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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 America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.
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The Equity Summit is a virtual gathering of thought leaders and practitioners who come together to discuss insights and strategies to ensure that racial equity is a key priority in any smart growth approach. The Equity Summit took place virtually, February 7-9, 2023.

Video Series

Equity Summit 2024 (Test)

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The state DOTs in California and North Carolina have found innovative ways to manage and maintain Complete Streets projects.
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;]From November 2022 to May 2023, Smart Growth America worked with the State Smart Transportation Initiative to host a series of four virtual workshops for staff at state departments of transportation (DOTs) to discuss challenges and strategies for implementing Complete Streets on state-owned rural roads. This work was completed in partnership with CDC’s Active People, Healthy Nation℠ Initiative. <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/?page_id=85474&amp;preview=true">Learn more here.</a>[/alert]
<figure id="attachment_85531" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-85531" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-85531 size-large" src="https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/after-ped-crossing-massachusetts-frcog-1024x768.jpeg" alt="A cyclist travels down fresh, black asphalt, nearing a short crosswalk with a ped crossing sign." width="1024" height="768" srcset="https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/after-ped-crossing-massachusetts-frcog-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/after-ped-crossing-massachusetts-frcog-300x225.jpeg 300w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/after-ped-crossing-massachusetts-frcog-768x576.jpeg 768w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/after-ped-crossing-massachusetts-frcog-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/after-ped-crossing-massachusetts-frcog.jpeg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-85531" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://frcog.org/project/complete-streets-funding-program-assistance-to-towns/">(Franklin Regional Council of Governments)</a></figcaption></figure>
<h4>California</h4>
California’s <a href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB1">Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017</a> (SB 1), required all SHOPP projects to incorporate Complete Streets elements, wherever feasible. That meant creating an inventory base with consistent data collection to effectively track and incorporate these elements. In 2018, Caltrans began data collection through a survey of existing Complete Streets assets including sidewalks, bikeways, and crosswalks. The push to survey existing assets acted as a starting point for the agency to track and develop targets for existing and future assets. The initial survey exposed additional features that will later be incorporated, like bus shelters, pedestrian lighting, street trees, and shade structures.
In 2020, a one-time funding reservation of $100 million was set aside for the SHOPP to construct and maintain Complete Streets facilities based on the existing inventory. One year later, the agency created targets for each district to track both the new and existing Complete Streets assets as part of <a href="https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/esta/documents/dp-37-complete-streets-a11y.pdf">Director’s Policy 37</a>, which created a new program for highway maintenance projects.
Complete Streets tracking forms were developed in 2022 so that performance targets could be effectively implemented and measured. The forms require coordination between engineers and Complete Streets coordinators to guide highway maintenance projects, train new roles and scopes, and to inform future updates.
Now, Caltrans offers several different maintenance options. For maintenance agreements in general, some local agencies pay and maintain with vested interest while others sign delegated maintenance agreements where Caltrans pays for the project and local agencies maintain. Regardless of the type of maintenance agreement, Caltrans emphasizes the need for local partners and community members to be involved early and often in the maintenance agreement process in order for the agreement to be strong and effective.
Caltrans is currently creating working groups to pull knowledge and skills for guidance material, focusing on strategies to increase funding for CS features. Updated maintenance manuals need to be revised to incorporate Complete Streets elements in official guidance. For example, CS is already incorporated as part of bridge projects where the scope is feasible. Caltrans continues to work towards an asset inventory approach while increasing staff capacity, materials, and equipment with updated guidance.
<h4>North Carolina</h4>
The North Carolina DOT convenes interdisciplinary working groups to address asset management and maintenance challenges. The workgroups play an important role within the Complete Streets review process to address main barriers and strategies to incorporate the maintenance of Complete Streets facilities throughout the project planning, design, and implementation process.
A main challenge the workgroups identified was inconsistent coordination between scheduled maintenance activities and local plans. To improve communication, NCDOT developed draft guidance to identify Complete Streets opportunities throughout the highway maintenance improvement process. The goal of the guidance is to better facilitate conversation and convening between different divisions and sectors on these issues to create sustainable impact. This also improves the chances for successful funding of Complete Streets facilities if they are flagged early in the project planning process. The guidance and communication between the flagged maintenance opportunities includes costs, alternatives, and options with required documentation and reporting through to project completion.
The NCDOT also aimed to address maintenance issues related to Complete Streets elements in unincorporated areas. An analysis with <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4d99643ea1354c0e9e8ad27243983bc4">their latent demand tool</a> determined the effects of the state taking over unincorporated areas&#8217; maintenance responsibilities. The tool, <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=4d99643ea1354c0e9e8ad27243983bc4">the Complete Streets Activity Estimation Tool</a>, was used to analyze pedestrian and bicycle network infrastructure data to evaluate and estimate the latent demand in areas categorized as low, medium, or high activity areas. The analysis was in accordance with planned and existing multimodal facilities for the next ten-year funding cycle. This resulted in internal policy discussions to make changes to the municipal code, discussions on maintenance agreements for earlier planning and to address funding issues, and working with local municipalities to enter agreements for facilities in unincorporated areas that they expect will later be in their jurisdiction as populations grow.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provided support for this project under cooperative agreement OT18-1802 supporting the Active People, Healthy NationSM Initiative, a national initiative led by the CDC to help 27 million Americans become more physically active by 2027. Learn more: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/activepeoplehealthynation/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/activepeoplehealthynation/index.html&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1718998511475000&amp;usg=AOvVaw16N_4_FDEPaQ4ERM0oCoAz">https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/activepeoplehealthynation/index.html</a>. The findings and conclusions in this blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

California

Highways

North Carolina

Rural

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Completing Rural Highways: Maintaining assets in California and North Carolina

Complete Streets

Rural Development

Transportation

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Equitable Transit-Oriented Development 2

Equitable Transit-Oriented Development

More About Complete Streets

The Complete Streets movement looks to put people, regardless of their mode of choice, back at the center of transportation planning and design.

Conventional approaches to transportation have aimed to move cars quickly, even (and often) at the expense of safety for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, and car drivers alike. The term Complete Streets, popularized by the National Complete Streets Coalition at Smart Growth America in the early 2000s, is used to describe policies that enable safe access to streets for users of all ages and abilities

Memphis is the deadliest city for pedestrians. According to our new report, <a href="/signature-reports/dangerous-by-design/">Dangerous by Design 2024</a>, Memphis holds the #1 spot, with a rate of 5.14 per 100,000 pedestrians who are hit and killed by cars while walking—nearly triple their rate from 2009. But why is walking in Memphis so dangerous?
Our new video shares on-the-ground perspectives and birds-eye views to demonstrate why Memphis’s streets are so dangerous. In the video, we interview local residents who deal with these perilous streets on a daily basis. Behind the alarming fatality numbers are countless human faces and stories of people trying to move around their communities in a safe and dignified way.

Testimonial

Dangerous by Design

Walking in Memphis: These streets are Dangerous by Design

The Best Complete Streets Policies 2023

Since the beginning of the Complete Streets movement in the early 2000s, more than 1,700 Complete Streets policies have been adopted in jurisdictions of all sizes and contexts across the United States. Adopting Complete Streets policies is a crucial first step to reducing traffic violence, improving health equity, responding to the climate crisis, and rectifying a long history of inequitable transportation practices. This Best Complete Streets Policies report spotlights the communities that have taken that first step and outlines how they made it happen.
But every Complete Streets policy is not created equally. To celebrate the strongest policies in the country and lift them up as worthy models for other communities to emulate, the National Complete Streets Coalition regularly evaluates and scores policies on a 100-point scale using a standardized set of ten elements. Based on that evaluation, the Coalition is proud to unveil this list of the 11 strongest Complete Streets policies passed between 2019 and 2022: [efn_note]157 policies adopted between 2019-2022 were evaluated for this report. We also evaluated 48 additional policies adopted in 2018 that were not scored/included in the last (2018) edition of this report for various reasons. Those 48 policies are also included in the table in the “policy scores” tab.[/efn_note]
<h4>This year&#8217;s strongest policies</h4>
Thanks to some ties in scoring, what’s typically a top ten list this year includes 11 communities. Each numbered score in the table refers to the corresponding element in our policy framework found <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/10-elements-of-complete-streets/">here</a>:
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Download the report for the complete list of grades, Complete Streets policy trends, profiles of four leading communities, and why far more progress is urgently needed.

Case Study

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Best Complete Streets Policies

Complete Streets Case Studies

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On Tuesday, February 15th, NBC Steering Committee member Lee Ilan represented the National Brownfields Coalition during the virtual ‘<a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/committee-activity/hearings/hearing-on-back-from-the-brink-restoring-brownfield-sites-to-economic">Back from the Brink: Restoring Brownfield Sites to Economic Engines’</a> hearing alongside four other witnesses and brownfields advocates from across the country. Witnesses praised the additional funding in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), discussed the connection between environmental justice and brownfield redevelopment, addressed concerns of gentrification and housing displacement related to redevelopment, and provided insight on other issues related to federal brownfield policy.
 

Watch the whole hearing <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeIHt8yzPr0">here</a>. 
 

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Mr. Paul Tomko, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change, opened the hearing by introducing EPA’s Brownfield Program and its impact on the economies and communities it helped to revitalize, noting how “Brownfields Program has been a critical lifeline for local governments and communities looking to turn contaminated sites into economic centers.” Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee, described how in his personal experience in West Virginia, the program helped transform his district, decreasing unemployment by over 10% and creating over 50,000 new jobs. After the introduction, each of the witnesses –representing the Coalition, the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Management Officials (ASTSWMO), Frontier Group of Companies– provided testimony based on their experience with brownfield remediation work in their communities. 
 

