their own Complete Streets policies, the policies that came out of towns varied in quality; the average score of NJ municipalities was only 50. Two, however, stood out amongst the rest. Red Bank and Asbury Park in Monmouth County had some of the best policies from 2023-24, scoring 69 and 70, respectively. Both areas have relatively small populations (less than 15,500) but are known amongst Monmouth county residents to have vibrant downtown areas.
When grading Complete Streets Policies, our criteria specifically looks at the content of the policy and not the projects and changes that result. Although we don’t officially evaluate changes on the ground, we know that strong policies help get the ball rolling for such changes. To see how policies are helping enact change, let’s take a look at the policies and the work being done in two NJ locales: Red Bank and Asbury Park.
<h3>Policies</h3>
Red Bank and Asbury Park stand out especially because of their distinctness from the other NJ policies and NJDOT’s policy, which only scores a 45. Though the statewide policy does a good job of establishing commitment and vision and applying the policy to all projects and phases, it does a much poorer job of prioritizing underinvested and underserved communities, setting criteria for choosing projects, and creating a plan for implementation. In contrast, Red Bank and Asbury Park’s policies scored higher than the state’s policy in many of our <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/resources/elements-complete-streets-policy/">Complete Streets Policy Framework criteria,</a> going beyond the state’s policy.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-107114 size-medium" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.48.45-PM-300x169.png" alt="" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.48.45-PM-300x169.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.48.45-PM-1024x578.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.48.45-PM-768x434.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Screenshot-2025-08-14-at-12.48.45-PM.png 1250w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />
Red Bank and Asbury Park scored near equal or higher in almost every framework principle; they both do a good job of laying the groundwork for measuring progress of projects—something the statewide policy lacked in. They also both do a better job creating an implementation plan.
<h3>Red Bank</h3>
Red Bank is a small borough with just under 13,000 people and a land area of 1.7 square miles. Though a small area, the downtown district attracts many people from towns all around the county. Due to the commercial shops and restaurants downtown, there’s a high amount of foot traffic. There’s also lots of vehicular pass-through traffic that’s associated with the NJ State Route 35 and Garden State Parkway exit just outside of the borough.
Red Bank’s proximity to the highway and to the train station, as well as its historic character and charm, have made it an enticing borough to live in and commute from; the <a href="https://www.app.com/story/money/2025/01/29/monmouth-county-home-prices-rise-to-second-highest-in-new-jersey/77886186007/#:~:text=13.%20Red%20Bank%3A%20%24671%2C500%2C%20%2B23%25">housing demand in the borough has been increasing steadily.</a> With all the different kinds of traffic already going through the area, Red Bank has a large incentive to ensure walkability and pedestrian safety, not just downtown, but throughout the entire community. A Complete Streets policy has helped Red Bank develop safer multimodal transportation options as the borough continues to grow.
<figure id="attachment_107119" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-107119" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-107119 size-large" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/red-bank-1-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="682" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/red-bank-1-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/red-bank-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/red-bank-1-768x512.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/red-bank-1-1536x1023.jpg 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/red-bank-1.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-107119" class="wp-caption-text">Crosswalk with a drive smart sign at the corner of Canal and Broad Street in Red Bank.</figcaption></figure>
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Red Bank began making meaningful progress under its <a href="https://njbikeped.org/wp-content/uploads/Red-Bank-Resolution-and-Policy-2018.pdf">2018 Complete Streets resolution,</a> using it as a springboard for several community-driven projects. In 2023, the town tested temporary bike lanes through a safety demonstration project aimed at gathering feedback and evaluating permanent changes—explicitly citing the 2018 policy as a guiding framework. That same year, Red Bank announced plans for pedestrian safety upgrades like bump-outs along heavily-trafficked Shrewsbury Avenue. They also added a <a href="https://tworivertimes.com/red-bank-officials-address-growth-change-with-community/">new bike lane</a> on Harrison Street, a residential corridor.
While the 2018 resolution helped establish a vision and support tactical urbanism efforts, it lacked enforceability. The newly-adopted Complete and Green Streets ordinance changes that. It requires all new development projects to implement Complete Streets practices and establishes an advisory committee to investigate pedestrian and bike safety, while also promoting green infrastructure like shade trees and bioswales to make streets cooler and more resilient.
Under their new 2023 Complete Streets policy, Red Bank has started to see new plans and development for projects. Monmouth Street, a road that connects downtown to the train station, is undergoing updates to its pedestrian infrastructure, and the city is developing a transit-oriented, mixed-use space near the station. Additionally, Red Bank received a <a href="https://www.redbanknj.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=345">$10,000 grant for a quick build</a> to improve pedestrian safety at the intersection of Leighton Avenue and River Street, a quieter part of the town.
<h3>Asbury Park</h3>
Asbury Park is a bit denser than Red Bank, with just under 15,200 residents and a land area 1.4 square miles. Asbury Park is well known for its boardwalk, which houses the city’s Convention Hall and Carousel, along the shore. As a town that becomes packed in the summer time with lots of foot traffic, providing multiple modes of transportation for people to get from downtown to the shore is imperative.
Asbury Park has long used one-way streets and stop signs to manage downtown traffic, but the city is now shifting toward new safety improvements like adding traffic signals and reconfiguring intersections at Third and Fourth Avenues. These changes build on a foundation laid by the city’s <a href="https://njbikeped.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Asbury-Park-Policy.pdf">2015 Complete Streets policy.</a> In the years since, Asbury Park has updated its <a href="https://asburyparkartscouncil.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/City-of-Asbury-Park-2017-Master-Plan-and-Master-Plan-Re-Examination-Report.pdf">Master Plan</a> (2017), created a Plan for Walking and Biking (2018), and launched several safety projects, including a traffic signal with pedestrian bump-outs at Prospect and Bangs Avenues, currently underway. While the 2015 policy supported these efforts, it lacked requirements for private development and long-term oversight. The new 2024 ordinance addresses those gaps—applying to both public and private projects, formalizing the role of advisory boards, and including a planned policy audit in 2026 to ensure continued accountability.
<figure id="attachment_107116" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-107116" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-107116 size-large" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ashbury-1-1024x643.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="643" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ashbury-1-1024x643.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ashbury-1-300x188.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ashbury-1-768x482.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ashbury-1-1536x965.jpg 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/ashbury-1.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-107116" class="wp-caption-text">The Paramount Theatre and Asbury Park Convention Hall.</figcaption></figure>
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As a result, Asbury Park has <a href="https://www.cityofasburypark.com/369/Ongoing-Construction">a number of ongoing projects</a> that ensure their streets accommodate multiple modes of transportation. On Asbury Avenue, the city is narrowing the roadway as a traffic calming measure and adding additional protected bike lanes. In a similar project, the city is reconstructing Memorial Drive and will add a protected bike lane to that road as well. Through these projects, the city hopes to encourage residents to choose more active modes of transportation.
Both Asbury Park and Red Bank demonstrate that while a policy alone isn’t a silver bullet, it can be a powerful tool for shaping long-term, people-centered change. Their progress shows how clear, enforceable policies—paired with reflection and updates over time—can turn good intentions into tangible improvements for residents, businesses, and the broader community.

Completing the streets in New Jersey: Two municipalities with the best Complete Streets policies

