Smart Growth America

Key affordable housing and climate resiliency measures passed in state, county, and local elections this year. Read about the housing initiatives voters came out to support in this blog by one of our interns, Samantha Carr ?? https://lnkd.in/dtNCiNMV

As the dust from this election cycle settles, it is more apparent than ever that communities are facing increasingly severe and compounding challenges. Economic inequities and the financial pressures tied to the needs of daily life are squeezing communities of every shape, size, and geographic location—and housing and transportation costs are clear contributors to these burdens. At Smart Growth America, we are proud to work closely with advocates, practitioners, community-based organizations, and elected officials across the country to build what the public is demanding—more housing in the right places and more affordable transportation options that connect people to the jobs and services community members need. We know there is a real concern about what’s next, and there are genuine feelings of uncertainty as we wait for the next administration and Congress to take office and enact their agenda. In the face of these concerns, Smart Growth America stands ready to do what we have done for more than 20 years: support communities, primarily in smaller cities and rural areas, convene our partners, and help elected and government officials implement policies that help their community members prosper and thrive, no matter where they call home. Check out these four examples of how smart growth can help create communities that are healthy, prosperous, and resilient ? https://lnkd.in/esEiNUPA Calvin Gladney, LEED AP Beth Osborne Katharine Burgess

Rural communities are often designed in ways that necessitate driving. For National Rural Health day today, we wanted to share our report, An Active Roadmap: Best Practices for Rural Mobility. Check it out: https://lnkd.in/gTtVPC7g The report describes how rural communities can thrive using increased opportunities to walk, bike, and use public transit, even as popular opinion continues to push these investments towards urban areas and away from rural places. We thank Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s #ActivePeople, Healthy Nation? Initiative for their support on this work.

In Ft. Pierce, Florida, the impacts of climate change go beyond specific incidences of property damage—they infuse uncertainty into the larger region’s economy and institutions. See how Ft. Pierce is building a future where resilience means both climate and economic security in our new video: https://lnkd.in/eEnMQ_JM As flooding risks grow, community members are calling for investment from local, state, and federal leaders. That, together with continued efforts by community-based organizations to?ensure residents have access to necessities like flood insurance, job opportunities, and pathways to entrepreneurship, can help everyone in the community thrive! Thanks to Ecodeo for support on this video!

We're working with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's #ActivePeople Healthy Nation Initiative to collect #CompleteStreets policies to review for our upcoming Best Complete Streets Policies report! The deadline is January 17, 2025. More information and how to submit a policy ? https://lnkd.in/gMggv-dN We're eager to celebrate the work of communities from across the country that are working to make their streets safer, healthier, and more equitable! Whether you have a finished policy or plan to adopt one, we want to hear from you!

Hear from experts, including our Director of Land Use and Development, Toccarra Nicole Thomas, AICP, MBA, on emerging approaches to zoning and how to reduce barriers to creating new homes and businesses. Register to join tonight at 7 p.m EST! ?? https://lnkd.in/gQZGibay

We’re accepting applications for our 2025 Champions Institute cohort! The deadline to apply is Friday, January 17, 2025. Learn more about this opportunity and how to apply ? https://lnkd.in/gfkjuQP2 We know that smart growth strategies like #CompleteStreets help towns and cities across the country become healthier while improving resiliency and sustainability. With support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s #ActivePeople, Healthy Nation Initiative, our Champions Institute provides mayors, city councilors, tribal chairpeople and councilors, and other local elected officials with knowledge and resources to support plans, policies, and funding that promote activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations.?

What a great conversation today between transportation and built environment advocates as well as Congressional staffers to talk legislative #priorities and ideas to rethink #transportation and enhance the #builtenvironment at Smart Growth America / Transportation For America offices today. Start of many more conversations on thinking about healthy, resilient communities and a safe, invigorated, and invested multimodal transportation system.