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“Each site helps tell the story of that community’s economic past. Today, we need to examine how we can make these sites part of our districts’ economic futures.”
<cite>&#8211; Rep. David B. McKinley (R-WV)</cite></blockquote>
 

During her testimony on behalf of the Coalition, Ms. Ilan emphasized the value of community engagement and targeted investment in gentrifying areas to avoid displacement. Building from her experience as Chief of Planning for the NYC Mayor’s Office of Environmental Remediation, she voiced support for critical policies like renewal of the Federal Brownfield Tax Deduction Program and expansion of Brownfield Job Training Grants. 
 

In light of recent hurricanes, flooding, and other natural disasters that have disproportionately affected lower-income neighborhoods and communities of color in NYC, Ms. Ilan stressed that increased funding from the Infrastructure Law would also promote climate resilience in communities that need it the most. She also applauded Congress’ decision to remove the 20% cost share requirements for cleanup grants in the law, which greatly expands opportunities to small and disadvantaged communities. 
 

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“When we clean up and recycle land, we not only eliminate exposure to contaminants, but the jobs, new businesses, housing, parks, and cultural and social centers that we create are truly an economic engine for our communities.”
<cite>&#8211; Lee Ilan</cite></blockquote>
 

 
 

Even though these investments <a href="https://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/democrats.energycommerce.house.gov/files/documents/Testimony%20Appendix%20C_Ilan_ECC_2022.02.15.pdf">have proven to be catalytic</a> for communities of all types, sizes, and geographic regions, the EPA Brownfield program has historically been underfunded.  EPA has been able to make awards for only a third of the grants requested, even if the proposals get high scores. 
 

Witnesses and Representatives alike indicated that funding continuity and increased technical assistance and guidance are the highest priorities moving forward for brownfield redevelopment projects. Current barriers include the lack of in-house knowledge, expertise, and capacity for handling remediation projects, which exist in rural communities and discourage local leaders and community members from embarking on clean up projects. The 50 additional EPA Job Training Grants contained in the BIL will provide economic momentum to communities suffering from environmental injustice and disinvestment. The panel also recommended that allowing grant recipients to dedicate 5% of funding to address administrative costs will increase bandwidth and capability in local community planning boards, enabling them to tackle clean-up projects with more refined technical advice by working with brownfield remediation experts. 
 

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“&#8230; cleanup and reuse of brownfields is a long-term effort that lasts longer than the life of one real estate project.  Different funding at different stages of community revitalization shows that up-front planning pays off as communities explore, choose, and implement viable reuse options.”
<cite>&#8211; Lee Ilan</cite></blockquote>
 

 
 

The conversations arising from the hearing reiterated the connections between rural and urban communities and highlighted that, although they may differ in density, capacity, and economies, all can benefit from the expanded EPA funding of brownfield redevelopment grants. The EPA’s Brownfields Program’s reliable funding and consistency help local and tribal governments, states, and nonprofits engage in long-term reuse planning, consult with stakeholders, study and address brownfields, and line up private and public sector partners. The program also enables economic development, improves the environment, preserves greenfields, protects public health, encourages planning for reuse, and gives community members a voice in what their neighborhoods look like.
 

The National Brownfield Coalition is thrilled to see the level of investment in brownfields in the BIL and is eager to see this funding applied to complete much-needed assessments and remediation of contaminated sites and support equitable outcomes for communities nationwide.
 

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large is-resized"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/NBC-logos-1024x128.png" alt=" class=" width="706" height="88" /></figure>
 

[button type=&#8221;primary&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; block=&#8221;false&#8221; link=&#8221;<a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/program/national-brownfields-coalition/">https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/program/national-brownfields-coalition/</a>&#8220;] Learn more about the National Brownfields Coalition [/button]
 

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The National Brownfields Coalition testifies before the House Subcommittee on Environment and Climate Change

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About a decade ago, business and local government leaders in Indianapolis/Marion County acknowledged that the region&#8217;s network of highways and roads was great at moving freight but not so good at moving people. It was a very real threat to the future of the city and a task force was convened to explore solutions. The task force found that out of every transportation option—from HOV lanes to off-road trails—transit offered the highest return on investment. But unlike other options, transit had no dedicated source of funding. That needed to change.
In the intervening 10 years, the region fought for and won a change in state law that enabled local referendums to raise transit funds, approved a subsequent referendum, and is now beginning to see the fruits of its labor. The new funding has allowed the bus system—which was functionally a peak hour, 5-day a week service—to increase frequencies and extend operating hours for many lines. And three bus rapid transit lines are in the works, the first of which—the Red Line—is poised to open this year.
This month on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/todresources/episode-12-crossroads-of" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Building Better Communities with Transit</a> we are joined by Sean Northup, Deputy Director of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. Sean chats about the Red Line and how it connects some of the densest parts of the region. He also discusses the long process for winning local, dedicated funding to support better transit service and how transit oriented development is being approached in the region after the completion of a TOD Strategic Plan.
<iframe loading="lazy" width="100%" height="166" scrolling="no" frameborder="no" allow="autoplay" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/633068358&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true"></iframe>
<div style="font-size: 10px; color: #cccccc;line-break: anywhere;word-break: normal;overflow: hidden;white-space: nowrap;text-overflow: ellipsis; font-family: Interstate,Lucida Grande,Lucida Sans Unicode,Lucida Sans,Garuda,Verdana,Tahoma,sans-serif;font-weight: 100;"><a href="https://soundcloud.com/todresources" title="Building Better Communities with Transit" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Building Better Communities with Transit</a> · <a href="https://soundcloud.com/todresources/episode-17-writing-a-new-tod" title="Episode 17: Writing a New TOD Zoning Code" target="_blank" style="color: #cccccc; text-decoration: none;">Episode 17: Writing a New TOD Zoning Code</a></div>
<a href="https://soundcloud.com/todresources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Building Better Communities with Transit</a> is intended to provide more support to communities and local leaders who are working to catalyze new development around transit, give more people access to public transportation, increase access to opportunity, and build robust local economies. You can find this episode—and all of our previous episodes—on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/building-better-communities-with-transit/id1342466871?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-overhead-wire/building-better-communities-with-transit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts.

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&#8216;Crossroads of America&#8217; gets a bus lane

Technical assistance

<img decoding="async" class="img-responsive" src="https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/09/Building-Better-Communities-Ep.-8_Social.png" alt="&quot;" />Denver&#8217;s historic Union Station as seen from the train tracks behind the terminal. This area serves all of the commuter rail lines and Amtrak. An underground bus terminal—which serves regional and local buses—stretches about 700 feet from these tracks to the light rail station. (Image: <a style="color: #aca196;" href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Denver_Union_Station_Train_Hall.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">IssacKim, Wikimedia</a>)
In 2004, voters in the Denver area approved a sales tax increase to fund a regional, forward-looking investment in transit. Known as FasTracks, the investment has resulted in a plethora of transportation options today: multiple new light rail lines (and extensions to some existing lines), the introduction of commuter rail to the region, and express bus service to Boulder, CO and other communities north of Denver.
Sitting at the center of the region&#8217;s transit network is the historic Denver Union Station. As part of FasTracks, Union Station was redeveloped from a desolate building surrounded by surface parking lots into a vibrant, productive, public asset for the city. It&#8217;s &#8220;an international model for how you look at integrating transit with a truly dense, new neighborhood,&#8221; according to our guest this month on <a href="https://soundcloud.com/todresources/episode-8-bringing-back-union" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Building Better Communities with Transit</a>.
Bill Sirois, Senior Manager for Transit-Oriented Communities with Denver’s Regional Transportation District (RTD), joins our podcast host Jeff Wood to talk about the success of the transit agency’s TOD program. The Union Station redevelopment—the unique funding, extensive planning, and successful execution—is the focus of the conversation. But Denver has done so much more. Bill also discusses the construction of over 38,000 housing units near transit since 2005, other interesting examples of TOD in the region, and what comes next as the current period of transit expansion comes to a close.
<a href="http://todresources.org/category/blog/podcast/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Building Better Communities with Transit</a> is intended to provide more support to communities and local leaders who are working to catalyze new development around transit, give more people access to public transportation, increase access to opportunity, and build robust local economies. You can find this episode—and all of our previous episodes—on <a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/building-better-communities-with-transit/id1342466871?mt=2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-overhead-wire/building-better-communities-with-transit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stitcher</a>, or wherever you get your podcasts.
<iframe loading="lazy" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/496422192&amp;color=%23ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false&amp;show_teaser=true" width="100%" height="166" frameborder="no" scrolling="no"></iframe>
Checkout all the episodes at TODresources.org’s <a href="https://todresources.org/category/blog/podcast/">podcast page</a>. A new episode is released every month!