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This July, Congress passed, and the President signed, a major reconciliation package that marks a breakthrough for affordable housing production in the U.S. By <a href="https://www.housingfinance.com/policy-legislation/house-passes-sweeping-bill-with-lihtc-provisions">expanding the federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program,</a> housing experts, SGA included, expect it to unlock the development of hundreds of thousands of new affordable rental homes nationwide.
The legislation boosts federal funding for LIHTC by 12 percent starting in 2026 for two types of tax credits: 1) so-called “9% projects” that applies a (you guessed it) a 9 percent credit to developers for typically new construction or major rehabilitation under a competitive incentive program, and 2) a set of “4% projects” that usually are used for smaller projects like preservation and some new construction. For the latter, the legislation reduces the amount of bond financing the developer needs from 50 percent to 25 percent, making it easier to finance a project and start construction.
LIHTC is an important national affordability project as it is currently an affordability component of about 210,900 active affordable units, or 4 percent of all U.S. affordable units, according to our analysis of the <a href="https://preservationdatabase.org/">National Housing Preservation Database.</a> Since its establishment in 1986, experts estimate the program has helped finance over <a href="https://taxfoundation.org/research/all/federal/low-income-housing-tax-credit-lihtc/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">3.1 million housing units.</a>
We applaud the federal government’s leadership on this, but the program is only one part of a larger federal framework and a state and local government effort to provide affordability. It advances smart growth by encouraging more building, especially in multifamily properties, but local tools are needed to ensure that these developments are in in-demand <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-center/foot-traffic-ahead-2023/">walkable urban places</a> that provide greater access and <a href="https://www.opportunityatlas.org/">opportunity to residents.</a>
<h3>Why LIHTC sparks smart housing development</h3>
At SGA, we advocate for policies that foster equitable and resilient communities—places where people can live near jobs, transit, and other essential destinations, like schools and grocery stores. LIHTC is a vital tool in advancing these goals, but it does not itself dictate where projects are built, which risks development being pushed to the edges of communities. Here, the program gives states flexibility in how credits are allocated, creating an opportunity to shape housing outcomes that reflect smart growth priorities.
For example, nothing about LIHTC guarantees walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods, housing diversity, and access to jobs and transit—no federal program really does—but it has the potential to support them strongly. This is up to state and local governments to prioritize those outcomes and to leverage LIHTC to incentivize compact development, promote infill reuse, and support transit-accessible housing.
The structure of LIHTC gives state and local governments enough flexibility to align their housing goals with sustainability and equity, especially since these credits are allocated through the states via Qualified Action Plans (QAPs), which states use to allocate the tax credits. (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/crs-product/RS22389">The Congressional Research Service summarizes</a> the specific details of the LIHTC program.) It is plausible for state QAPs to incorporate scoring for energy efficiency, green infrastructure, and access to jobs and services.
States can prioritize projects that support smart growth land-use practices, like promoting infill development, reusing underutilized sites, or developing transit-oriented development (TOD) close to public transit. This type of development could help reduce the costs for households with respect to transportation, as well as reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and expand their access to high-opportunity areas.
Local governments also play a role in maximizing LIHTC’s smart growth. Jurisdictions that streamline permitting, <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/center-for-zoning-solutions/">update zoning codes,</a> and reduce regulatory barriers can make it easier and more cost-effective to <a href="https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/LIHTC_Construction_Costs_March_2020.pdf">deliver LIHTC-financed projects</a>. Aligning these local tools with the federal credit helps unlock the kind of housing development that smart growth demands.
<h3>LIHTC needs bolstering and leverage</h3>
While the LIHTC program has helped to build millions of affordable homes, it cannot address the nation’s affordability crisis alone, especially in markets where it is most acute. Development financing using these tax credits is often complex, requiring multiple layers of capital, often from federal, state, and local sources, to make any one project viable. In high-cost markets, per-unit costs can exceed $1 million, driven not only by land prices and construction costs but also by prevailing wage requirements, layered subsidy structures, and limited site availability. These local market realities make LIHTC a powerful but incomplete tool, underscoring the need for state and local governments to step in with targeted subsidies, policy alignment, and zoning reforms to bridge the gap between what the federal credit can deliver and what communities truly need.
Additionally, the intricacies of LIHTC financing can create barriers for smaller-scale or mission-driven developers who lack the capital reserves or specialized expertise to navigate multiple application cycles. State and local action can remedy this through certain mechanisms like predevelopment funding, technical assistance, or even set-asides under state QAPs. Without such policy action, small-scale developers risk being shut out of the process, narrowing the diversity of actors building affordable housing.
State and local governments can also use their own funding streams, like housing trust funds, infrastructure grants, and property tax abatements, to deepen affordability for households earning below 30 percent of the area median income. This is particularly important because LIHTC projects alone struggle to r<a href="https://www.urban.org/sites/default/files/publication/98758/lithc_how_it_works_and_who_it_serves_final_0.pdf">each extremely low-income renters without additional deep rental subsidies</a> like Housing Choice Vouchers. By strategically combining LIHTC with these local resources, governments can ensure that projects serve a broader range of residents and meet more urgent community needs.
Finally, regulatory alignment at the local level is critical to maximizing the impact of LIHTC. Jurisdictions that streamline permitting, modernize zoning to allow more multifamily development, and reduce excessive parking or setback requirements can lower total development costs and speed up delivery. When paired with targeted state and local funding, these policy shifts can turn LIHTC from a strong federal incentive into the backbone of a comprehensive housing affordability strategy. Such a strategy would produce more units, reach deeper levels of affordability, and locate homes in the kinds of walkable, connected neighborhoods that advance smart growth goals.
<h3>Looking ahead</h3>
Taken together, these state and local actions are not just nice add-ons but the difference between LIHTC being a financing tool and LIHTC being a full-fledged housing solution. The federal credit can open the door, but without the subsidies, policies, and regulations that only state and local governments can provide, too many of those doors will remain closed. Nothing restricts Congress from adding such place-based smart growth requirements to the LIHTC program, but for now, that will remain under the purview of the states.
As members of the ACTION Campaign, SGA fought to support these recent federal reforms and will continue to push for improvements that link LIHTC to deeper affordability, greater location efficiency, and stronger climate outcomes. But the federal win is only the starting point. If we want LIHTC to live up to its potential, we must treat it as just one piece of a coordinated affordability strategy that stacks funding streams, clears regulatory hurdles, and directs development toward places where people can thrive. That is how we turn more tax credits into more homes, in more walkable, connected neighborhoods, for the people who need them most.

Low-Income Housing Tax Credit funding is a smart growth win

Duplex_Missing Middle Housing

As U.S. cities face historic housing shortages and rising costs, one overlooked factor is making things worse: tariffs. Regardless if they stay, tariffs add additional uncertainty, which will impact housing supply for decades to come.
<h3>The hidden crisis</h3>
Tariffs create uncertainty, delay construction, and raise costs in a fragile market. Often seen as abstract, tariffs have real consequences for planners, developers, and communities. With the <a href="https://www.census.gov/housing/hvs/files/currenthvspress.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com">homeowner vacancy rate at just 1.1 percent,</a> far below the healthy <a href="https://www.chase.com/personal/mortgage/education/finding-a-home/vacancy-rate">five percent</a> mark, rising costs driven by tariffs are limiting what gets built and who can access it. As affordable homes disappear, renters and buyers face fewer options, shrinking mobility, and stalling community growth. The national rental vacancy rate rose to <a href="https://ycharts.com/indicators/us_rental_vacancy_rate?utm_source=chatgpt.com">7 percent in Q2 2025, from 6.6 percent in Q2 2024</a>, tightening the market. If cities hope to expand affordable, inclusive housing, they must reckon with the hidden obstacle that tariffs place on progress.
Tariffs increase costs up to <a href="https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/canadian-news/us-increases-antidumping-duties-softwood-lumber-2056-percent?utm_source=chatgpt.com">20 percent</a> on softwood lumber from <a href="http://www.nahb.org/news-and-economics/press-releases/2025/02/25-perecent-tariff-hike-on-canadian-and-mexican-goods-harms-housing-affordability">Canada and Mexico,</a> while <a href="https://www.houstonchronicle.com/business/real-estate/article/immigration-ice-enforcement-construction-labor-20250188.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com">strict immigration policies</a> worsen labor shortages. Even <a href="https://www.nahb.org/advocacy/top-priorities/building-materials-trade-policy/how-tariffs-impact-home-building">standard projects</a> struggle as prices for lumber, steel, aluminum, and gypsum climb. Since December 2020, building material prices have jumped <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/tariffs-on-lumber-appliances-set-stage-for-higher-costs-on-new-homes-and-remodeling-projects?utm_source=chatgpt.com">34 percent,</a> far outpacing inflation and further straining development budgets. Builders say tariffs add <a href="https://www.nahb.org/advocacy/top-priorities/building-materials-trade-policy/how-tariffs-impact-home-building">$10,900 per month in costs</a>. Smart growth projects, <a href="http://www.boston25news.com/news/tariff-whiplash-hud-cuts-could-cripple-affordable-housing-development/3NPPQWMM3FJQHE4LQEBY5IQI7Q/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">especially infill development in existing communities with tight budgets,</a> are hit the hardest. <a href="https://www.transit.dot.gov/TOD">Transit-Oriented Developments</a> (TODs), which depend on imported steel, <a href="https://www.superioraggregates.net/the-role-of-concrete-paving-in-transit-oriented-developments-tod/#:~:text=Asphalt:%20The%20Better%20Option%20for,transportation%20vehicles%20frequently%20pass%20through">concrete</a>, and glass, are now even more vulnerable to <a href="http://www.wsj.com/economy/housing/trump-tariffs-home-construction-prices-housing-market-6549e974">tariff-driven price swings.</a> These developments, vital for walkable, connected neighborhoods, are most vulnerable to delays or never getting off the ground due to these increased costs.
<h3>Predicted results as tariffs continue</h3>
1. Housing prices could rise: Tariffs inflate material costs, especially for “for-sale” homes where buyers face the full cost, pricing out families. <a href="https://mediaroom.realtor.com/2025-03-10-U-S-Housing-Market-Faces-4-Million-Home-Shortage-Realtor-com-R-Calls-on-Lawmakers-to-Let-America-Build?utm_source=chatgpt.com">With a nationwide shortage of 4 million homes,</a> fewer new builds will likely lead to increased competition and higher costs. Housing drives nearly 15 percent of GDP and generates about $1 million and 11 jobs per home, so slowdowns will also trickle down to <a href="https://www.nahb.org/-/media/NAHB/news-and-economics/docs/housing-economics/economic-impact/economic-impact-local-area-2015.pdf">local economies.</a>
2. Multi-family and affordable housing will slow: These projects rely on tight budgets, and their funding depends on government programs like the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC); <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/06/06/these-publicly-funded-homes-poor-cost-12-million-each-develop/?utm_source=chatgpt.com">even small cost increases threaten project viability.</a> Tariffs and high costs make projects “pencil out,” meaning they’re financially unviable.
3. Single-family home prices will keep climbing: Fewer new homes mean rising prices for existing homes that will become more expensive, a trend evident in today’s <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2022/05/housing-vacancy-rates-near-historic-lows.html">low vacancy rates.</a> Homeowners locked into low mortgage rates will have little incentive to sell, further constraining supply. This means fewer listings, more bidding wars, and widening wealth gaps between current homeowners and those trying to enter the market.
4. Developers will be forced to adapt or leave: Unlike large firms, small and infill-focused developers can’t easily absorb cost spikes. Without support, <a href="http://www.constructionowners.com/news/developers-struggling-with-high-rates-tariffs-and-rising-costs?utm_source=chatgpt.com">many will pause development or leave altogether,</a> cutting off a piece of community-driven growth.
<h3>Future-proofing housing</h3>
Communities don’t have to wait for federal policy to act. By using these smart growth strategies, local leaders can guard against rising costs:
<ul>
<li>Zoning and regulatory reform
<ul>
<li>Make building easier: <a href="http://catalisgov.com/streamlining-building-code-enforcement-with-innovative-software-solutions/">Streamlined codes</a> and faster approvals from local governments can help make projects viable despite rising material costs.</li>
<li>Support Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) and tiny homes: These small, affordable options use fewer materials and cost less to build. By loosening zoning and parking rules, cities can more easily add these homes in existing neighborhoods</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Expand diverse housing types
<ul>
<li>Support manufactured and masonry housing: <a href="http://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/what-is-a-manufactured-home/">Manufactured homes,</a> built in factories, are cheaper and less wasteful than traditional homes. Cities can boost supply by easing zoning regulations, relaxing design requirements, and clarifying inspection procedures. <a href="http://www.wallderstucco.com/understanding-the-definition-and-characteristics-of-a-masonry-house/">Masonry homes,</a> made from brick, stone, or concrete, use fewer imported materials, providing a stable and cost-effective option for the long term.</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Leverage broader planning and incentives 
<ul>
<li>Collaboration and incentives: By coordinating regional plans and offering incentives like tax breaks, <a href="https://www.planetizen.com/definition/density-bonuses">density bonuses,</a> and fee reductions, cities can support walkable, transit-connected neighborhoods that use existing infrastructure efficiently, help developers absorb tariff-driven costs, and keep projects stable.</li>
<li>Engage in regional and collaborative planning: Tariffs and supply issues are too big for one city; regional coordination is essential. By pooling and advocating together, cities can drive stronger, more lasting solutions.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<h3>Building resilience amid tariffs</h3>
Tariffs and rising costs can feel overwhelming, but communities aren’t powerless. Local governments can act now, speeding up approvals and supporting affordable housing like ADUs, manufactured homes, and masonry construction. Residents can share their stories with advocacy groups to push for smarter trade policies. This is a chance to rethink how we build. With the right local action, communities can ease tariff pressures and create stronger, more affordable housing markets.

