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Smart Growth

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Smart Growth

In communities across the nation, there is a growing concern that traditional development patterns are no longer in the long-term interest of our cities, suburbs, small towns, rural communities, or wilderness areas. Though supportive of growth, many communities are questioning the economic costs of abandoning infrastructure in the city, only to rebuild it further out.

Smart growth provides an alternative to conventional growth and sprawl. It invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New smart growth is more town-centered. It is transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities.

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Cory Fleming

Please Help Define Livability

In 2009, the U.S. Department of Transportation (US DOT), U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA), and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (US HUD) established six livability principles as part of their Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

ICMA has been working with the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) to identify appropriate literature and other resources to help local governments respond to this federal need and create locally implementable solutions. In addition to NARC, the organizations we are collaborating with on this effort include the National League of Cities (NLC), the National Association of Counties (NACo), and the American Public Works Association (APWA).

In Milwaukee, we began a discussion of the six livability principles and how they related to real-world projects in our communities. The discussion was lively, which began a great conversation, but precluded us from discussing all of the principles. Additionally, we were unable to begin brain-storming on an operational definition for the creation of livability.

So, we’d like to pick-up where we left off and continue our discussion in a virtual setting. To that end, we want to invite you to participate in a special conference call, Making Livability Real: How to Translate the Federal Livability Principles into Everyday Action. This conference call will take place Friday, October 28 at 2:00 pm Eastern. To join the conference call, dial 1-866-910-4857.

Meeting Password: 704349

Meeting ID: 711-863-578

Marty Rowland

I am associated with the Henry George School of Social Science, and wonder if ICMA members would share experiences in implementing land value taxation.

Sung-Man Kim

Challenging Smart Growth from the view of regulations toward developments would also be a way to address urban sprawl problems. On the other hand, recent Tea Party issue also related to such regulations. Tea Party is calling such approach "Socialistic" because it may not properly address fairness in the market. (Well, I am not sure if governments interest and involvement in public welfare is socialistic or if people's determination with non-governmental interaction is socialistic though). That is one of my reason why I am recommending Resource Management Approaches at the same time with regulating and encouraging certain urban developments. Discussion on "Idnetifying People who are responsible for Urban Sprawl" is I believe meaningless...One additional thing I want to let you know is that the Tea Party is strongly believe that the Smart Growth is a big global conspiracy originated to Agenda 21, which UN adopted Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development in 1992. However, as I wrote earlier, the USA did not participated in the action at that time. The Smart Growth concept is an independent idea that the USA developed for sometime. We all somehow need to make sure that the Tea Party understand the Smart Growth concept accurately and also need to develop a new (or a branch) program that can satisfy such entities like Tea Party. Thank you all.

Robert Cole

Robert Cole One of the most signficant problems associated with sprawl are market subsidies. In some respects, conservative views about "Smart Growth", including the assertion that associated policies attempt to remove freedom of choice, might be best solved by enabling markets to operate more efficiently. For instance, sprawl development is largely enabled - and subsidized - by signficant public infrastructure investments. If the subsidies were removed and both developers and their customers were required to pay full freight for their decisions, development patterns would likely be much different moving forward and, in effect, much smarter. The problem, though, is that few would accept a change in the way economic outputs from our nation's largest metro areas are redistributed in that scenario. Thus, it may be best for all involved to identify ways in which we can achieve and support prudent development patterns without unleashing the power of a true free market. Given a true free market, people could still live anywheree they like. Development couyld still occur in rural - or even remote - locales. The difference would be that costs associated with supporting infratstructure - roads, water and sewer, utility access, etc., would be directly borne by those requiring the amenities, thus making per capita costs extraoridnary in some cases. There are still places where this is the case - very remote areas - but even rural america benefits from dollars shifted to their locales in support of essential infrastructure - subsides by any other name. That does not, however, make the practice "socialistic" any more than supporting "smart growth" does.

Sung-Man Kim

Sung-Man Kim I do not disagree with Mr. Cole on local investments eventually subsidizing sprawl. In many cases it is true near metropolitan areas, which rural land prices are already compatible with urban land prices. In such cases, infra devleopments outside of urban will obviously encourage urban developments in rural areas. In other cases, for example, if total cost of use and infra devleopments are still smaller than redeveloping or infilling urban areas, developers will pay the cost to convert rural areas. To limit infra investments outside of urban is also difficult when infra services are provided by private companies. We surely need to monitor and, if it is needed to protect public welfare, to control land uses as well as investment plan. Considering recent Tea Party movements and free market system, which will impact on planning practices anyway, it probably is essential for us to approach the issue from multi-perspectives of Smart Growth that covers land use restrictions, general policy developments, real estate preparation for free market system, and political/social lobby actions. It seems that we all have some resolutions to prevent sprawl and encourage smart growth and it probably is the time to digest those in a comprehensive manner. I am learning from this conversations and actually enjoying this group chat. Happy holiday season everone.