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Denver CO

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&#8220;An international model&#8221; for transit-oriented development

Economic development

Brad Lander

Brooklyn

east

economic develop

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Janette Sadik-Khan

LLC Local Success

Local Leaders

New York

New York City Council

Smart growth stories

Smart growth stories: New York City Councilmember Brad Lander on building better neighborhoods with community participation

Local Leaders Council

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<td><a href="https://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5184/t/1623/shop/custom.jsp?donate_page_KEY=2046">Help SGA become a sponsor of American Makeover with a small donation</a>.</td>
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The makers of a viral sensation from last year (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/1standMain#p/u/2/VGJt_YXIoJI">Built to Last</a>) are back with a new video series that takes a hard look at America&#8217;s collective frustration with sprawl and the smarter alternatives for growth and development happening in communities across the country.
<blockquote>Today, the average American spends about three hours per day driving — three hours stuck in traffic, emitting carbon, burning oil, wasting time. The harmful effects of sprawl are well chronicled in recent news stories, books, and documentaries. With ugly sprawl everywhere you look in America, it&#8217;s time for a national makeover. So what&#8217;s the alternative?</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.americanmakeover.tv/">American Makeover</a> is a new web-exclusive series that explores those alternatives in communities across America, looking at what can be done to help our communities grow in such a way that gives us the kind of neighborhoods and choices we&#8217;re increasingly looking for.
Episode One, which just launched last week, &#8220;sounds the alarm bell on Atlanta&#8217;s sprawl.&#8221; No one who has ever been to Atlanta will argue their status as poster child of sprawling growth, but it&#8217;s encouraging that the filmmakers spend most of the short episode taking a closer look at the alternatives. Or as they say, the &#8220;transformational possibilities of new urbanism and traditional neighborhood design&#8221; in Atlanta — focusing on those growing millions of people who are looking for places to live that are walkable and connected and don&#8217;t entail hour-long car commutes to work, school, or the local market.
In Atlanta, they focus on an intown new urbanist project called Glenwood Park, just a short distance east of downtown Atlanta, where Charles Brewer, a motivated and inspired developer, sought to break the cycle of the same old car-oriented development in Atlanta and build a coherent community rather than just a smattering of homes or businesses. It&#8217;s not perfect, and Brewer&#8217;s company faced an uphill battle all the way with outdated zoning codes and legal barriers that get in the way of exactly the kind of development that the city desperately needs, but Glenwood Park made a powerful statement in Atlanta about the pent-up demand for walkable neighborhoods and desire for real community.
Dr. Chris Elisara, producer of the series for First+Main Media, told me that the series was born out of the desire to see CNU and other advocates for smart growth or new urbanism reach the masses with this message they&#8217;re ready for — but aren&#8217;t regularly hearing in a compelling way or with language that makes sense to them.
&#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of content out there, but people need to see it; connect with it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They need to not only read the books and understand the theory, they need to see it in practice and hear about it from people living it.&#8221;
A chapter in a book with some facts about how our streets are unwalkable and unforgiving for pedestrians is good, but using video to illustrate the dangerous obstacles that a grandmother in Atlanta has to overcome just to get around her community hits our hearts on a whole different level.
&#8220;We saw it all firsthand. We were stuck in the traffic, stuck on those streets. Those pedestrians shots of people crossing those boulevards, it was terrible. That grandmother, Cookie, we filmed her on her walker walking across four lanes of traffic. There wasn&#8217;t a sidewalk so she&#8217;d walk into the street, then onto a grass berm, back into the street — all the way up to the light. Then she crossed at the light, and we interviewed her. That was sad.&#8221;
American Makeover is still very much in the works, with plans to visit 4-5 more cities in the coming months, but they&#8217;re looking for support from everyday folks and like-minded organizations to bring the project to fruition. Enter <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2055198976/american-makeover-an-online-series-about-new-urba">Kickstarter.com</a>.
&#8220;<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2055198976/american-makeover-an-online-series-about-new-urba">Kickstarter.com</a> is a funding platform to directly link creative people, great ideas and ambitious endeavors with the scores of potential supporters and followers who could &#8216;kickstart&#8217; such projects into reality. Kickstarter is powered by a unique all-or-nothing funding method where projects must be fully-funded or no money changes hands,&#8221; reads the description on the American Makeover press release.
American Makeover is trying to raise $15,000 to complete the project, and they&#8217;re a little more than halfway to their goal. They only have a few days (until May 8, 2010) to hit their mark and the way that Kickstarter works, they need to hit their target or they don&#8217;t get any of the money. Financial backers get a stake in the project depending on how much they give, ranging from a thank you in the credits up to an organization&#8217;s logo in each video and DVD packaging.
<a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/2055198976/american-makeover-an-online-series-about-new-urba">Will you consider helping them out with a donation to see this project through to the end</a>? Smart Growth America is happy to support their efforts and we&#8217;re looking forward to using the final products to help communicate our message far and wide.

Atlanta

Livability

Sprawl

Walkability

Forget home and plastic surgery makeovers, new online video series promotes an &quot;American Makeover&quot;

<table align="right" cellpadding="2" cellspacing="2" width="251">
<tr>
<td height="60"><a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=w6IQESO_VLw" target="_blank"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" src="http://blog.smartgrowthamerica.org/blogimages//donvideo.jpg" alt="Don Video" align="right" height="152" width="224" /></a></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="right" height="30">Click to watch the video &#8220;A New Economic Engine: Energy in the 21st Century&#8221; </td>
</tr>
</table>
Be sure to check out a recently-added video from the Center for American Progress, titled &#8220;Capturing the Energy Opportunity: Creating a Low-Carbon Economy,&#8221; including an appearance by SGA executive director Don Chen.
This video is part of a series by CAP on transforming our economy through embracing innovative clean technology — addressing climate change in such a way that invigorates our economy and creates opportunities. From their issue page on &#8220;Progressive Growth:&#8221;
<blockquote>At the center of this vision is a strategy to address the greatest moral and economic challenge of our time—climate change—and turn it into our greatest opportunity. Left unchecked, the economic disruption caused by climate change will sap our resources and dampen our growth. But with low-carbon technologies and clean, renewable energy, we can capture a new global market, drive American economic growth, and create green jobs for American workers, offering new skills and new earnings opportunities up and down the economic ladder.</blockquote>
Click Don&#8217;s picture to watch the excellent video on Youtube (video not embedded), and be sure to check out the series &#8220;<a href="http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2007/11/progressive_growth.html" target="_blank">Transforming America’s Economy through Clean Energy, Innovation, and Opportunity</a>&#8221; on the CAP website.

Climate

Economy

Energy

Green

Center for American Progress videos

taylor-flowe-suburban-housing-unsplash

From reduced opportunities to travel by bike or foot to a lack of parks and green spaces, our built environment actively contributes to the state of our physical and mental well-being, and nowhere is its negative impact felt more than in Black and Brown communities.
<figure id="attachment_86102" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-86102" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-86102 size-large" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/taylor-flowe-suburban-housing-unsplash-1024x656.jpg" alt="A row of identical houses in a suburban neighborhood" width="1024" height="656" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-86102" class="wp-caption-text"><a href="https://unsplash.com/photos/white-wooden-house-4zRkgmuZH-8">(Taylor Flowe, Unsplash)</a></figcaption></figure>
It has been well documented that Black and Latinx households face higher risks of developing physical ailments <a href="https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/connection-between-housing-health-and-racial-equity">including asthma, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases, and experiencing a heart attack or stroke compared to white households</a>. These physical health outcomes are compounded by the mental health disparities seen in Black and Brown communities. Residents are experiencing <a href="https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/148477">higher rates of social isolation</a> (a key factor contributing to the <a href="https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/surgeon-general-social-connection-advisory.pdf">national loneliness epidemic</a>.) This increases the risk of experiencing dementia, heart disease, premature death, depression and/or anxiety.
Much of the blame for poor health outcomes in communities of color lies with our built environment and the policies that shape it, including zoning regulations.
Since the 1920s, zoning has not only been used as a tool to separate land uses, but also a means to <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/zoning-for-equity-raising-all-boats/">socially separate people along the lines of wealth, class, and race</a>. This can be seen through the racist practice of redlining, where the government published maps that designated neighborhoods based on their “residential security” into categories of “best” (green) to “hazardous”(red). Areas marked in red were generally places with higher populations of people of color. This land designation was an intentional tool used to spur widespread disinvestment in Black and Brown communities, further destabilizing neighborhoods and depriving residents of necessary <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/redlining">resources such as grocery stores and supermarkets</a>. Residents of redlined neighborhoods were additionally denied access to financial services including mortgages and insurance loans, causing disparities in homeownership rates, locking in patterns of residential segregation, and contributing to the racial wealth gap.
Despite efforts to disallow the inequitable practices of the past, zoning has largely continued to reinforce this reality, and it shows in the data: <a href="https://time.com/6074243/segregation-america-increasing/">American neighborhoods are more residentially segregated today than ever before</a>. In this way, zoning has not only created barriers to developing social connections but also has restricted our opportunities to build relationships with people who differ from ourselves. These relationships have strong ripple effects in communities, helping to <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235746349_Social_participation_and_social_trust_in_adolescence_The_importance_of_heterogeneous_encounters">build social trust</a> and strengthen mental health outcomes by reducing loneliness and increasing an individual’s socialness and sense of empathy—all factors that lead to healthier, more socially connected communities.
Today, the most common form of zoning in the U.S., often referred to as Euclidean zoning, tends to separate uses, leading to areas where only low-density single-family housing can be built. People who live in communities that are designed this way often have to travel long distances and take solo trips by car to get to work or go to the store. As a result, they have fewer opportunities for informal social interactions that can lead to deeper relationships, as well as fewer chances to organically engage in physical activity like walking or biking to school or work.
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;]
<h4>Public realm disparities</h4>
Residents of majority-Black and Brown neighborhoods often have a deficit of people-centered infrastructure including <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/01/15/the-inequality-of-sidewalks/">sidewalks</a> and safe crosswalks, as well as <a href="https://chicagopolicyreview.org/2020/09/23/racial-disparity-in-access-to-public-green-space/">substantially less access to green spaces</a>. Black people are <a href="https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/connection-between-housing-health-and-racial-equity">52 percent more likely</a> to live in a census block group with heat-risk conditions compared to white people. Heat risk can include having little to no green space, and a high volume of impervious surfaces like asphalt and concrete pavements. These conditions create a higher risk for heat-related deaths and illnesses.[/alert]
These combined factors have created spaces that discourage physical activity, increase surface temperatures (leading to more extreme heat events), and expose residents to toxic air pollution levels <a href="https://itdp.org/2021/03/10/highways-and-zoning-tools-of-racist-policy/">(which has been linked with developing asthma, cognitive development delays, and premature death)</a>. And though everyone experiences these health impacts on some level, the people who are most at risk are people of color.
<h3>What can be done?</h3>
Zoning got us into this crisis, and it can get us out. Zoning is a tool that yields different built environment results depending on how it is leveraged. Enacting zoning reforms that prioritize more equitable, people-centered, smart growth development can help to reverse the inequitable trend in our built environment. For example, zoning regulations that <a href="https://housingmatters.urban.org/articles/three-ways-zoning-can-advance-housing-and-climate-justice">prioritize affordable housing production</a> can improve access to housing, and studies show that having safe, affordable housing <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/content/briefs/housing-and-health-overview-literature">helps to promote better health outcomes</a>. Additionally, zoning that prioritizes green spaces like parks can encourage an active lifestyle, reduce risk of heat-related deaths and illnesses, and even reduce stress, anxiety, and depression for community residents.
Land use regulations have encouraged a built environment that fails to serve everyone’s needs for far too long. But it doesn’t have to be this way. By making changes to outdated, harmful zoning regulations, community leaders can help ensure that all residents can experience stronger health outcomes, particularly for residents that are most vulnerable.
Looking to learn more about zoning reform? Check out <a href="https://knowledge.uli.org/en/Reports/Research%20Reports/2023/Reshaping%20the%20City%20Zoning%20for%20a%20More%20Equitable%20Resilient%20and%20Sustainable%20Future">our Reshaping the City report</a> (co-authored with the Urban Land Institute) and take a look at <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/how-form-based-codes-can-help-reshape-a-city/">how form-based codes (an alternative land use regulation) can shape a city’s built environment</a>.