Tariffs and housing: Challenges and local solutions 

Capitol for Chapter Cover

In the recently passed giant tax and spending bill, key community development tax incentives were made permanent. But with everything else in the package, what does the bill really mean for smart growth?
Last month, Congress passed a sweeping tax and spending package that delivers several important wins for community development, most notably, the permanent extension of key federal tax incentives that form the backbone of local revitalization efforts. These long-standing tools will continue to support economic growth in communities across the country.
But the legislation also missed critical opportunities. Lawmakers failed to add a much-needed <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/reinvigorating-opportunity-zones-to-deliver-housing-and-smart-growth/">affordable housing incentive to the Opportunity Zones program</a> and left out promising new proposals like the <a href="https://www.neighborhoodhomesinvestmentact.org">Neighborhood Homes Investment Act.</a>
Beyond community development, the bill’s partisan passage and massive deficit spending have further strained Congress’s ability to govern and could destabilize communities as thousands of people stand to lose access to federal benefits.
So what does this mean for smart growth? How will this legislation shape the future of our communities? To answer those questions, we’re breaking it down: the good, the bad, and the ugly from a smart growth perspective.
<h3>The Good: Key wins on extensions of community development tax incentives</h3>
As previously noted in our <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/the-play-for-permanence-the-fate-of-community-development-tax-provisions-in-the-senates-draft-tax-legislation/">coverage of the tax deliberations,</a> the federal tax code serves as a critical vehicle for steering development through tax incentives such as the <a href="https://taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/what-low-income-housing-tax-credit-and-how-does-it-work">Low-Income Housing Tax Credit</a> (LIHTC), the <a href="https://taxpolicycenter.org/briefing-book/what-new-markets-tax-credit-and-how-does-it-work">New Markets Tax Credit</a> (NMTC), and the <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/opportunity-zones-for-impact-tell-congress-to-pass-reforms-to-the-federal-opportunity-zone-tax-incentive/">Opportunity Zones program</a> (OZs), and the near-term fate of these incentives was closely tied to the passage or failure of the overall package. These incentives broadly attract capital to lower income communities, either by providing a tax credit to investors who provide funding for the construction of affordable housing (LIHTC), providing a tax credit to investors who make equity investments in community based development entities who in turn provide loans and investments to local businesses (NMTC), or by providing a tax relief to investors who make investments in certain properties or businesses within certain geographic areas (OZs).
The final version of the tax bill removed any sunset date for these three incentives, functionally making them permanent. Permanence is a major win for community development. Eliminating sunset dates provides greater stability and makes the continued existence of these programs the status quo. While a significant win, it is important to note that the next major tax bill could always add sunset dates for programs that were made permanent by this bill. However, that is only a real threat for programs that do not have strong bipartisan support and of the three programs, only Opportunity Zones fall into that category. The Opportunity Zones program saw sweeping changes, including the addition of reporting requirements, changes to the universe of eligible census tracts, a cyclical redesignation process to account for changes in wellbeing in census tracts, and enhanced support for OZ investment in rural areas.
The final legislation also protects tax exemptions for municipal bonds, which are a critical tool <a href="https://www.cdfa.net/cdfa/cdfaweb.nsf/48fc5ad035ef5f7b882578e7005f7d66/cc45420ef12f69798825793d005e79bc/$FILE/CDFA-Built-by-Bonds.pdf">communities use to finance essential infrastructure</a> like schools, libraries, hospitals, bridges, water management systems, and certain housing projects. Additionally, the bill<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/the-hutchins-center-explains-the-debt-limit/"> increased the debt limit</a>, allowing the federal government to continue paying its bills and avoiding the risk of a financial catastrophe.
<h3>The Bad: Cutting existing smart growth-aligned programs and missing the opportunity to add new tools to support growth</h3>
From the smart growth perspective, there are a number of key failures of the bill. First, the legislation <a href="https://t4america.org/2025/07/08/congresss-new-budget-reconciliation-bill-takes-back-billions-from-locally-led-projects-across-the-country/">gutted the Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program,</a> recapturing $2.4 billion that was already awarded to specific projects aimed at reconnecting communities and making significant and long-overdue safety improvements required after harmful transportation projects tore apart neighborhoods. The harm to community-focused grant programs was made worse by steep cuts to transportation grants aimed at reducing emissions.
Despite the positive changes to the Opportunity Zones program, the bill left out additional reforms that could have supported more location-efficient, mixed-income, and rehabilitation-focused projects. These SGA-backed provisions included targeted incentives for income-capped affordable housing, a broader fix to make the incentive more usable for rehabilitation projects, and a LOCUS-proposed measure to support OZ investments in downtowns—whether urban, suburban, or rural main streets. For a program that has faced consistent criticism, this was a missed chance to sharpen the tool and steer investment not just to areas that need it most, but toward truly high-impact projects.
The final bill also failed to include new, forward-looking tax provisions that could have leveraged the federal tax code to more intentionally drive investment in downtowns, main streets, and walkable, well-connected neighborhoods. Among the missed provisions were the brownfields tax deduction, which would allow full, upfront deductions for cleaning up contaminated sites, the <a href="https://www.neighborhoodhomesinvestmentact.org">Neighborhood Homes Investment Act’s proposed homebuilding incentive</a>, and the <a href="https://gomez.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3346">Revitalizing Downtowns and Main Streets Act of 2025,</a> which would have supported converting vacant or underused commercial buildings into much-needed housing.
<h3>The Ugly: Contradictions in the bill will shake communities</h3>
The final bill is a little bit of everything. By its very essence then, it is inconsistent in its approach to community wellbeing and smart growth. Cuts to food assistance and Medicaid sit uneasily alongside expansions in the Child Tax Credit and a new tax deduction for seniors. Families may see more money in their pockets while facing the threat of their local hospital or food bank closing. Meanwhile, reductions to green energy incentives (often criticized as <a href="https://apnews.com/article/clean-energy-residential-solar-big-beautiful-bill-07dd482926ee2d45a019ce2b6e636c7d">industry handouts</a>) could lead to <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/07/15/nx-s1-5461128/congress-energy-tax-credit-solar-wind">higher electricity bills over time,</a> adding financial strain to households already stretched thin. More affordable housing projects funded by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit may help house more low-income families but increasing utility costs, increasingly limited options for affordable and accessible healthcare, and a vanishing social safety net may push even more families into housing instability.
On top of this, the broader economic picture complicates matters further. A nonpartisan congressional office <a href="https://www.cbo.gov/publication/61570">estimates</a> that the legislation will add over $3 trillion to the national deficit over the next decade. While the bill includes some tax changes framed pro-business and pro-growth, independent <a href="https://budgetmodel.wharton.upenn.edu/issues/2025/7/8/president-trump-signed-reconciliation-bill-budget-economic-and-distributional-effects">analyses predic</a>t the law could actually shrink GDP by 0.3 percent over that same period. These competing forces raise serious questions about the future of municipal budgets and household finances alike.
<h3>Conclusion</h3>
As the federal government implements the tax law and continues to dance through cycles of generosity and retreat, communities will continue to face change and uncertainty. What kind of partner will the federal government be for smart growth? An inconsistent one, certainly, as cuts or shifts in key programs and initiatives always indicate, but not one without tools to share. Making the most of available incentives and funding will be essential, as will understanding and communicating both the direct and ripple effects this legislation has on communities nationwide. These impacts won’t always be obvious, but it is those quiet ways that policy shapes the world that springs up around us that smart growthers know best.