Ann Shaneyfelt

In Louisiana, we are begining to have problems with the Tea Party. If you check out their national website, their newest campaign is to fight Smart Growth and planning at the local level. Their favorite buzword? It's "Socialist" (and/or "communist"). Please be aware that these groups are well funded and are begining to come to public meetings to fight planning with a creepy zeal that will leave you scratching your head. Do your research and be prepared. Our Parish (County) had to scrap its plan after locals fought it tooth and nail. Turns out, they were fed information by these groups. Hopefully more progressive communities won't have the problems we have had.

Sung-Man Kim

It seems that everyone is now getting into a certain point of defining Smart Growth. Earlier, I made a comment on further consideration of Resource Management Program encouraging rural activities and it was, like everyone says, to make rural competitive to urban growth. It was not to stop developments, but to help Smart Growth idealistic by providing benefits to rural and ultimately making market function sustainable and neutral. Without this effort, planning Smart Growth will not be fruitful because market functions will govern development patterns. Again, urban sprawl is not anyone's fault. Who does not want to make money?

Robert Cole

Robert Cole Urban sprawl is someone's fault - and everyone's fault. The issue at hand is not so much one of making money, as good development can make money, but rather how investment decisions are made amidst a variety of market distorting influences. If, for instance, the broad spectrum of costs of sprawling development were properly reflected in sales transactions, then patterns of development would be much different and likely more sustainable along multiple dimensions. The recent housing downturn reflects not only on banking practices, but also the underlying problems with sprawl, particularly those associated with "drive 'till you qualify" auto-reliance and associated costs. CNT's work on the Housing/Transportation Affordability Index illustrates the linkage between transportation and housing costs.

Barry Crook

Barry Crook . . . or be able to afford the kind of housing you want for your family? . . . not everyone is going to see dense, inner city housing as THEIR solution . . . there will continue to be a mix of options that meet everyone's needs and desires -- not just today's chic design solution.

Robert Cole

Robert Cole One of the most attractive homes I have ever seen sits on the Brule River bodering Michigan and Wisconsin. It's all by itself at the edge of a designated wilderness area. Would I love to live there? Yes. Can I live there? No. There aren't any nearby places of employment, the road to it is a forest access road paved only with gravel in an area that gets very heavy snow, and I don't have a clue how far the nearest school is. Someone can and does live there, though. If Wisconsin decided to put a new highway within a mile or so, committed resources for snow removal for every snow event, built a new state-of-the-art school for my kids to attend, and offered development incentives to attract essential services by the highway exit nearest my prospective home, then I might actually be able to buy that home and live there without diminishing my current standard of living and without the "hardships" caused by the absence of ssignficant public infrastructure. Of course, once public investment ameliorates those hardships for me, the neighborhood might change to something that I moved away from. My secluded wilderness home site might become an Iron Mountain, MI, suburb, or something . . . part of a growing megalopolis. Yes, people should always be able to live where they choose, provided they are willing and able to accept the cost/benefit trade-offs; however, public infrastructure investments should not be what enables the choice, particularly where existing infrastructure already exists and is underutilized. Choice is central to the American way of life, but sometimes the best choices are not made because the cost/benefit calculation is artificailly skewed in favor of the wrong choice. Few of us knowingly and willingly make bad choices. Bad choices generally arise from not properly evaluating alternatives. That is what causes sprawl . . . and a plethora of other undesirable outcomes.

Charles Moore

In the absence of thorough regional planning as in most home rule, rustbelt states, sprawl without growth will continue. My suggestion is a non planning one but has serious benefits: help out, mentor, guide inner city youth to create a next generation of motivated, productive entrepreneurs that will improve our cities from the ground up and make them more livable. At the same time, assist open space and farmland preservation organizations. Here is an article from the Albany, NY Times Union articulating this: http://www.timesunion.com/opinion/article/This-place-is-our-place-908569.php