Health Equity

Healthy communities

public health

Health equity and the built environment.

Mount-Hood-Express_SGA-T4A-photo

A recent backpacking trip using public transit shed light for this urban dweller on the value of rural transit service.


Last month, my partner joined me for a 4-day backpacking trip on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in Northern Oregon. Unlike Switzerland where trains and ski lifts carry trekkers most anywhere, most backpacking trips in the U.S. involve driving a car to the trailhead. This trip was different. We left the car at home.


<figure class="wp-block-image alignnone wp-image-86093 size-large"><img decoding="async" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Mount-Hood-Express_SGA-T4A-photo-1024x768.png" alt="A bus waits to transport passengers to the mountain rising up in the background" class="wp-image-86093"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">The Mount Hood Express delivers skiers, hikers, mountain bikers and workers to Timberline Lodge high up on Mount Hood.</figcaption></figure>


After a phenomenal four days and 50 miles, passing through semi-alpine environs and then down into spectacular Eagle Creek in the Columbia River Gorge, we arrived in Cascade Locks where the PCT crosses the Columbia River into Washington.


<div style="height:12px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>


<div class="wp-block-group">
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Chris-Rall-photo-2-1024x768.png" alt="An orange mountain peak in front of a clear blue sky" class="wp-image-86095"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Sunset on Mount Hood on our first night in the wilderness.</figcaption></figure>


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Chris-Rall-photo-3-1024x768.png" alt="A sign post atop a mound of earth in the middle of the wilderness" class="wp-image-86096"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">A cairn marks the trail above Eagle Creek &amp; the Columbia River Gorge.</figcaption></figure>
</div>


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We had time to grab a meal in Cascade Locks before riding the Gorge Express back to Gateway Transit Center in Portland and taking a Trimet Light Rail and bus from there to home-sweet-home.


Had we tried to do this trip by car, we would have had to use two cars and spend hours “running shuttle” to position vehicles where we needed them at the start and end, plus pick a car back up after the hike. Public transit made it possible to hike from point-to-point instead of a loop, so that we could progress through the landscape as beautiful scenery unfolded before us.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Chris-Rall-4-1024x768.png" alt="A purple bus picks up passengers in a rural area" class="wp-image-86097"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Catching the Gorge Express after lunch in Cascade Locks.</figcaption></figure>


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Rural transit doing quadruple duty</h3>


There are other reasons to give transit access to outdoor recreation another look. As we explained in <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/rural-roadmap/">An Active Roadmap: Best Practices in Rural Mobility</a>, the more than one million rural residents without access to a car might find access to public parks and recreation areas challenging, even when they live relatively close to these areas. 


Public transit can be useful for enhancing access to outdoor recreation. I’ve seen many teenagers from Sandy riding the Mount Hood Express—the bus we used to get to Timberline Lodge—so they could go skiing without getting a ride from their parents. That same bus helps mountain bikers in the summer to get up higher on the mountain so they can enjoy more downhilling and less climbing. In central Oregon, <a href="https://cascadeseasttransit.com/ride/ride-the-river/">Cascade East Transit’s Ride the River shuttle</a> serves various tubers and stand-up paddle boarders enjoying the Deschutes River, carrying folks upstream so they can float down through the City of Bend, Oregon.


For some really popular outdoor destinations, public transit can help address parking and traffic problems and help transit riders avoid hassles. I’ve been on the Mount Hood Express on a bluebird winter powder day passing a line of cars blocked from proceeding because the Timberline parking lot was full. During our ride on the Gorge Express headed home from our backpacking trip, a couple got off the bus at Multnomah Falls with stickers from the bus driver allowing them to bypass the permitting system that regulates visitor parking, allowing them to quickly jump into their activities.


And not everyone using these transit services is there to play. Transit services that urban dwellers use to access outdoor recreation are also often really useful rural public transportation. Our bus to Timberline lodge carried restaurant workers to Government Camp and Timberline employees to the lodge. When we got off the Gorge Express at Gateway Transit Center in Portland, a few fellow passengers from Hood River were headed to the Portland airport.


<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Other examples of public transit enhancing access to outdoor recreation</h3>


Compared to developed European and Asian countries, folks traveling in the U.S. have to drive to outdoor recreation much more often. This can limit access to these public spaces and increase harmful transportation emissions caused by private vehicle use. However, there are some bright spots. The state of Colorado runs <a href="https://ridebustang.com/snowstang-mountain-service/">Snowstang</a> (an outgrowth of its <a href="https://ridebustang.com/">Bustang</a> intercity bus program) that focuses on delivering skiers to the many ski resorts in the Centennial State. Ski resorts are in fact a big public transit opportunity, since so many people are all traveling to one place. Perhaps that’s why we see strong transit service to ski resorts in places like Oregon, <a href="https://getskitickets.com/blog/the-top-3-ski-towns-with-public-transportation-to-the-slopes/">Colorado, Utah and Wyoming</a>.


Many national parks in every corner of North America have also <a href="https://www.outsideonline.com/adventure-travel/national-parks/national-parks-without-car/">invested in public transit access</a>. In many places, this service is by bus, but it can also be a ferry or even, in the case of Yellowstone, a <a href="https://www.yellowstonenationalparklodges.com/adventure/winter-adventures/snowcoach-transportation/">snowcoach</a>. While a lot of transit service in national parks is aimed at visitors who park their cars near the entrance and use transit within the park, some national parks have transit service that can get you there from nearby cities. For example, you can take Amtrak to Merced, California to access Yosemite, and the <a href="https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/glacier-national-park-by-train">Amtrak Empire Builder train trip to Glacier National Park in Montana</a> is well-renowned.


<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amtrak-Empire-Builder-Loco-Steve-Flickr-1024x659.png" alt="A train crosses a valley between mountains" class="wp-image-86098"/><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Amtrak’s Empire Builder to Glacier National Park <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/locosteve/">(Loco Steve, Flickr)</a></figcaption></figure>


<div style="height:11px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>


We have a long way to go to be like Switzerland where trains serve almost every valley, and cog railways and ski lifts transport trekkers up the mountains. However, we can certainly do more to provide more transit to outdoor recreational opportunities, which would reap benefits for outdoor enthusiasts and rural communities alike.