Federal legislation

The good, the bad, and the ugly: The 2025 tax bill and smart growth

REQUEST-FOR-PROPOSAL

<h3>About Smart Growth America (SGA)</h3>
Smart Growth America (SGA) is a national nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, that helps create healthy, prosperous, and resilient places to live for all people through research, advocacy, and direct community support. Our work spans housing and land use, transportation, and economic development to find solutions to communities’ most pressing needs. Through technical assistance, advocacy, and thought 
leadership, we support communities in achieving livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity.
<h3>Goals and objectives</h3>
SGA seeks an experienced fundraising consultant (either an individual or a small firm) to build and implement a strategy to identify, cultivate, solicit, and steward a portfolio of high-capacity individual donors. The selected consultant will work closely with our leadership team to enhance SGA’s long-term fundraising capacity and impact.The primary goals for this engagement include:
<ul>
<li>Fundraising Systems Development</li>
<li>Prospect Identification and Cultivation</li>
<li>Donor Engagement and Solicitation Support</li>
</ul>
<h3 class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 20px;" aria-hidden="true">Fixed-fee scope and deliverables</h3>
Scope includes:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Assessment of current fundraising efforts and infrastructure</li>
<li>Major donor development strategy and tactical implementation plan</li>
<li>List of at least 30 potential high-capacity prospects with alignment rationale</li>
<li>Coaching and solicitation prep sessions with key staff/board members (at least 3)</li>
<li>Draft of donor cultivation and stewardship materials</li>
<li>Progress report and final strategy refinement</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 20px;" aria-hidden="true"> </div>
<div class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 20px;" aria-hidden="true">
Deliverables include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Plan for Major Donor Development</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Donor Prospecting List with Background Profiles</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Solicitation Coaching Materials</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Donor Communication Templates</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Progress Summary Report (Final)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Budget</h3>
SGA has budgeted up to $25,000-$40,000 for this job. SGA will take value and cost into account in assessing proposals.
<h3>Additional services: Hourly rate proposal</h3>
SGA may seek continued fundraising support beyond the initial scope. Additional services could include:
<ul>
<li>Event strategy and implementation (e.g., donor salons, briefings)</li>
<li>Donor communications and campaign copywriting</li>
<li>Continued prospect identification</li>
<li>Research and relationship mapping for new sectors or regions</li>
</ul>
<h3>Submission requirements</h3>
Proposals (maximum 10 pages) must include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Background and relevant experience, particularly in developing individual major donors</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Description of approach and proposed work plan, including a fundraising goal</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Two (2) references for similar fundraising work</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Fixed-price proposal for the deliverables described above</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Hourly rates for any additional fundraising services</li>
</ul>
<h3>Application process and timeline</h3>
Please submit your proposal by August 29, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET via email to Ashley Heckstall, Senior Manager, Events and Development: <a href="mailto:aheckstall@smartgrowthamerica.org">aheckstall@smartgrowthamerica.org. </a>Subject line should read: Major Donor Fundraising RFP
Estimated project timeline:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">RFP Issued: August 1, 2025</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Proposal Deadline: August 29, 2025</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Finalist Interviews: Week of September 8, 2025</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Consultant Selected: September 19, 2025</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Project Kickoff: September 25, 2025</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Midpoint Check-in: Week of February 23,  2026</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Project Completion: September 24, 2026</li>
</ul>
<h3>Evaluation and selection</h3>
SGA is committed to full and open competition and encourages submissions from small, disadvantaged, minority, and women-owned businesses. Proposals will be evaluated based on:
<ul>
<li style="list-style-type: none;">
<ul>
<li>Strength of experience and qualifications of key personnel</li>
<li>Experience working with nonprofit organizations at SGA’s size</li>
<li>Cost competitiveness and value</li>
<li>Proposed approach</li>
<li>Understanding of and alignment with SGA’s mission</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>
<div class="wp-block-spacer" style="height: 20px;" aria-hidden="true"> </div>
SGA will also consider other benefits associated with the procurement in the selection process including, but not limited to, the opportunity to use small, disadvantaged, and minority and/or woman-owned firms or individual consultants.
SGA would consider extending this contract into additional years, based on the success of the effort. SGA may discontinue this RFP at any time at its discretion and without explanation.
&nbsp;
&nbsp;
</div>

Fundraising

Request for Proposal

Request for proposals: Fundraising consultant for major donor development

General

48304067_f631a6abaa_o

The Smart Growth Network’s latest quarterly discussion explored how communities are using infrastructure to prepare for extreme weather. Participants learned about a community-led resilience hub and a stormwater credit trading program to promote green infrastructure in Washington, DC, and a holistic flood resilience project in Kansas City, MO.
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The <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/smart-growth-network/">Smart Growth Network (SGN)</a> is a national alliance of advocates, practitioners, policymakers, and local leaders working towards a shared vision for land use and infrastructure policies and actions that result in healthy, sustainable, and prosperous communities for all. SGN’s quarterly discussions cover a variety of topics related to smart growth, including <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/smart-growth-in-rural-communities-key-takeaways-from-the-latest-smart-growth-network-convening/">smart growth for rural places</a> and <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/march-smart-growth-roundtable-when-data-meets-community/">community data strategies</a>. Hosted by Urban Land Institute (ULI), this discussion focused on building resilience in the face of extreme weather, from blue green infrastructure to community infrastructure, and the partnerships necessary for this work.
[button type=&#8221;info&#8221; block=&#8221;true&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/resources/housing-for-havens/&#8221;]Learn more about building for resilience in Smart Growth America’s new Housing for Havens report [/button]
Rachel MacClery, Executive Director of the ULI Randall Lewis Center for Sustainability in Real Estate, kicked off the discussion with a presentation of ULI resources on resilience. She uplifted the work of the <a href="https://americas.uli.org/research/centers-initiatives/uli-randall-lewis-center-for-sustainability-in-real-estate/urban-resilience-program/drought-resilience/learn-more-about-water-wise-coalition/">Water Wise Development Coalition,</a> which supports conversations between the public and private sectors to advance policies and building strategies for drought resilience. Additionally, she shared information on convenings held by the <a href="https://americas.uli.org/research/centers-initiatives/uli-randall-lewis-center-for-sustainability-in-real-estate/center-leadership-and-center-wide-programming/lewis-center-sustainability-exchange/">Lewis Center Sustainability Exchange</a>, which cover sustainability topics ranging from innovative technology to building operations, as part of ULI’s Lewis Center.
The panel at the center of this discussion looked at how communities are using infrastructure to prepare for extreme weather. Moderated by Lindsay Brugger, vice president of resilience at ULI, the panel included:
<ul>
<li>Matt Johnson, a Supervisory Environmental Protection Specialist at Washington, DC’s Department of Energy and the Environment (DOEE)</li>
<li>Dr. Estelle-Marie Montgomery, Executive Director of the FH Faunteroy Center &amp; Resilience Incubator; and</li>
<li>Andy Sauer, National Stormwater Management Practice Leader at engineering firm Burns &amp; McDonnell
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</li>
</ul>
Matt Johnson presented Washington, DC’s <a href="https://doee.dc.gov/src">stormwater retention credit</a> market, a financing model that accelerates green stormwater infrastructure where it is needed the most. DC has significant challenges with stormwater, such as flooding, erosion, and pollution. To mitigate some of these impacts, DC’s stormwater rule requires redevelopment projects to manage stormwater with green infrastructure. Since not all locations are able to meet these requirements on site, while others may have the space to build more green infrastructure than is required, the city’s credit market turns this mismatch into a supply and demand solution. Landowners can voluntarily install green infrastructure to generate credits that can be sold to property owners who can’t meet their stormwater requirements on site. This innovative market structure can be a model for urban stormwater improvement elsewhere.
Andy Sauer focused on one particular effort in Kansas City, MO: the <a href="https://www.burnsmcd.com/projects/westport-stormwater-improvements">stormwater improvement project</a> in the historic Westport neighborhood. Flooding is common in this neighborhood, as <a href="https://blog.burnsmcd.com/from-flooding-to-flourishing-upgrading-westports-stormwater-management">Mill Creek</a> was buried into the sewer system and paved over as Mill Street when the area was developing. The solution to this flooding challenge is holistic systems planning and design that connects resilience and sustainability. Looking at the whole system, Sauer’s team designed infrastructure that would “capture, control, and convey” stormwater. This approach holds runoff underground during a storm and then slowly releases it, mitigating flooding and erosion. The Westport project includes green infrastructure and large underground cisterns to store stormwater beneath Dr. Jeremiah Cameron Park. When designing the system, engineers on Sauer’s team created a model of the flood events and then calibrated the model with photos of flooding from the community. This both validated the model and helped build buy-in and trust with the neighborhood.
Dr. Montgomery brought in the social component of resilience by sharing the development of Washington DC’s first community-led resilience hub: the <a href="https://faunteroycenter.org/">FH Faunteroy Center &amp; Resilience Incubator.</a> According to the <a href="https://doee.dc.gov/service/community-resilience-hubs">DOEE</a>, these hubs are “public-serving facilities that provide information and services to build resilient communities before, during and after emergency events.” In 2017, DOEE approached Ward 7, an area of the city where 87 percent of single-family homes are in the floodplain, and the community not only liked the idea, but decided the best way to build trust with DOEE was to take the process over. The community coalition identified a community-based organization to lead the planning process, which resulted in constructing 7,000 square feet of programmable space that includes maker spaces, community gathering areas, a business center, and a health &amp; wellness center—all built to withstand potential floods in this flood-vulnerable area while building community resilience.
After the panel, attendees had the opportunity to engage with the panelists and learn more about their organizations’ efforts. A key theme discussed was strategies to build coalitions around these projects that include public and private actors as well as community buy-in. Panelists noted that public initiative was crucial, as it sends a message to the private sector and to communities that threats from extreme weather are serious—and so are efforts to address them. Panelists also highlighted the need to emphasize the impacts of extreme weather on all stakeholders. For community members, that means listening to what their top concerns are and being willing to let their input guide the project vision. For the private sector, that means discussing the costs that preparing for and recovering from extreme weather may impose on their activities and the benefits of collaborating to address them.
In closing statements, panelists again emphasized a need to work holistically, looking beyond traditional approaches to resilient infrastructure by incorporating green components and advancing community social resilience. New and innovative solutions, although they may garner negative feedback, can also sometimes be the best approach to creating more resilient communities.

