News

SGA Monthly Coalition Call, 1/27/2011, 4:00PM EST

ATTENDANCE

• Adam Snyder – Conservation Alabama Foundation
• Kevin Doyle – Livable Communities Coalition
• Eric Stachon, Mary Kyle McCurdy – 1000 Friends of OR
• Adam Garcia – Greenbelt Alliance
• Lacey Strohschein – Center for Planning Excellence
• Samantha DeKoven – Metropolitan Planning Council
• Andrew Austin – Transportation Choices Coalition
• Andre Leroux – Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance
• Will Schroeer, Geoff Anderson, Ilana Preuss, Roger Millar, Rayla Bellis, Stacey Williams – SGA

STIMULUS REPORT UPDATE (Ilana Preuss)

• Will Schroeer and other SGA staff have been compiling ARRA STP funding reports
• Analysis of job creation benefits of infrastructure maintenance/repair vs. transit spending vs. new construction
• When it comes to job creation, transit > repair > new construction
• We want to jump on the SOTU infrastructure message by rolling out this report earlier than originally planned.  Initially set for 2/7, we are moving up the Newsweek exclusive to early next week (Tues or Weds)
• Rollout plan was emailed—includes info on our transportation poll
• Local/state releases will happen after Newsweek
• 5 states were targeted and there is additional polling info there, otherwise national polling data
• We can provide PR templates, press lists, additional support

POLLING DEBRIEFING (Ilana Preuss)

• Ford Foundation grant to support SCP and messaging with Collective Strength (Robin Rather)
• What messages are bipartisan and not community-specific?
• Message training will follow and will be a topic at New Partners, Saturday afternoon
• Key takeaways:
  • MUST DEFINE what is a sustainable community—people don’t know what it means in a vacuum but overwhelmingly support it when explained
  • ALL our messaging must continually link smart growth to job growth and the economy
  • Unifying message: spend what resources we do have MORE EFFECTIVELY
  • Big uptick in the number of prospective homebuyers who will trade square feet for walkability and consider walkability a criterion in home purchase
• Poll outlines which economic, transportation, and environmental messages work best
• No “one answer” for smart growth—each community/region has its own take on which policies work best for their needs
• Question: when will this info be public?
  • Feel free to start using the messages today.  Please wait to use the data until we have a rollout plan with Robin—probably within the next 2 weeks
• Question: when will the full poll results with breakouts be available on the Coalition website?
  • A lot of the breakout data is available in the version sent today.  Ilana will discuss uploading complete information with Elisa.
• Question: how can we involve labor as a messenger?
  • Nationally, we have strong labor partners.  Your local situation may be different and based on political context

SMART GROWTH LEADERSHIP AWARD RECEPTION

Mark your calendars!  We will be having a special reception at New Partners to award the Smart Growth Leadership Award on February 2 at 7pm at the Gant Center in Charlotte.  For more information, contact Shelly Hazle.

COMMUNITY ART FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

National Endowment for the Arts just launched funding guidelines and will be having webinars about neighborhood/community art.  They have grants to give out, deadline 3/1.  Look to the NEA website or email Ilana/Elisa/Shelly for more info.

OTHER COALITION UPDATES?

• As always, you can send updates to the Coalition list
• Next coalition call will be Thursday, February 24 @ 4pm EST