Green space

Parks

Rural transit and access to nature

Now Hiring

Smart Growth America (SGA) and its Land Use and Development team are looking to recruit a Fall 2024 intern to support its economic development portfolio and technical assistance work.
<h3>Organizational Overview</h3>
<h4>About Smart Growth America</h4>
Smart Growth America is a national nonprofit organization that envisions a country where no matter where you live, or who you are, you can enjoy living in a place that is healthy, prosperous, and resilient. We empower communities through technical assistance, advocacy, and thought leadership to realize this vision of livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity.
<h4>About the Land Use and Development (LUD) team</h4>
The Land Use and Development (LUD) team at Smart Growth America is focused on how land use, development, and real estate can advance SGA’s mission and vision for equitable, sustainable development. LUD’s topic areas include real estate development, planning, zoning, development finance, climate adaptation, and brownfield redevelopment.
<h3>Position Overview</h3>
The intern will be a member of SGA’s Land Use &amp; Development Department, reporting to Michael Rodriguez, Director of Research, and is expected to contribute to a collaborative team environment.
This position will assist in delivering Smart Growth America’s work in zoning, land use, and economic development. Specifically, this internship will focus on a project regarding zoning, permitting and processing, and economic development currently underway for a small Midwestern city.
Other projects may include, but are not limited to, assisting with innovative analytical work, developing new methods of analysis, assisting technical assistance engagements, and supporting projects across the LUD team and organization. The position is also likely to support SGA’s research efforts and signature reports.
<h3>Knowledge and Skills</h3>
Interns seeking to work with SGA should strive to have the following skills:
<ul>
<li>Commitment to SGA’s mission, including diversity, equity, and inclusion</li>
<li>Working knowledge of and passion for zoning, land use, economic development, and urban planning topics, including interest in or exposure to zoning</li>
<li>Specific knowledge of zoning codes, zoning language, land-use regulations, and permitting processes through some combination of coursework or experience</li>
<li>Strong research and writing skills</li>
<li>Strong oral and written communication skills</li>
<li>Ability to display data, research, and policy concepts in a clear and relevant manner</li>
<li>Organized and able to fulfill tasks per instructions</li>
<li>Knowledge or ability to learn ArcGIS or other GIS platforms</li>
<li>Proficiency in G-Suite and Microsoft Office suite of tools, or similar, for document preparation (memos, presentations, etc.)</li>
<li>Local knowledge of Tulsa urban development policies are a plus</li>
</ul>
SGA also strongly encourages interns to apply with the following skills:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Knowledge or familiarity in visual graphic design editors (i.e. Adobe Suite with a strong preference for InDesign or similar) </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Experience with policy analysis and literature reviews, as well as distilling academic analysis into more accessible language  </li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Familiarity with key data sets, including the U.S. Census and how to use state and local zoning data.</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Knowledge or familiarity with descriptive and inferential statistics and statistical packages (SPSS, State, R)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Educational Background</h3>
Graduate students in Urban Planning, Real Estate Development, Public Policy, Sociology, or related disciplines are encouraged to apply. Key among intern applicants is an interest in land use and zoning.
<h3>Compensation, Schedule, and COVID-19 Protocols</h3>
The prospective intern will need to supply their own computer and access to wifi. The intern will also be expected to commit 20-30 hours per week for a minimum of 12 weeks in Fall 2024 for up to a total of 340 hours during the course of the internship. The internship may last up to 15 weeks until the end of December.
The intern will be paid a semi-monthly stipend throughout their tenure in the program at the hourly rate of $22 for graduate students for a stipend not to exceed $7,779 during the entirety of the internship. All interns are expected to be insured by their school’s or personal health and/or liability insurance, as this internship program does not provide health or liability insurance coverage for interns.
SGA is based in Washington, DC, and operates on a hybrid work schedule. SGA staff work in the office three days a week (Tuesday-Thursday), while generally working remotely the rest of the week. Interns are expected to report to the office at least two days per week if located in the Washington, DC area. Fully remote candidates may be considered on a case-by-case basis; interns not located in Washington, DC are still encouraged to apply.
If an intern works in the office, they will be required to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination and a booster.
<h3>How to apply</h3>
Please send a resume and cover letter where you specifically address the below three questions to <a href="mailto:jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org">jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org</a> with “LUD Intern” in the subject line. Applications will be accepted immediately on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What interests you about working for Smart Growth America / the LUD team?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">What key issue(s) in zoning and land use will have the biggest impact on Americans, particularly low-income Americans and people of color, and why?</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">How did you hear of this internship opportunity?</li>
</ul>
<h3>Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion</h3>
Smart Growth America is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. SGA and the Economic Development team are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage applications from candidates of color.
Employment and promotional opportunities are based upon individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status or any other protected characteristic as established under law.

Internship

Now hiring: Land Use and Development Intern

Smart Growth America is seeking an enthusiastic and dynamic Senior Manager of Events and Development to join our team. If you are passionate about creating vibrant, equitable communities and have a knack for organizing impactful events and driving successful fundraising campaigns, this role is for you. As the manager of our premier annual event, the Equity Summit, you will play a crucial role in shaping and executing an event that reaches hundreds of practitioners, advocates, and policymakers dedicated to advancing racial equity through smart growth. You&#8217;ll also be a key player in our fundraising efforts, helping to advance our mission to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient places for everyone. The Senior Manager, Events and Development reports to the Director of Communications, with oversight by and direct support to the President and CEO on the role’s fundraising support and coordination responsibilities. 
Instructions to apply can be found below. 
<h4>About Smart Growth America</h4>
Smart Growth America is a leading national non-profit organization advocating for equitable, sustainable land use, development, and transportation. We empower communities through technical assistance, advocacy, and thought leadership to realize this vision of livable places, healthy people, and shared prosperity. Programmatic priorities for SGA include advancing racial equity, addressing the climate crisis, and improving the health of communities.
<h4>About the Equity Summit</h4>
The Equity Summit is SGA’s premier annual event, reaching over 300 practitioners, advocates, and policymakers seeking to advance racial equity through smart growth. Speakers and participants come from around the country to engage in meaningful conversation about advancing equity in our transportation, housing, climate and land use decisions. Launched in 2021 as a virtual event, SGA hosted the Equity Summit in person in Washington, DC for the first time in 2024. SGA’s equity event programming also features virtual Equity Forums on specialized topics.
<h3>Responsibilities:</h3>
<h4>Events &amp; the Equity Summit</h4>
<ul>
<li>Oversee all aspects of the Equity Summit, including managing staff, the Summit Host Committee, an advisory committee, and outside consultants, and vendors.</li>
<li>Coordinate with Communications and Finance teams on Equity Summit-related work.</li>
<li>Lead the program development for the annual Equity Summit and Forums in partnership with SGA programmatic staff, a Host Committee, and other partners.</li>
<li>Manage the Summit budget and strategize on the ongoing evolution of the Summit.</li>
<li>As time and capacity is available, support other external SGA events, including webinars, Equity Forums, and other convenings.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Fundraising</h4>
<ul>
<li>Provide direct support to the President and CEO for all fundraising-related activities.</li>
<li>Support the organization in creating and implementing fundraising strategies.</li>
<li>Support the creation of fundraising marketing materials and sponsorship decks.</li>
<li>Manage correspondence, communications, and meetings related to the development activities of the CEO, and vis-a-vis the Equity Summit and Equity Forums.</li>
<li>Manage the end-of-year fundraising campaign, in coordination with the Communications team.</li>
<li>Work with the CEO to research potential funders, donors, and funding opportunities.</li>
<li>Work with the CEO to create and maintain systems for tracking funder and donor interactions and engagement.</li>
<li>Serve as a key liaison with outside consultants working on organization-wide and Equity Summit fundraising.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Knowledge and Skills</h3>
<h4>Required:</h4>
<ul>
<li>Commitment to SGA’s North Star.</li>
<li>4-7+ years of progressively responsible experience in events management and/or fundraising.</li>
<li>Proven experience in planning, organizing, and executing large-scale events, including virtual and in-person formats.</li>
<li>Experience managing outside vendors and consultants on events.</li>
<li>Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of work, including experience working with diverse communities and stakeholders.</li>
<li>Strong project management skills, including the ability to manage multiple tasks and projects simultaneously.</li>
<li>Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work effectively in a collaborative team environment.</li>
<li>Some experience in building and maintaining relationships with funders, donors, sponsors, and stakeholders.</li>
<li>Excellent written and verbal communication skills.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Preferred:</h4>
<ul>
<li>A Master&#8217;s degree in public administration, communications, marketing, nonprofit management, public policy, or a related field.</li>
<li>Experience in developing and managing budgets.</li>
<li>Ability to think creatively and innovatively to develop new fundraising ideas and event formats.</li>
<li>Familiarity with issues related to land use, housing, transportation, equity, climate, and community development.</li>
<li>Significant experience in building and maintaining relationships with funders, donors, sponsors, and stakeholders.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Compensation</h3>
The salary range for this position is $70,000-$85,000, depending on the level of applicable experience.
SGA has an entrepreneurial and innovative workplace culture where employees work collaboratively to achieve the mission with a focus on equity. SGA offers a generous employee benefits package featuring a fully paid medical plan, optional dental and vision coverage, 401k with a strong company contribution, company-paid life and disability insurance, three weeks’ vacation in the first year, and 11 paid holidays.
<h3>Office Schedule &amp; COVID Protocols</h3>
This position is based in Washington, DC, and operates on a hybrid work schedule. SGA staff work in the office at 1350 Eye Street NW, Tuesday through Thursday, while generally working remotely in the DC area the rest of the week.
SGA requires employees to be vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19.
<h3>Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility</h3>
SGA is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. Smart Growth America is committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourages applications from candidates of color. Employment and promotional opportunities are based on individual capabilities and qualifications without regard to race, color, religion, gender, pregnancy, sexual orientation/preference, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic as established under law.
<h3>How to Apply</h3>
Please send a cover letter and resume to <a href="mailto:jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org">jobs@smartgrowthamerica.org</a> with “ATTN: Events and Development Senior Manager Application” in the subject line. In your cover letter, please indicate how you’ve learned of this opportunity. We look forward to hearing from candidates soon.