Smart Growth Network

June Smart Growth Roundtable: Building community through climate resilience

Climate Change

Resilience

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Smart Growth America brought the Complete Streets Leadership Academy to Kentucky in 2025. This program built partnerships between Bowling Green, Morehead, and Winchester and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) to design quick-build demonstration projects on state-owned roads. Our new report details how each city worked with KYTC districts, community members, and regional staff to develop processes for conducting quick builds in Kentucky.
<h3>Background</h3>
<a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/national-complete-streets-coalition/quick-build-demonstration-projects/">Quick-build demonstration projects</a> are temporary installations that can be used to test safer road designs, grow partnerships, and build momentum for long-term change. With state-owned routes being the <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-design/">most deadly</a> to people walking, coordinated efforts between local jurisdictions and states are key to improving safety. Building partnerships and processes through quick builds is an important strategy in this effort.
This Complete Streets Leadership Academy (CSLA) built on KYTC’s ongoing Complete Streets work, as the state’s current <a href="https://transportation.ky.gov/BikeWalk/Pages/Complete-Streets.aspx">Complete Streets Program</a> includes a state-wide policy and a guidance manual, both adopted in 2022. Soon after the policy was passed, KYTC conducted a series of trainings for district staff and local jurisdictions to learn about the program, which introduced some of the CSLA participants to Complete Streets. This CSLA was also a homecoming for SGA: the first 2018 cohort included <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/lexington-ky-demonstration-project-bryan-avenue-intersections/">Lexington, KY.</a>
The Academy combined virtual workshops and an in-person convening for participants to learn about design strategies as well as how to build relationships and support each other’s projects. These trainings supported teams in developing a process to design, install, and evaluate quick builds, with the aim of KYTC and the local teams being able to continue these partnerships and replicate the process elsewhere in the future. Our new report describes the processes and observations throughout the KY CSLA, as well as ideas for how to apply lessons from the program to future quick builds on state routes, in Kentucky and beyond.
[button type=&#8221;info&#8221; block=&#8221;true&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SGA-KY-CSLA_final.pdf&#8221;]Read the report! [/button]
<h3>Key takeaways</h3>
1. Quick-build demonstration projects can be more successfully implemented when teams have a strong understanding of Complete Streets and related topics. This was the first quick build that all participants had worked on, but prior familiarity with Complete Streets varied across the cities and the KYTC district partners. The different starting points for participants led to each team pursuing different goals in their projects.
2. Existing levels of coordination influence the scope of a quick-build project. Bowling Green’s strong existing partnerships allowed the team to develop two projects. In Morehead and Winchester, the team leads worked to bring people in and build support for more Complete Streets and quick-build projects in the future.
3. The size and capacity of a community greatly impact how a local team can participate in a quick-build project. KYTC was eager to work with smaller jurisdictions in this program, to learn about what support and resources they would need to do this work. State DOTs have a large impact in small communities, and lessons learned from this program can be applied across Kentucky and beyond.
4. Temporary quick-build projects can lead to lasting change. By selecting locations and designing projects likely to receive broad support for future projects or using the focus on the project sites to install small permanent improvements, like curb ramps and even sidewalks, these quick builds were designed with the long term in mind.
<a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SGA-KY-CSLA-handout_final.pdf">Find a summary of the report here.</a>
<h3>Case studies</h3>
<h4>Bowling Green</h4>
The Bowling Green team’s goal for this program was to try their first quick-build project. Many members of the team were eager to try this approach to address known safety concerns and to build momentum for more quick builds in the future. The team’s strong internal coordination was key to the successful process of this group and the large project scope they were able to pursue: one project at the intersection of Smallhouse Road and KY-231/Scottsville Road and another on KY-231/Morgantown Road. The Smallhouse Rd project will update crossings to a higher safety standard and the Morgantown Rd project will turn the existing shoulder into a protected multi-use path to bridge a gap in the sidewalk, in anticipation of a future permanent project. <a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SGA-KY-CSLA_final.pdf#page=21">Read the case study here &gt;&gt;</a>
<h4>Morehead</h4>
The Morehead team’s goals in this project were to improve safety for people crossing US 60 and build the relationships needed to do so. Navigating different levels of buy-in while building relationships around the shared goal of safety led to a project that tests a temporary change for a turn radius on US 60 and Bridge St and also additional safety improvements along Bridge St. The team is planning on making adjustments to the Bridge St component of the installation to respond to community input, but hopes to keep the project in as long as possible to maintain the safety benefits. The team made decisions throughout the project with an eye on their shared long-term goals, to continue to work together for more robust Complete Streets work in the city and the district. <a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SGA-KY-CSLA_final.pdf#page=25">Read the case study here &gt;&gt;</a>
<h4>Winchester</h4>
The Winchester team’s goals were to improve safety through a demonstration project, learn and improve on the processes to do so, and build support for this work, especially from elected officials, city staff, and the public. The team selected KY-627/Boone Avenue and College Street as the project site, a wide street in a residential neighborhood with heavy truck traffic, though it’s a primary route to the nearby schools. The team gathered public input on the project at a meeting near the site, which emphasized a long-standing need for safety improvements on Boone Ave. The project aims to improve safety at the intersection by slowing speeds and marking space through crosswalks, bumpouts, and bike lanes, and the momentum around this site has already led to the city installing permanent curb ramps. <a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/SGA-KY-CSLA_final.pdf#page=29">Read the case study here &gt;&gt;</a>
These projects are scheduled for installation in late summer 2025, so stay tuned to learn more about the quick-build project outcomes!
This publication was made possible by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (Cooperative Agreement CDC-RFA-PW-24-0080). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of CDC. These efforts are part of the CDC’s <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/active-people-healthy-nation/php/about/index.html">Active People, Healthy NationSM</a> Initiative that is working to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027.

Complete Streets Leadership Academy

CSLA

Kentucky

New report: Kentucky Complete Streets Leadership Academy

Technical assistance

6th and M St SW.