Robert Cole

Robert Cole "Thorough regional planning" is essential; however, land-use decisions remain the exclusive right of local jurisdictions in many places. Thus, while a regional plan - typically shaped by planning professionals without the majority of municipal government effectyively engaged - sets the stage by providing generally agreed upon goals and strategies, funding mechanisms constitute the leverage point. A thorough regional plan includes explicit equity considerations, including access to education, public health, and employment - not just transportation, and not merely the step above that, like an effort to more effectively link land-use and transportation. Increasingly, mandated regtional plans are becoming wholistic regional comprehensive plans rather than the tradition long-range transportation plan feds direct MPOs to prepare. Check-out thee Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning's recent endeavor, GoTo 2040 - the region's first comprehensive plan, which includes aspects like education, local food, etc. [Impartiality disclaimer: I sit on the CMAP Land-use Committee :-)] CMAP did a great job engaging the public and examining a wide range of regional concerns. That written, their implementation authority is non-existent and diret influence marginal. They do, however, have an implementation plan that will endeavor to help interested municipal governments apply regional goals in their local context. That's a superior alternative to the "long-range transportation plan", but continues as a work in progress.

ROGER BREWSTER

In the post peak oil scenario, society will be gradually forced to make the paradigm shift toward a truly sustainable community with globalisation being replaced by localisation, as several commentators have suggested. If the shift is not made, society will deteriorate into survival mode - the Mad Max scenario - and retreat to defensible enclaves. In any case, the oil based economy will crumble and cities will look back to the future for ideas such as urban villages, cohousing communities, etc. I see much value in the Transition Town movement.

Barry Crook

Barry Crook somehow I can't share that vision of apocalypse -- and I think it undermines the vision of smart growth to suggest it as an alternative.

Bernie Slepkov

Bernie Slepkov You don't have to believe in the apocalyptic version of the peak oil scenario, but at the very least it should give one pause to consider how it is likely to affect communities and the residents who work, live and play within them. I can't agree with you, Barry, that it undermines the vision of smart growth. It justifies and enhances the vision all the more. Consider that this: Everything we produce, consume, build, maintain, import, export, buy, sell, eat, drink, prescribe, wear, view, hear, touch, read, ride, drive, drive on and waste, needs oil from start to finish. Therefore, if communities are not embracing smart growth, they should, at the very least, be looking at how they can achieve greater resiliency. And let's not forget how extreme weather events and shifting weather patterns could affect communities.

Bernie Slepkov

It's an unfortunate truth that most developers believe they are building what people want. It's unfortunate because, as I am going to suggest, most people today really have little concept of what a walkable neighborhood, or complete community would be--the sense of community and of place that comes from living within such a neighbourhood.

Barry Crook

Barry Crook . . . many people share that vision and desire, but many don't -- the feeling that "you (the people in our community) just don't know what you want" can come across as insulting and paternalistic . . . we should advance the good things that smart growth can bring to the community without suggesting that those who actually want to live in the suburbs are uninformed or incomplete in their view of the world. I know some of those people and they do have a sense of community about where they live. There is a distribution of what people seek in their housing solution -- we should make sure that smart growth is part of that, not try and impose it as the only solution.

Robert Cole

Robert Cole Seems that a builder's conception of what people want is defined along one dimension: What can be sold at the necessary level of profit given anticipated risk? Thus, the challenge is in properly loading costs on decision-making to encourage profit-minded folks to properly evaluate investment decisions while at the same time influencing proposals that come our way to incorporate - to the greatest extent feasible - elements most supportive of community vision. Along with that comes the tandem requirement of introducing or reinforcing predictability in the development process.

Barry Crook

Barry Crook remember that price affects the demand side as well . . . its not just an influence on what developers will build, but what consumers will/can afford to buy . . . if the cost to the consumer becomes unaffordable it has to be considered as part of the community vision too . . . is it done with purpose in mind or an unintended consequence?

Robert Gorson

Urban Land Institute also has a lot of information about Smart Growth, Sustainable Development and Community Building on their website at http://www.uli.org . For example, check out "Moving the Needle" Regional Coalitions as Catalysts for Sustainable Development .

Brian Derr
Brian Derr said

We have learned today that a bug in the Knowledge Network software is sending these messages to everyone in the Smart Growth group. They should only go to those of you who set your preferences to receive email notifications from your groups.

A fix to this problem will be released overnight. Meanwhile, we will suspend email notifications to respect the wishes of those who prefer not to receive these messages.

If you are enjoying the conversation, please click "Edit Profile" at the top right of the website and click "Preferences," where you can update your email notification settings. If you haven't set your preferences, after the bug fix you will no longer receive emails from the group.

This group is a continuation of the Smart Growth Network program. If you signed up for the Smart Growth Network over the past several years, your membership has been transferred to this group. If you no longer wish to participate, log in and click "Leave this group" in the menu on the right.

Please accept our apologies for the inconvenience, and have a relaxing holiday.

Robert Cole

Robert Cole Intersting, though, that the bug caused a little more discourse than usual. What does that mean? :)

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