Now hiring

Now Hiring: Senior Manager, Events &#038; Development

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Smart Growth America (SGA), through its Complete Streets Leadership Academy, worked with Maryland’s Department of Transportation (MDOT) and State Highway Administration (SHA) to pilot quick-build demonstration projects on state-owned routes in Bel Air, Hagerstown, and Howard County. These three communities were asked to plan, design, and install quick-build projects at specific locations to improve safety and accessibility for people walking and biking.
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After a successful <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/complete-streets-leadership-academies-report/">2023 Complete Streets Leadership Academy</a> featuring Alaska, California, Connecticut, and Tennessee, Smart Growth America has brought similar safety demonstration programming to the state of Maryland. The Maryland Complete Streets Leadership Academy builds on SGA’s experience working with state DOTs and local jurisdictions to install quick-build demonstration projects on state-owned routes. Howard County&#8217;s Complete Streets policy was ranked number one in our <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/best-complete-streets/">2023 Best Complete Streets Policy Report</a>, and the Academy was a great opportunity to build the momentum for continued safety improvements for all road users on Maryland&#8217;s streets. SGA, MDOT, SHA, and Stantec came together this summer to support a team of engineers, planners, and safety experts to create and implement safety projects in Bel Air, Hagerstown, and Howard County.
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;] Quick-build demonstration projects are temporary installations to test roadway configurations that can improve safety and access for everyone, particularly people walking, biking, and rolling. These short-term measures can provide immediate improvements while also testing design strategies to determine the most effective long-term improvements. They are also a great opportunity to engage community members in the process of making streets safer for everyone by collaborating on design and incorporating feedback into future permanent installations. <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/program/national-complete-streets-coalition/quick-build-demonstration-projects/">Learn more about quick builds! &gt;&gt;</a>[/alert]
A common barrier to quick-build projects is being able to get permission to install safety projects on a road not owned by the local jurisdiction. But state-owned routes are among the <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/dangerous-by-design/">most dangerous roadways</a> for people walking, biking, and rolling, making them ideal candidates for quick-build projects. Close collaboration between state DOTs and local jurisdictions from the beginning provides an opportunity to identify and then develop strategies to mitigate barriers to collaboration. SGA has seen much success with projects from former its Complete Streets Leadership Academy, such as with this <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/dot/documents/dpolicy/quick-build---complete-streets-june-2024.pdf">new guidance from CTDOT.</a>
Recently, SGA led a walk audit at the quick-build demonstration project that was recently installed in North Laurel, Howard County. The project replaced the rightmost lane on US 1 with a multi-use path for people to walk and bike, marked by flex posts and paint to delineate the new use of the space. People walking this route previously had to use the grass or the shoulder, as there is no sidewalk, and people biking had to hug the curb or brave the speeding vehicular traffic. Despite the unsafe conditions, people depend on this route to get to and from their work. With this project in place, there is room for people outside of cars to get where they need along US 1. At the walk audit, CSLA participants all felt the tangible improvements made by this project, shared the lessons learned in installation, and discussed how future long-term changes could improve upon this demonstration project.
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In addition to the immediate safety benefits to people in these three communities, the Maryland CSLA program is being conducted with long-term change in mind. Bel Air, Hagerstown, and Howard County were chosen in part because they are each located in a different SHA District. By running this pilot in three different districts, MDOT can take lessons learned from the Academy to develop a permanent program for quick-build projects in all Districts across the state. This work is part of Maryland’s larger state-wide <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.mdot.maryland.gov/tso/pages/Index.aspx?PageId=207">Model Complete Streets Initiative</a>. Learn more from the <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://mdot-csla-resources-maryland.hub.arcgis.com/">Maryland Complete Streets Leadership Academy Hub</a> and stay tuned for a larger report from SGA once the communities have installed the quick-build demonstrations and engage the community about the proposed changes
<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-86053 alignnone" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC06386-214x300.jpg" alt=" width="289" height="405" /> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-86051 alignnone" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC06432-300x214.jpg" alt=" width="566" height="403" />
&nbsp;

quick-build projects

Making Maryland Safer: Protecting all road users with Complete Streets

Press-Release

On Sunday, August 18, and Saturday, August 31, Atlanta artists Emma Chammah and Eddie Farr will host interactive workshops exploring the need for an improved public transportation network in Atlanta. During the free workshops, all are invited to engage with the artists’ project, Traffic Cams, which creates a real-time augmented reality experience to show what Atlanta could look like with expanded transportation options. The project is supported by Smart Growth America’s <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/call-for-ideas-healing-our-highways-through-creativity-community-and-culture-applications-open/">Healing Our Highways grant program</a>.
Traffic Cams uses OpenCV, Georgia DOT traffic camera footage, and custom software written by artist Eddie Farr to visualize the amount of space wasted by the status quo approach to transportation, which emphasizes driving at the expense of other modes of travel.
What: Traffic Cams public workshop, a project aiming to envision a healthier and safer transportation environment in Atlanta.* 
Who: Led by Atlanta artists Emma Chammah and Eddie Farr; 
When and where: Sunday, August 18 at Atlanta Streets Alive (btwn 12th and 13th Street); and Saturday, August 31 at the Hapeville Depot Museum
*These workshops are free and open to the public.
“Dude,” said artist Eddie Farr, “what if we took street cams and made them show us the future we want?”
“We are inspired by this opportunity to use our minds and skills as artists to bring people together to talk about the future,” said artist Emma Chammah. “In both my practice and Eddie’s, you will see work that talks about issues we need to address as a society, or imaginations of a future where we are more inclusive and caring.”
“Smart Growth America is proud to support Traffic Cams, yet another strong example of how artists and cultural workers can inspire communities to rethink our greatest challenges,” said Marian Liou, Director of Arts &amp; Culture at Smart Growth America and local Atlantan. “Emma and Eddie’s project reframes our assumptions about our harmful transportation system and sparks collective change toward a better one.&#8221;

Media alert: Local artists invite Atlantans to envision more ways to travel at free, public workshops

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This July, SGA hosted the Smart Growth Network (SGN), a national coalition of smart growth-oriented organizations,  in its offices for the coalition’s Summer 2024 Quarterly Discussion. The discussion focused on extreme heat, which has been especially prevalent globally in recent years, and the role that smart growth, urban forests, and community organizing can play in addressing inequities in how extreme heat is felt by communities. The convening was closed with a discussion and sharing of resources regarding ongoing heat-related resilience efforts by SGN partners.
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The Smart Growth Network, formed in 1996, brings together public, non-profit, and private organizations working to advance smart growth to support healthy, prosperous, and resilient communities across the U.S. The Network provides opportunities for partners to share resources and information with other like-minded organizations and for collaboration in supporting and leading the smart growth movement.
The Network’s Quarterly Discussions provide one such space. This most recent Quarterly Discussion, hosted by SGA and organized together with the EPA Office of Community Revitalization, was centered on resilience to extreme heat and how smart growth can contribute to these efforts.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Extreme Heat &amp; Smart Growth with the Smart Growth Network" width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1SSGKENwzfk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<h3>Discussion Themes, Highlights, &amp; Takeaways</h3>
The discussion was kicked off with remarks from Joel Scheraga, Senior Advisor for Climate Adaptation from the EPA, and Danielle Arigoni, and SGA Board Member and Managing Director for Policy &amp; Solutions at the National Housing Trust. Both highlighted the dangers that extreme heat poses, especially to specific communities, like the elderly. They also discussed many of the recent steps that have been taken to address extreme heat at the federal level, including, for example, the establishment of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/aboutepa/about-office-policy-op">EPA’s Office of Climate Adaptation and Sustainability</a>, which provides technical assistance to communities to boost climate resilience.
These remarks were followed by a panel of experts on extreme heat: Dexter Locke, from the USDA Forest Service; Joshua Simon, from American Forests; and Shana Udvardy, from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Moderated by Katharine Burgess, SGA’s Vice President of Land Use &amp; Development, the panel began with a discussion clearly linking the extreme heat we’re seeing more often to the effects of climate change. More importantly, much of the panel focused on the role urban forests, green spaces, and tree canopy can play in alleviating the effects of extreme heat, as well as how the inequities in how these resources are distributed make already underserved communities feel the heat even more. Formerly redlined areas, where many communities of color are still concentrated today, tend to have a greatly reduced tree canopy and much higher temperatures. However, because most trees are located on private property, it’s difficult to organize a cohesive, community-wide tree canopy policy or program. Although support for urban trees exists from federal sources like the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and other Inflation Reduction Act programs, much more funding is necessary to address extreme heat.
<h3>Extreme Heat Resources</h3>
The Quarterly Discussion concluded with breakout groups that allowed SGN partners to discuss their extreme heat-related work and to share resources and opportunities for collaboration. These resources are listed below:
<ul>
<li>NOAA provides a <a href="https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/heatrisk/">HeatRisk forecast</a> through the National Weather Service; leads the <a href="https://www.heat.gov/">National Integrated Heat Health Information System</a>, which developed a <a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Heat-Governance-Maturity-Model.pdf">Maturity Model for Heat Governance;</a> and manages the Climate Adaptation Partnerships Program which has a portfolio of <a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/divisions-programs/climate-and-societal-interactions/cap-risa/co-creating-community-solutions-to-compound-and-complex-extreme-heat-impacts-across-the-u-s/">extreme heat work</a> including a <a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="https://www.ncdps.gov/news/press-releases/2024/04/22/new-state-heat-resilience-toolkit-offers-solutions-reduce-heat-related-health-problems">heat resilience toolkit</a> in North Carolina.</li>
<li>Skalen, an organization using geospatial data analysis to support climate resilience, will soon be releasing a report on the social and community impacts of extreme heat in New York City.</li>
<li>The Urban Land Institute has <a href="https://developingresilience.uli.org/">a clearinghouse</a> for urban climate resilience strategies and has released <a href="https://developingresilience.uli.org/themes/extreme-heat/">a report on extreme heat and land use</a>. 
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy participates in the <a href="https://smartsurfacescoalition.org/smart-surfaces">Smart Surfaces Coalition</a> and has published <a href="https://www.aceee.org/blog-post/2024/07/smart-surfaces-are-reducing-heat-many-disadvantaged-communities-are-being-left">an article</a> highlighting how smart surfaces can boost urban climate resilience.</li>
<li>The American Public Health Association’s <a href="https://apha.org/topics-and-issues/climate-health-and-equity/smart-surfaces">Cities for Smart Surfaces Project</a>, developed with the Smart Surfaces Coalition, works to explore how smart surfaces can help mitigate the health effects of climate change on communities. They also have an <a href="https://apha.org/topics-and-issues/climate-health-and-equity/extreme-heat">Extreme Heat Resource Hub</a>.</li>
<li>The EPA’s <a href="https://www.epa.gov/arc-x">Climate Change Adaptation Resource Center</a> provides resources to local governments to help them prepare for the impacts of climate change in their communities.</li>
<li>The EPA also manages the <a href="https://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/environmental-justice-thriving-communities-technical-assistance-centers">Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers Program</a> to help communities navigate grant applications, create and maintain communication channels, and boost community engagement. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/local-foods-local-places">The Local Foods, Local Places</a> also supports urban green spaces and community gardens.</li>
<li>USDOT’s <a href="https://www.transportation.gov/rural/grant-toolkit/promoting-resilient-operations-transformative-efficient-and-cost-saving">PROTECT Grant</a>, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which supports efforts to make surface transportation infrastructure more resilient to the effects of climate change.</li>
<li>The Maryland Department of Planning is hosting the Sustainable Growth Webinar Series, which will include a webinar on August 20 focusing on extreme heat.</li>
<li>The federal government’s <a href="https://planning.maryland.gov/Pages/OurEngagement/Webinars/planning-webinars.aspx">Subcommittee on Climate Services</a>, which focuses on topics relevant to the Network.</li>
</ul>