A <a href="https://dc.citycast.fm/podcasts/ddot-answers-our-burning-transportation-questions">recent interview</a> in which DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum discussed transportation in DC set off numerous alarm bells for us at Smart Growth America. The remarks are disappointing on their own and suggest a shocking lack of understanding of (or interest in) street safety. They also call into question her credibility and highlight a lack of strong local leadership.
DC is a great city for walking, biking, and taking transit, but the opinions expressed in the interview, as well as some of the actions we are seeing on the ground, worry us that DDOT is caving to political pressures and the city is stepping back from some of the key things that make it great. Unfortunately, this is all too common when local leaders fail to rise to the challenge of shepherding their communities to a brighter future, and instead settle for a car-oriented status quo.
<h3>On Complete Streets</h3>
“There&#8217;s been a shift in thinking over the past few years. There used to be a real push for Complete Streets. And that concept was &#8216;we need streets to be all things to all users.&#8217; I believe the reality is the roads just don&#8217;t have the dimensions to be all things to all users.&#8221; &#8211; DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum
This makes Complete Streets sound like an unrealistic luxury–a red carpet on every street. This is not what the Complete Streets approach proposes, and as the stewards of the Complete Streets movement, we should know. What <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/national-complete-streets-coalition/about/">Complete Streets</a> actually means is that we think about the different ways people get around and make sure they can do it safely. If they need to walk, bike, take transit, or use a mobility device, they shouldn’t have to risk their lives or be horribly inconvenienced. We have designed and built our streets with drivers in mind, the Complete Streets approach simply asks that we extend that same level of priority and protection to everyone who uses them.
DC has had a <a href="https://code.dccouncil.gov/us/dc/council/code/sections/50-2381">Complete Streets policy</a> for the past 15 years, and DDOT has operated under this paradigm (sometimes more, sometimes less) since then. We also know that when transportation departments decide that they don’t have the “dimensions” to accommodate all users, the default is ALWAYS to accommodate cars first and foremost.
<h3>On Vision Zero</h3>
&#8220;Every single fatality is a tragedy. There are very little tools that we have in our toolkit to address the nature of these fatalities. Whether it&#8217;s an impaired driver, a distracted, or a reckless driver. The fatalities tend to be based on extreme antisocial behavior. Incredibly high speeds, and there is no engineering tool, or even traffic cameras that can solve this problem&#8230;This is not something that, as a transportation department, we can get down to zero.&#8221; &#8211; DDOT Director Sharon Kershbaum
Here, the director attempts to shift blame for dangerous roads and essentially throws up her hands. What can be done when people insist on behaving recklessly and irresponsibly? My immediate reaction to these statements is to ask, if zero is an unrealistic number, what would be an appropriate target for road deaths and serious injuries in DC? What is the reasonable amount of tragedy and pain we should accept? Furthermore, the claim that DDOT has no “engineering tool” to address this issue is an odd take. There are tons of proven <a href="https://highways.dot.gov/safety/proven-safety-countermeasures">strategies to make roads safer.</a> And we at SGA point to numerous, clear, and identifiable patterns that make our roads <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/signature-reports/dangerous-by-design/">dangerous by design.</a>
Here, the director gives an anecdote about a recent fatality involving an unlicensed, reckless driver in a stolen vehicle on I-295 to show the inevitability of road deaths. As long as we are cherry-picking cases to illustrate arguments, let me tell you about a fatality that happened in my neighborhood. In April 2025, a 74-year-old woman was crossing the street at 6th and M Street SW (in the crosswalk with the signal) when she was hit and killed by an SUV making a left turn. Unfortunately, this was an event foretold—residents had been <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/traffic/residents-demand-action-deadly-pedestrian-crash-southwest-dc/65-841a5e17-1f74-4bfa-85ce-7056b94a833c">raising concerns about this dangerous intersection for years</a>. Furthermore, at the time of the crash, there had been two other fatalities and 19 others injured at the same intersection. The intersection’s wide dimensions, with multiple lanes in each direction, as well as permitted left and U-turns, mean that cars frequently travel at high speeds and make fast, sweeping turns.
I’ve personally had two close calls at this intersection in the past two months. In both cases, SUVs turned left right in front of me while I was in the crosswalk without even slowing down. DDOT is now apparently <a href="https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/ddot-dc-washington-southwest-intersection-pedestrian-killed/65-fe60f93d-1384-4f19-9170-b304df146323">working on improvements</a> like adjusting bike lanes and removing parking in the area, but there are other tactics that have proven effective, <a href="https://dcist.com/story/19/01/17/d-c-hopes-these-pylons-will-reduce-crashes-during-left-hand-turns/">including here in DC</a>. It is just a shame that it took a tragedy to spur action.
<figure id="attachment_106919" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-106919" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-106919" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed-1024x768.png" alt="" width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed-1024x768.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed-300x225.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed-768x576.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed-1536x1152.png 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/unnamed.png 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-106919" class="wp-caption-text">Intersection at 6th and M Street SW.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>What does this all mean?</h3>
In the current political context, local leadership is more important than ever. At SGA, we have seen <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/local-champions-are-what-drives-the-change-we-need-in-our-communities/">strong examples of bold local champions</a> who push against the status quo and hold firm on the things that will make their communities safer, stronger, and healthier. Unfortunately, those qualities are lacking in DC leadership. Just how much blame to give Kershbaum, and how much to her boss—a mayor whom critics argue <a href="https://ggwash.org/view/94038/do-something-the-week-of-june-17-2024#:~:text=Transportation%20is%20not%20and%20has%20never%20been%20a%20concern%20for%20Bowser%2C%20and%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20delude%20myself%20into%20thinking%20that%20she%E2%80%99ll%20care%20about%20it%2C%20ever.">does not prioritize transportation</a>—is debatable. But in any case, the remarks above not only validate <a href="https://www.smartergrowth.net/better-public-transit/csg-testimony-director-of-the-district-department-of-transportation-sharon-kershbaum-confirmation-resolution-of-2024-dc/">concerns about Director Kershbaum’s appointment</a>, they also signal worrying directions for the department going forward.
I wish I could say that they were just words, but her actions as director seem to match them. Kershbaum repeatedly makes decisions that show that safety is not a top priority, and she prefers the status quo over actions that would make our streets safer. She seems to be either unable or unwilling to educate herself on some of the established and emerging best practices in transportation safety. For example, in the interview, she dismisses the danger of right-on-red turns (now somehow <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/08/16/culture-war-traffic-lights-republicans-00174179">a matter of national debate</a>) simply because soft left turns are more dangerous. This is like the surgeon general declaring that we shouldn’t worry about cancer because heart disease kills more people. However, <a href="https://transweb.sjsu.edu/press/Safer-Intersections-Reassessing-RTOR-Policies">right turns are in fact dangerous</a> for everyone, but especially for pedestrians and bicyclists. The DC city council has banned right-on-red turns, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/11/25/dc-right-on-red-ban-dispute/">but DDOT will not enforce the rule.</a>
Furthermore, Director Kershbaum has shown that the safety of bicyclists is not a priority. Prior to her appointment as director, Kershbaum served as acting director of DDOT and played an important role in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/2024/09/17/ddot-director-confirmed-sharon-kershbaum/">killing the Connecticut Avenue bike lane project</a>. And just last month, she justified the removal of infrastructure to protect bicyclists on Arizona Avenue because <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2025/06/12/arizona-bike-lane-dc/">it wasn’t aesthetically pleasing</a>. The director of DDOT is a demanding job, and anyone in this role will face pressures, from car drivers who don’t want to share the road to members of the federal government flexing their power and pressuring local governments to do things that are against common sense and will cause harm (e.g., the plans to <a href="https://usa.streetsblog.org/2025/03/12/breaking-u-s-dot-orders-review-of-all-grants-related-to-green-infrastructure-bikes">review and halt transportation investments</a> based on concerns about DEIA or climate). We need officials who will stand up for the things that work. What we have seen from Director Kershbaum proves that she lacks the knowledge, or backbone, for this.

Bad leadership from DDOT will result in more dangerous streets 

Press-Release

Washington, D.C. (July 29) — Late last week, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs introduced the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, a sweeping bipartisan proposal aimed at addressing the nation’s housing crisis.
Set for committee consideration today, the bill aims to remove barriers to housing development through zoning and land use reforms, pre-approved housing designs, and incentives for pro-housing policies along transit corridors. The bill reflects many of Smart Growth America’s core priorities: reducing regulatory barriers, advancing zoning reform, promoting housing near transit, and ensuring communities of all sizes have the tools to support their needs.
<blockquote>
“The U.S. is facing its greatest housing affordability crisis in generations. Federal leadership is essential to building more homes in the places people want them, financing them more effectively, and creating communities where everyone can thrive. By removing red tape and supporting new programs, this bill helps create the conditions needed for people to find a home in a place that works for them, at every stage of life.” &#8211;Beth Osborne, interim President and CEO, Smart Growth America
</blockquote>
This bipartisan bill represents the most significant effort in decades for Congress to take a proactive role in shaping local land use policy. The ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 includes provisions to reduce red tape, deliver new tools and programs to support housing development, and help communities direct growth to well-connected areas.
“We applaud Chairman Scott, Ranking Member Warren, and the Senate Banking Committee for their historic leadership in taking on zoning and land use—issues that have long been neglected at the federal level,” Osborne added. “This is a critical signal that Congress recognizes the role it can play in helping states and communities support housing development that improves affordability and expands access to opportunity.”
While the bill’s future beyond committee consideration is still uncertain, Smart Growth America urges Congress to build on this momentum and advance policies that expand housing access and affordability, support connected communities, and meet the scale of the housing crisis with bold action.
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;]<a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/knowledge-hub/news/the-100-year-wait-the-federal-government-returns-to-land-use-policy-in-full-force-with-the-introduction-of-sweeping-bipartisan-housing-package/">Learn more about the smart growth priorities included in this bill.</a>[/alert]

