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Archive for the ‘Smart Growth’ Category

Five Years of Learning From Communities and Coordinating Federal Investments

Thursday, August 14th, 2014
Figure 1: Many Americans prefer to live in more convenient, walkable neighborhoods. Source: National Association of Realtors 2013.

PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES
Many of our communities and housing options, built for a different time, are not what Americans want today. Research from the real estate industry shows that more people want to live in more convenient, walkable neighborhoods (Figure 1). A National Association of Realtors survey showed that half of Americans prefer a neighborhood with a variety of housing types, including multifamily and single-family homes; shops, restaurants, and amenities within walking distance; and nearby public transportation over a neighborhood with only single-family homes and few transportation options besides driving. Walkable communities are particularly important to millennials, who make up the largest percentage of the U.S. population; one research firm estimates that about 70 percent of them see walkability as “important” or “vital” when choosing a home.

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The Effect of Smart Growth Policies on Travel Demand

Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014
Table 1. Summary of Background Research Assessment

STRATEGIC HIGHWAY RESEARCH PROGRAM
TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD
While the transportation-land use connection and the impact of various smart growth strategies on travel demand are well-documented, practical guidance and tools for interpreting these insights to make them useful at key project decision points have been lacking. The objective of SHRP 2 Capacity project C16 was to provide transportation planning agencies with improved tools and methods for more accurately and comprehensively integrating transportation investment decision-making with land development and growth management.

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Baltimore, MD: Building Resilience Through Immigration

Thursday, July 10th, 2014

Two years ago, the city of Baltimore, in a bid to reverse population decline, announced a plan to draw 10,000 people to the city. One of the key demographics would be immigrants. Here, we look at why immigration is well-suited to helping a city bounce back from the shock of depopulation.

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Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros

Friday, June 20th, 2014
U.S. Metropolitan Land Use Options

SMART GROWTH AMERICA

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Streetfilms: Charles Montgomery Discusses “Happy City” with Mark Gorton

Tuesday, June 17th, 2014

Mark Gorton interviews award-winning journalist Charles Montgomery about his fantastic new book “Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Thru Urban Design,” which delves in to the hard-to-measure metric of happiness and how the built environment of the place we live directly affects us.

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Why Creating & Preserving Affordable Homes Near Transit is a Highly Effective Climate Protection Strategy

Thursday, June 5th, 2014
FIGURE 1. Household VMT per Day

TRANSFORM
CALIFORNIA HOUSING PARTNERSHIP CORPORATION
A new analysis of data from Caltrans’ California Household Travel Survey (CHTS) completed in February 2013 shows that a well-designed program to put more affordable homes near transit would not just meet the requirements set by the California Air Resources Board (ARB), but would be a powerful and durable GHG reduction strategy – directly reducing driving while creating a host of economic and social benefits.

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Solar Freakin’ Roadways!

Tuesday, May 27th, 2014

It’s the roadway of the future! Feel inspired? Help us bring this project to the next step: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/so…

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Dangerous By Design 2014

Tuesday, May 20th, 2014
FIGURE 1 U.S. pedestrian fatalities, 2003–2012

SMART GROWTH AMERICA
American communities are poised for a renaissance in walking. We’re walking more often, for fun and to get to places in our neighborhood. We turn to WalkScore.com when figuring out where to live and our most walkable places often are among the most economically vibrant in the country. Hundreds of cities have adopted Complete Streets policies to ensure walking is at the forefront of our decisions regarding street design. Public health organizations from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the Office of the Surgeon General to the local doctor’s office are encouraging us to get out for a walk for physical activity and to combat chronic disease. And indeed, we are walking: six out of 10 people walk for physical activity, and the share of adults who said they walk for transportation grew 6 percent from 2005 to 2010, according to the most recent data available. But we are still dealing with a legacy of roadways that fail to account for the safety of people on foot.

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The End of the Road? The Looming Fiscal Disaster for Transportation

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014
Table 1: Federal dollars as a percentage of state (capital) transportation budgets (2001-2012)

SMART GROWTH AMERICA
Unless Congress adds new revenue to the trust fund, the federal government will be unable to commit to funding new projects, depriving states and localities of resources critical to maintaining and improving the infrastructure that makes our economy possible. At the same time, Congress has an opportunity to reform and reinvigorate one of our most important infrastructure programs in order to boost today’s economy and ensure future prosperity. The federal law that sets national transportation policy and investment levels — known as MAP-21 — expires on October 1, 2014. As Congress reconsiders this vital program, business and elected leaders across the country are calling on their representatives not only to save the transportation trust fund, but also to refocus federal transportation policy on locally-driven, innovative transportation solutions.

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April 25th, NYC: Attend the 2014 RPA Assembly

Thursday, April 17th, 2014
RPA-Assembly-Ad-728x90

Join us on April 25 for the RPA Assembly, the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region’s premier regional affairs conference, with a morning keynote address to be delivered by U.S. Senator Chris Murphy. During the daylong conference, RPA will be presenting new research from the next regional plan and listening to your big ideas for the region. Panels discussions include: reforming public agencies; creating more livable streets; improving climate resiliency; addressing the affordable housing shortage; and more.

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