Extreme Heat &#038; Smart Growth with the Smart Growth Network

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Innovative research from Smart Growth America and the Lincoln Institute reveals the potential for public lands to transform the financial health of urban municipalities. Using Richmond, Virginia, as a case study, the findings outline a clear plan for developing public lands to harness their potential for the greater good.
<figure id="attachment_86014" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-86014" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-86014 size-large" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/A_downtown_view_of_Richmond_VA-1024x658.jpg" alt=" width="1024" height="658" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-86014" class="wp-caption-text">Photo Courtesy of Bruce Emmerling via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_downtown_view_of_Richmond,_VA.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></figcaption></figure>
<div style="background-color: #f7f3f3; width: 250px; padding: 10px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 20px; float: right; text-align: left;"><a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lincoln-Munincipal-Finance-Summary_8.7.24.pdf"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone wp-image-78038 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lincoln-Institute-Cover.png" alt="click here on report cover to read the report PDF" width="1258" height="838" /></a> 
<a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Lincoln-Munincipal-Finance-Summary_8.7.24.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Read our two-page summary</a></div>
Public lands in urban areas can make up substantial parts of a city and hold significant economic value. In a new paper, SGA Director of Research Michael Rodriguez demonstrates how developing these public parcels could greatly benefit municipalities. By using a variety of methods, including an inventory of public assets, statistical analysis, and advanced machine learning techniques, the analysis of Richmond, Virginia, reveals that a surprising portion of land is undeveloped and underutilized.
The research demonstrates the untapped fiscal potential of urban public lands. In Richmond, the analysis finds that developing these lands could raise property values by approximately $530 million, increase tax revenue by $6 million annually, and have additional positive effects on nearby private properties.
Overall, the report highlights the importance of public lands in city planning and provides valuable insights for policymakers on how public assets can be leveraged to harness the potential of public assets for the greater good, revitalize cities, and improve fiscal stability. It suggests that careful and strategic development of these lands can bring in much-needed revenue while ensuring sustainable and fair use of urban spaces.
This study is especially useful for cities facing financial challenges and demonstrates how public lands can be a key resource for urban renewal and economic growth.
[button type=&#8221;info&#8221; block=&#8221;true&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;https://www.lincolninst.edu/publications/working-papers/advancing-connection-between-public-lands-and-municipal-finance/&#8221;]You can read the full working paper here [/button]

Lincoln Institute

SGA research

Urban Development

New paper: Unlocking the potential of public lands in Richmond, Virginia

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In this year’s <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/dangerous-by-design/">Dangerous by Design</a> report, Florida was ranked as the second most deadly state for people walking. From 2018-2022, Florida saw an average of 3,705 deaths on their roadways, with a fatality rate of 3.43 (well above the national average of 2.26). Additionally, we found that eight of the twenty most deadliest metro areas for pedestrians are in Florida.
The state of Florida continues to see an increase in pedestrian fatalities year after year. Our new video, “Walking in one of the deadliest states in America,” features residents, advocates, and experts who speak to how cities like Orlando are trending in the wrong direction when it comes to prioritizing pedestrian safety. The people in this video are just some of the countless individuals who have been impacted by traffic violence. State and local leaders need to do more to create and implement policies that protect all road users.
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Walking in one of the deadliest states in America" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4tJotk_oHu0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;] Florida streets are dangerous by design, but there are interventions that state leaders can implement to change that. Staff at the city of Orlando are working to address the ongoing issue of traffic violence in their area. Learn more about the steps they&#8217;ve taken and how they hope to continue to make progress in Orlando<a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/champion-spotlight-orlando-florida/"> in this case study &gt;&gt;</a> [/alert]

Dangerous by Design 2024

New video: Walking in one of the deadliest states in America

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Smart Growth America (SGA) is pleased to announce the return of the Form-Based Codes Award, now in its 17th year. As a program of SGA, the <a href="https://formbasedcodes.org/">Form-Based Codes Institute</a> has supported the FBC Award program to recognize exemplary form-based codes that advance the practice of form-based zoning for equitable development, people-oriented communities, and predictable development results. SGA would like to acknowledge the generosity of the Amazon Housing Equity Fund and the Barr Foundation in supporting this year’s FBC Award.
<figure id="attachment_86019" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-86019" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-86019 size-large" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-07-at-2.03.36 PM-1024x684.png" alt=" width="1024" height="684" srcset="https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-07-at-2.03.36 PM-1024x684.png 1024w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-07-at-2.03.36 PM-300x200.png 300w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-07-at-2.03.36 PM-768x513.png 768w, https://sgavpbcms.3lanemarketing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Screenshot-2024-08-07-at-2.03.36 PM.png 1282w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-86019" class="wp-caption-text">No. 6 Scratch Kitchen in South Bend, IN, a restaurant and apartment project reusing a former fire station that made possible by the zoning ordinance’s permitted mix of uses and lack of parking mandates.</figcaption></figure>
<h3>2024 Form-Based Code Award submission now live</h3>
Form-based codes create a predictable, high-quality public realm by using physical form, rather than separation of uses, as the primary organizing principle. Form-based codes address the relationship between building facades and the public realm, the form and mass of buildings in relation to one another, and the scale and types of streets and blocks. Form-based codes focus on predictability, the form of buildings, and creating people-scale buildings and communities, creating a regulatory tool that gives development unity, efficient organization, social vitality, and walkability to our cities, towns, and neighborhoods.
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;] <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-FBC-Award-Fillable-Entry-Form.pdf">Submit a code for an award!</a> [/alert]
Each year, the jury of experts—code writers, urban designers, code administrators, and developers—evaluate the applications against the form-based codes <a href="https://formbasedcodes.org/standards-of-practice/">Standards of Practice,</a> and this year, the jury will have the ability to recognize equitable elements of code submissions. Winning codes demonstrate the successful application of these standards across various contexts. This year’s FBC Award is particularly exciting because, while form-based codes are inherently equitable, this year&#8217;s award emphasizes a deeper exploration of equitable development and equitable FBCs by focusing on those that explicitly highlight and prioritize equity in the code documents, as well as expectations for equitable development that occurs from following the FBC.
The 2024 Form-Based Codes Award winner will be announced at the end of October, and the announcement will be followed by a webinar that will feature representatives from the winning entry who will speak about the winning codes and their impact on the communities where they were adopted.
Both newly-adopted and established codes showing positive built results are eligible. SGA encourages code applications that have been adopted for disinvested neighborhoods or communities of color, or that have been drafted by minority professionals. You can find a complete list of criteria that the jury will consider in the entry form and instructions PDF.
<a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-FBC-Award-Fillable-Entry-Form.pdf">[button type=&#8221;info&#8221; block=&#8221;true&#8221; size=&#8221;lg&#8221; link=&#8221;https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2024-FBC-Award-Fillable-Entry-Form.pdf&#8221;] Click here for the entry form and instructions. [/button]</a>
Submissions to SGA must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 11, 2024. If you have questions, concerns, or thoughts please contact Jamie Zouras, Senior Program Manager, SGA<a href="mailto:jzouras@smartgrowthamerica.org"> jzouras@smartgrowthamerica.org</a>, subject: FBC Award Questions.
Please note: codes that have been written, or worked on in any capacity, by members of the Form-Based Codes Award jury or their organization are ineligible for consideration during the time of that juror&#8217;s service.

Awards

The Form-Based Codes Award

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This case study was written as part of our Dangerous by Design Technical Assistance program. This initiative brought together champions from across the country to advance street safety efforts through data collection and storytelling. This study was written by Laura Hardwicke, Safe Mobility Manager at the City of Orlando.
<figure id="attachment_85997" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-85997" style="width: 1023px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-85997 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/26372830082_65b55c5d51_b.jpg" alt="Pedestrians wait to cross the street in downtown Orlando" width="1023" height="661" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-85997" class="wp-caption-text">Downtown Orlando, Florida <a href="https://flic.kr/p/GbtDyW">(Flickr)</a></figcaption></figure>
Central Florida has an average of 1,500 residents moving to the region per week, that number is <a href="https://orlando.org/l/2030-report/">more than double the rate of growth in the United States</a>. There is an urgent need to create a safe, active, and accessible transportation network across all travel modes for residents and visitors alike.
<h3>Background</h3>
Orlando is home to 316,081 residents, making it the fourth-largest city in Florida, welcoming over 60 million visitors to our area every year. Located in central Florida, the City of Orlando is a vibrant and diverse city known for its enchanting theme parks, cultural richness, and thriving economy. Orlando ranks high for many great lists—<a href="https://wallethub.com/edu/best-cities-to-start-a-business/2281">best largest city to start a business</a> and <a href="https://realestate.usnews.com/places/rankings/best-places-to-live">best places to live in the US</a>. However, the city also ranks high on Smart Growth America’s <a href="http://smartgrowthamerica.org/dangerous-by-design">most dangerous metro areas for people walking</a>.
Recently dropping from #1 to #8 most deadly metro for people walking, Orlando is beginning to see tangible results from its Vision Zero safety efforts, but the city wants to do more to change its direction.
Under the leadership of Mayor Buddy Dyer, the city <a href="https://www.orlando.gov/files/sharedassets/public/initiatives/vision-zero/signed-resolution-2017.pdf">adopted a resolution</a> committing to Vision Zero with a goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2040.
<h3>Taking action</h3>
The <a href="https://www.orlando.gov/Initiatives/Vision-Zero">Vision Zero Orlando Action Plan</a> identified the city’s High Injury Network (HIN) using a risk-based analysis for crashes that occurred from 2013-2017. An updated draft HIN is underway. Both HIN, using data periods ending in 2017 and 2022, feature Orange Avenue as a heightened safety risk, from State Road 50 (aka Colonial Drive) through Downtown Orlando to South Street.
Despite the low posted speed limit, frequent signalized crossings, and major pedestrian generators and transit along Orange Avenue, the corridor still presents a high risk for people walking. As part of the Downtown Orlando Master Plan 2.0, the city’s ultimate goal is to convert the street to a two-way street. This will increase friction for vehicles, creating a traffic calming effect. The added connectivity should improve business access throughout, and increase walkability. However, design and construction for such a project will take years.
In the meantime, the city launched its <a href="https://orlando.gov/quickbuild">Quick Build Guide</a> to deliver transportation safety projects today while still planning the infrastructure of tomorrow. The city selected <a href="https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/news/2024/03/13/asphalt-mural-ads-art--safety-to-downtown-orlando">key intersections along Orange Avenue for asphalt art projects</a>—intersection murals, painted curb extensions, and artistic crosswalks. The goal was to increase drivers stopping for people in the crosswalk, and increase pedestrian compliance with walk signals. The city conducted a before and after study to measure the impacts of these projects on pedestrian safety, evaluating the impact of asphalt art on vehicle speeds, crashes, pedestrian-vehicle conflicts, and pedestrian behaviors.