Housing

Housing and Development

Press Release

Smart Growth Legislation

Press release: Smart Growth America applauds bipartisan Senate housing package, a step toward pro-housing federal leadership

A new sweeping bipartisan housing package aimed at removing barriers to housing development is set for action in a key Senate committee. What’s in the bill, and can it pass?
Late last Thursday, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs released a <a href="https://www.banking.senate.gov/newsroom/minority/scott-warren-announce-markup-of-landmark-bipartisan-housing-legislation-from-banking-committee-members">sweeping bipartisan housing package</a>, entitled the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, and announced their plans to consider it in committee on Tuesday, July 29th. The package includes SGA priority legislation that would promote best practices for zoning and land use, support the streamlining of local housing production through the adoption of pre-approved housing designs, and incentivize pro-housing policies along transit routes. In addition, the expansive legislation would modify or create a number of new programs, implement new provisions to streamline various regulations to remove red tape that limits housing production, and institute a suite of accountability and transparency-focused reforms.
The U.S. is facing its greatest housing affordability and access crisis in generations, and federal leadership is essential to building more homes, supporting affordability, and creating communities where everyone can thrive. New federal programs and resources should seek to reduce regulatory barriers, introduce innovative programs to deliver much-needed housing, and support states and cities to direct housing development to well-connected locations that boost both economic opportunity and quality of life.
<a href="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Smart-Growth-Provisions-in-road-to-housing-act-of-2025.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-106906 aligncenter" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Smart-Growth-Provisions-in-road-to-housing-act-of-2025.png" alt="" width="600" height="503" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Smart-Growth-Provisions-in-road-to-housing-act-of-2025.png 940w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Smart-Growth-Provisions-in-road-to-housing-act-of-2025-300x251.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Smart-Growth-Provisions-in-road-to-housing-act-of-2025-768x644.png 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></a>
The significance of the conscious focus on land use and zoning in the legislation can’t be overstated. The federal government helped shape decades of land use and planning via the 1920s-era Standard State Zoning Enabling Act, but has since played a much less proactive role in influencing land use decision-making at the local level. While there have been forays into the policy space in the interim at the federal level such as the recent creation of the <a href="https://www.hud.gov/sites/dfiles/CPD/documents/FY24_PRO_Housing_Summary%20Sheet.pdf">Pathways to Removing Obstacles to Housing (PRO Housing)</a> grant program, the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025 is the first time in decades that Congress has stepped up and embraced the federal role in supporting pro-housing local land use regulations in a sweeping, bipartisan nature. While the future of the package beyond committee consideration is unclear, the bipartisan agreement and momentum for federal land use leadership that incentivizes unlocking housing production through zoning reform is a win in and of itself.
[alert type=“info”] Your voice matters. Building momentum for this historic and urgently needed bipartisan legislation will require direct action from pro-housing stakeholders, and particularly smart growth advocates.
<a href="https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member">Contact your members of Congress</a> to share your support for the ROAD to Housing Act of 2025, or the provisions you think will have the biggest impact in your community. Let them know how this legislation can help your community build more homes in the right places, improve affordability, and create thriving communities for people to call home. [/alert]
<h2>Land use and zoning provisions</h2>
The bill includes versions of three SGA-endorsed bills, two of which were our top land-use priorities for this Congress. The first priority bill, the <a href="https://www.crapo.senate.gov/media/newsreleases/senators-crapo-blunt-rochester-fetterman-and-tillis-introduce-bipartisan-bicameral-housing-supply-frameworks-act">Housing Supply Frameworks Act</a>, originally introduced by Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), John Fetterman (D-PA), Mike Crapo (R-ID), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Representatives Mike Flood (R-NE) and Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), would provide resources to communities to help overhaul their local zoning regulations and provide best practices and guidelines for state and local zoning frameworks to reduce regulatory barriers to housing production.
The second priority bill included in the package, the <a href="https://www.bluntrochester.senate.gov/press-releases/news-senators-blunt-rochester-and-moreno-introduce-bipartisan-bill-to-streamline-housing-construction/">Accelerating Home Building Act</a>, was originally introduced by Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Bernie Moreno (R-OH) and would help communities cut through red tape and open new pathways for development by supporting community-driven efforts to create pre-reviewed building designs.
A version of the <a href="https://blakemoore.house.gov/media/press-releases/reps-moore-peters-reintroduce-legislation-to-help-tackle-americas-housing-crisis-boost-public-transit-use">Build More Housing Near Transit Act</a> was also endorsed by SGA and included in the package. That provision would encourage pro-housing policies along transit lines by providing a score boost for applications for federal transit funding that include efforts like reducing or eliminating parking minimums and minimum lot sizes or increasing the number of homes permitted to be constructed under a by-right approval process for areas along the route. That freestanding legislation was introduced by Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Jim Banks (R-IN), and Representatives Blake Moore (R-UT) and Scott Peters (D-CA).
In other positive land use news, the legislation would also create a new innovation fund, authorized at $200 million per year, that is available to communities that have increased their local housing supply. These funds can be used to support basic infrastructure investments as well as initiatives “that facilitate the expansion of the supply of attainable housing”, which explicitly includes increasing by-right uses, revisions or eliminations of parking requirements, density incentives, streamlining regulatory reviews, and zoning reform more broadly.
Lastly, the bill includes a provision to significantly ease environmental review requirements for infill housing and certain other housing development. To qualify as infill development, this provision explicitly requires that the land be within the geographic limits of a municipality, adequately served by existing utilities and public services, and located on a site of previously disturbed land of not more than 5 acres and substantially surrounded by residential or commercial development to qualify as an infill project. It provides the strongest exclusions for projects that rehabilitate or build 1-to-4 unit residential buildings generally, but also includes exemptions for any infill construction or rehabilitation project, the rehabilitation or construction of projects with 5 to 15 homes, certain office to residential conversions, and acquisitions of open space or residential property for conversion to open space to support the relocation of residents living in high-risk areas. Further reforms to the environmental review process, in future legislation or administrative action, would be a beneficial supplement to the legislation as drafted and would ensure larger-scale housing projects also see some regulatory relief.
<h2>Modifications to existing programs and creation of new programs</h2>
Beyond the land use-focused provisions, the legislation also includes a wide range of changes and reauthorizations of existing programs and creates new programs focused on investing in existing communities, makes permanent an existing program that assists communities in recovering from disasters, and modernizes a number of important legacy programs such as the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program and the HOME Investment Partnerships Program.
Among the new programs are two focused on investing in housing for existing communities and preserving existing homes: a new pilot program that looks to stabilize households and neighborhoods by funding basic home repairs, and a pilot program to convert vacant and abandoned buildings into much-needed housing. If funded, these pilots would support smart growth by helping existing homeowners stay in safe and stabilized homes in their neighborhoods and incentivizing the redevelopment and return to productive use of vacant properties.
The bill also provides tools to help communities recover from disasters and prepare for future risks—a key smart growth objective—by permanently authorizing the Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program, creating the Office of Disaster Management and Resiliency to administer CDBG-DR, and creating a Long-Term Disaster Recovery Fund to provide grants to communities to support disaster recovery efforts. In addition, the bill tasks HUD with promoting best practices in mitigation and resilient land-use planning.
Other provisions focused on making changes to existing programs include:
<ul>
<li>Adjustments to the Rental Assistance Demonstration (RAD) program, including removing the cap on the number of units the program can include</li>
<li>A provision enabling the HUD Secretary to give additional weight to competitive grant applications that are located in or primarily serve a designated Opportunity Zone</li>
<li>Reforms on the banking and capital side of housing finance, including increases to the Public Welfare Investment cap at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal</li>
<li>Reserve from 15% to 20% in an effort to expand the capacity of banks to invest in affordable housing; an assessment of and potential reworking of multifamily loan limits;</li>
<li>A provision that seeks to incentivize housing production by adjusting CDBG allocations to provide a bonus for housing production and a 10 percent decrease in CDBG allocations for jurisdictions “below the median housing growth improvement rate.”</li>
<li>An authorization of HUD’s Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) Program, which provides grants to local jurisdictions to support the preservation and stabilization of manufactured housing communities.</li>
<li>Reauthorizes the HOME Investment Partnerships Program with a collection of reforms</li>
<li>A provision based on the bipartisan <a href="https://www.rounds.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/rounds-smith-reintroduce-bipartisan-rural-housing-legislation">Rural Housing Service Reform Act</a> that would help preserve affordable housing in rural areas by reforming requirements for certain USDA-supported homes</li>
<li>Authorization for a new Moving to Work cohort, intended to allow an additional 25 public housing agencies to join the flexibility program</li>
<li>Provisions aimed at reducing homelessness, including adjustments to standing homelessness assistance programs and the creation of a demonstration program to support collaborations between housing providers and healthcare organizations to provide housing-related supportive services</li>
</ul>
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<h2>Streamlining and removing red tape</h2>
In addition to addressing the way land use regulations limit housing, the legislation also includes a number of provisions aimed at further streamlining different kinds of projects and removing red tape. These include allowing for state assumption of responsibility for environmental review for certain HUD-funded projects, updating the federal definition of manufactured housing, making adjustments to federal housing finance regulations to support the financing of manufactured and modular housing, and provisions aimed at spurring more small-dollar mortgage lending. They also include reforms aimed at expanding the pool of qualified appraisers, streamlining HUD’s inspection process, and provisions to encourage better inter-agency collaboration to improve the efficiency of the delivery of housing programs.
SGA’s take: A key priority of smart growth is removing barriers to what can be built and where. We support efforts to streamline the development process because making it easier and more efficient to build homes lowers costs and ensures more people can benefit from new housing investments sooner.
<h2>Accountability and transparency provisions</h2>
The final collection of provisions included in the bill is broadly focused on government accountability and transparency. On the program implementation side, these include adjustments to the oversight of housing counseling agencies and counselors, a study of the benefits and challenges of work requirements on public housing agencies, provisions intended to improve veterans awareness of housing financing programs available through the Veterans Administration, and new requirements aimed at supporting consumer-requested second appraisals. On the broader reporting and accountability side, the bill would require annual congressional testimony from specific housing regulators and the Interagency Council on Homelessness as well as create an Inspector General for the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation (also known as NeighborWorks).
SGA’s take: Accountability is essential to ensure that programs funded with taxpayer dollars deliver on their promises and provide real benefits to households in need of assistance. We support transparency and oversight measures that help track impact, protect community members, and make sure the housing programs work as intended.
<h2>Next steps</h2>
The unveiling of the bipartisan legislation and the scheduled markup are significant steps forward for housing policy broadly and the bill specifically, but a long path remains before it is signed into law. After committee consideration, the legislation would need to pass the House and Senate floors, either as a freestanding bill or as an addendum to a larger piece of legislation. Through this process, it could be amended or trimmed down significantly. In addition, the bill doesn’t contain any funding for the grant programs it authorizes–that would instead have to come through a different vehicle, likely either a yearly appropriations bill or a reconciliation bill. The one-two punch required to stand up some of the new programs (authorize, then appropriate) can delay their implementation. Thus, even if passed in committee, the bill will require a sustained push from stakeholders and advocates and further Congressional action to become a reality. Stay tuned to SGA newsletters for updates on the package and <a href="https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member">reach out to your legislator</a> to highlight the legislation and lay the groundwork for future engagement.
While the path forward remains complex, the introduction and Senate hearing on the legislation is a serious win for smart growth advocates focused on supporting changes in local land use policy and spurring equitable growth in their communities.
&nbsp;