Champion Spotlight: Orlando, Florida

Brattleboro-Main-Street-Flickr-photo

One major misconception we encounter in our work is that smart growth principles like Complete Streets, public transit, and mixed-use development are just for big cities and don’t apply to small towns. But over the years, we’ve seen countless examples of <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/rural-roadmap/">rural places that used these strategies to great benefit</a>. I recently traveled to such a place–Brattleboro, Vermont.
<figure id="attachment_85977" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-85977" style="width: 1600px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-85977 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Brattleboro-Main-Street-Flickr-photo.jpg" alt="A cyclist travels down Brattleboro's tree-lined main street, near businesses." width="1600" height="1200" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-85977" class="wp-caption-text">Brattleboro, Vermont <a href="https://flic.kr/p/9fznMU">(J. Stephen Conn, Flickr)</a></figcaption></figure>
Brattleboro is a town of around 12,000 people in southern Vermont, near the borders of Connecticut and New Hampshire. Although the town is small in terms of geography and population, during my short visit, I saw many smart growth strategies that other towns and rural areas could try. The result of these policies and features make Brattleboro a great place for residents and visitors alike. In fact, our friends at Strong Towns named Brattleboro <a href="https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2023/7/19/lessons-from-this-years-strongest-town-brattleboro-vermont">the ‘Strongest Town’ of the year in 2023</a>.
[alert type=&#8221;info&#8221;]Brattleboro’s success may be due in part to a unique and impactful state incentive program. Since 1999, the State of Vermont has created and grown a set of programs to revitalize Vermont’s downtowns and to protect its historic settlement pattern of compact centers and rural landscapes. Collectively, the <a href="https://accd.vermont.gov/community-development/designation-programs">Designation Programs</a> guide development and investment priorities for revitalization by offering benefits like tax credits, grant funding, and easier permitting for housing in designated areas to municipalities and property owners. In turn, those benefits fund and fuel revitalization, growth, livability, infrastructure, and other essential work. Recently, <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/designation-2050-the-case-for-updating-vermonts-designation-program/">SGA worked with the State of Vermont to evaluate and improve the programs</a>, resulting in recommendations to fuel a new wave of community-driven and place-based investment, revitalization, and smart growth.[/alert]
Often, we come across a misconception that smart growth is for urban places, not rural ones. But Brattleboro&#8217;s success shows that this is just one of many myths about small towns in America that need to be laid to rest. Here are a few other small town myths that Brattleboro defies.
<h3>Myth: Is everyone always driving in rural America?</h3>
Because of high car dependence in rural areas, there’s an assumption that cars should be prioritized and towns shouldn’t worry about pedestrians. However, Brattleboro’s Main Street and other principal streets have multiple features that make them safe and pedestrian-friendly, resulting in the town avoiding any pedestrian fatalities for over a decade.
The speed limit of 25 miles per hour on streets and relatively narrow road designs mean that cars are not zooming through at high speeds. Numerous shops, cafes, restaurants, parks, and seating areas built in close proximity to one another encourage people to stroll, window-shop, and run errands without using a car. On an average day, one sees a mix of people out walking and moving about Brattleboro in a safe and comfortable way.
<figure id="attachment_85978" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-85978" style="width: 1024px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-85978 size-large" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Brattleboro-Vermont-small-towns-and-smart-growth-intersection-1024x768.jpg" alt="Pedestrians walk across a four-way intersection that includes diagonal crosswalks" width="1024" height="768" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-85978" class="wp-caption-text">Pedestrians cross an intersection diagonally while traffic is stopped in all directions.</figcaption></figure>
Other pedestrian-friendly features include signalized <a href="https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2018/11/27/a-pedestrian-scramble-can-make-an-intersection-safer">pedestrian scramble intersections</a>. This means that pedestrians can cross in any direction they choose at an intersection (straight, left, right, diagonal, zig-zag). When the pedestrian sign comes on, an audible message announces “Walk sign is on for all crossings.” Cars are stopped in all directions and cannot turn right on red. Rather than having to watch for cars coming from different directions, pedestrians can cross in peace.
<h3>Myth: Can passenger rail and train stations support small towns?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_85979" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-85979" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-85979" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Amtrak-in-Brattleboro-Vermont-small-towns-and-smart-growth-300x201.png" alt="An Amtrak train pulls into the station in Brattleboro" width="300" height="201" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-85979" class="wp-caption-text">Current Brattleboro station <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26862404">(Wikimedia Commons)</a></figcaption></figure>
One of the main reasons my partner and I chose to travel to Brattleboro in the first place was that we could get there by train. From Washington D.C., we rode <a href="https://www.amtrak.com/vermonter-train">the Vermonter</a> which also serves many towns and cities along the way, including Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York. What’s more, the Brattleboro train station is right in the center of town, just 300 feet from Main Street with the town’s food co-op, numerous restaurants, and stores within a few minutes walk.
But trains aren’t just a nice way for tourists to get around, they also connect people to jobs, family, and other important destinations. For towns, they can attract visitors, customers, and future residents seeking to reduce their car dependance.
Train travel in Brattleboro will soon get even better. Thanks to funding from the 2021 infrastructure law (the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or IIJA), the town recently began construction of <a href="https://www.commonsnews.org/issue/747/747new_train_station">a new station</a> with an ADA accessible high-level platform, waiting area, bike shelter, electric vehicle chargers, and restrooms.
<h3>Myth: Is transit feasible in rural places?</h3>
<figure id="attachment_85981" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-85981" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-medium wp-image-85981" src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/MOOver-in-Brattleboro-Vermont-small-towns-and-smart-growth-public-transit-300x225.png" alt="Passengers ride in style on this MOOver bus decked out in black and white cow print" width="300" height="225" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-85981" class="wp-caption-text">MOOver bus at the Brattleboro Transportation Center.</figcaption></figure>
Brattleboro has a public transit system called <a href="https://www.moover.com/">the MOOver</a> which offers both fixed-route service and door-to-door transportation for riders over sixty and people with disabilities. And yes, of course the buses are painted black or red and white in Holstein cow patterns. And that’s not the only cool thing about the MOOver. <a href="https://www.moover.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/SEVT-2023-Annual-Report.pdf">Through a combination of federal, state, and local funding</a>, the MOOver is also completely free to ride!
<h3>Myth: Is it possible to manage parking in small towns?</h3>
Brattleboro requires payment for all on-street parking (2 hour limit) and the handful of lots around the town. These policies mean that Brattleboro is making efficient use of its space, generating funds for other uses, and not giving away valuable (and limited) downtown real estate for empty parking spaces. Recently, Brattleboro doubled down on their parking management, with <a href="https://www.commonsnews.org/issue/771/771parking_hikes">the town’s selectboard voting to raise rates</a> for parking and to charge for parking on Sunday (which was previously free).
<h3>Myth: Can small towns help combat the housing crisis?</h3>
Though this is a smart growth area I didn’t experience firsthand, Vermont currently has a crisis of housing access and affordability. <a href="https://vtdigger.org/2024/05/31/vermont-home-prices-spiked-more-than-any-other-state-last-year-while-sales-slowed-down/">Vermont home prices spiked more than any other state in 2023</a>, and the number of houses sold in the state declined to the lowest level since 2012. This means that houses are both hard to find and increasingly expensive in Vermont.
However, Brattleboro is one place that is working to <a href="https://www.commonsnews.org/issue/723/sboard_landuse">reduce housing barriers and create more options for affordable housing</a>. This includes numerous smart growth principles like increasing density creating a &#8220;missing middle housing&#8221; district. These strategies, which build on a supportive policy context that Smart Growth America helped promote including <a href="https://www.reformer.com/news/state/a-revised-h-687-remains-on-gov-scott-s-desk-will-he-veto/article_4ad70970-16cb-11ef-b2fd-afdcff230c15.html">recent bills S100 and S687</a>, can help Brattleboro and other small towns meet housing needs of the current population and attract new residents who want to relocate there.
<h3>What does it all mean?</h3>
Misconceptions about small towns hide what&#8217;s possible and do a disservice to all the innovative rural communities that are finding new ways to improve the quality of life for their residents. Brattleboro is a great illustration of how smart growth principles can and should be applied to towns and rural areas across the country. You can find even more examples of how smart growth helps advance rural development in our past report, <a href="https://sga-vpb-frontend.vercel.app/rural-roadmap/">An Active Roadmap: Best Practices for Rural Mobility.</a>

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