The 100-year wait: The federal government returns to land use policy in full force with the introduction of sweeping bipartisan housing package 

Just Blue (1)

<a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/services/cc-application-form/">Smart Growth America is now accepting applications for the second round of our Community Connectors program,</a> a national initiative helping small and mid-sized cities repair the damage caused by divisive and dangerous roads. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this program supports locally led efforts to reconnect communities and improve street safety—particularly in neighborhoods harmed by past infrastructure decisions.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-106781" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Community-Connectors-202526-1024x576.png" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Community-Connectors-202526-1024x576.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Community-Connectors-202526-300x169.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Community-Connectors-202526-768x432.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Community-Connectors-202526-1536x864.png 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Community-Connectors-202526.png 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Across the country, neighborhoods have been split apart by highways and high-speed roads that were built through the heart of communities—especially Black and Brown neighborhoods—under the guise of progress. These roads disconnect families, harm local economies, and make it dangerous or impossible for people to walk, bike, or access daily needs safely without a car.
While Congress recently rescinded over $2.4 billion from the <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/grants/reconnecting-communities">Reconnecting Communities program</a>—including funding already promised to local projects—this moment demands that we keep pushing forward.
Communities can still work at the local and state levels to repair the harm. Our second year of the Community Connectors program will help cities and community-based organizations plan and implement people-centered road redesigns, such as <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/programs-and-coalitions/national-complete-streets-coalition/quick-build-demonstration-projects/">Complete Streets and quick builds</a>, as well as strengthen relationships between city leaders and community members.
[button type=&#8221;info&#8221; block=&#8221;true&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Yfn4hlzKRhOAsreWdFnQEQ#/registration&#8221;]Register for our upcoming webinar on August 13th to learn more about the program! [/button]
We’re seeking three teams from cities with populations between 50,000 and 500,000 to join a yearlong cohort (Sept 2025–June 2026) focused on transforming divisive or dangerous arterial roads. Each team—which must be made up of a local government and a community-based organization—will receive:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">$25,000 to implement a temporary safety demonstration project,</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Up to $20,000 in expert design support, and</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Full travel costs to a required in-person convening in fall 2025. 
</li>
</ul>
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Don’t miss an opportunity to join a peer learning cohort and gain hands-on experience making people-centered, equity-driven changes, setting the stage for longer-term transformation.
Applications are due by August 31, 2025. <a href="https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/services/cc-application-form/">Click here to apply.</a>

Community Connectors

quick-build projects

Call for applications for the Community Connectors program

Advancing Racial Equity

harrisonburg 2

Harrisonburg, Virginia was selected for a previous round of the Community Connectors program where 15 communities received capacity building subgrants and wraparound technical assistance to develop and advance ambitious projects to restore the damage of past infrastructure decisions. One of Harrisonburg’s final projects (a temporary demonstration project) helped inspire this year’s specific focus on divisive or dangerous roadways.
The city-led Harrisonburg team came in with a project proposal to reimagine or rework Mason Street, a four-lane arterial just north of downtown originally built during the larger project of “urban renewal” in the 1960s in the historically Black Northeast Neighborhood. As part of those “renewal” activities, black-owned businesses were seized, more than a hundred homes were taken and families displaced, and the city’s housing authority was created to implement these damaging plans. Many properties were seized to add a new street within this small city’s street grid, but instead of a modest city street, it was built to the typical 1960s standards of the time with five wide lanes and a clear focus on moving vehicles quickly right through the middle of the heart of the city. The result is a physical and emotional scar that to this day that separates the historic fabric of downtown and the Northeast neighborhood.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-106780" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-1-1024x811.png" alt="" width="1024" height="811" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-1-1024x811.png 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-1-300x238.png 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-1-768x608.png 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-1.png 1126w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
The city’s team included two Black-led community-based organizations in the neighborhood. Building trust between the neighborhood writ large and the city was a core priority for this team. So when it became clear early on that the neighborhood hadn’t been fully engaged in the city’s original aspirations to remake Mason Street, the city took a step back to prioritize the needs and desires of the neighborhood first and use the program to advance a small-area planning process for the entire NE neighborhood. 12-18 months into the two-year program, SGA staff suggested that a logical step toward reimagining Mason Street could be our Complete Streets Leadership Academy and a temporary project to test designs, gather feedback, and further engage the NE neighborhood. The team invited additional residents and city staff to participate in a CSLA cohort, which culminated with the team designing and implementing a month-long temporary demonstration project on Mason Street to test out their ideas and engage the broader community with them as well. 
Mason Street is four lanes divided by a median with occasional turn lanes. The final temporary project design closed the southbound side of the median and converted the northbound side into two-way travel, eliminated three traffic lights in favor of two-way stops and two new temporary roundabouts, and created new crosswalks, among other improvements. Data collection is still ongoing throughout July but initial observations showed no major impact on traffic, with travel times that appeared shorter for travel along the entire four-block corridor.
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-106779" src="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-2-1024x767.jpg" alt="" width="1024" height="767" srcset="https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-2-1024x767.jpg 1024w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-2-300x225.jpg 300w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-2-768x575.jpg 768w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-2-1536x1150.jpg 1536w, https://wordpress.smartgrowthamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/harrisonburg-2.jpg 1600w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />
Here are some key contributors to the success of their project—which also point to what we want to emulate with the teams in this next round of the Community Connectors program.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The team included numerous city departments (Public Works, Planning and Community Development, the City Manager’s office, Communications) but also demonstrated a real commitment to participation by having the deputy city manager serve as the project lead, with the full backing of the city manager. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The core team included an elected city council member who also runs a black history nonprofit based in the NE neighborhood, and a NE neighborhood association leader.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The core team met weekly for the duration of the Community Connectors program (and CSLA), alternating between in-person and virtual meetings. </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">We often say that “projects move at the speed of trust,” and when it became clear that trust levels were low and the overall initial project idea developed by the city didn’t have community buy-in, the city paused, took a step back, altered the course of their project to develop a project together that everyone supported.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The core Community Connectors team was expanded for the Complete Streets Leadership Academy. The team brought in several NE neighborhood residents, more city staff, a member of the local bike advocacy coalition, and a pastor and resident in NE. The DPW director also participated in every session, which was crucial as the head of the department responsible for implementing the final demonstration project. And the team allowed a portion of their grant to be used to compensate the residents and CBO members for their time.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Mason Street wasn’t just a dangerous street in need of changes. It was also intrinsically connected to the city’s painful history of using transportation to intentionally segregate, divide, and displace people. We are hopeful to find other streets with a similar history for this round of projects.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">The city controls all of the streets within their borders, even the two main state routes. This made changes easy to coordinate within just one level of government. </li>
</ul>
&nbsp;

Reconnecting Harrisonburg, VA

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