The end of the Cul-de-sac?

by: commonweal

Sun Feb 07, 2010 at 10:56:17 AM EST

Early last year the state of Virginia became the first state to severely limit cul-de-sacs from future development.  Similar actions have been taken in Portland Oregon, Austin, Texas, and Charlotte, North Carolina.  What they are beginning to realize is that the cul-de-sac street grid uses land inefficiently, discourages walking and biking, and causes an almost complete dependence on driving, with attendant pollution and energy use.  Furthermore, town officials are beginning to realize that unconnected streets cost more money to provide services to and force traffic onto increasingly crowded arterial roads, which then, in many cases, need to be widened (more tax money).

Save These Dates

by: commonweal

Fri Jan 22, 2010 at 07:56:06 AM EST

When: Tuesday, January 26, 9:30 a.m. registration, 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. program

Where: Old Judiciary Room, State Capitol, Hartford

RSVP at the CT Voices for Children Website

2.  March 18th, 3rd Annual Smart Growth Conference --1000 Friends of Connecticut Third Annual Smart Growth Conference on Thursday, March 18th, from 2:00 to 8:00 pm in the beautifully restored G. Fox Building on Main Street in Hartford.  

This year's conference features David Owen, author of Green Metropolis, as the dinner keynote speaker and Rick Gustafson, Founder of Portland Streetcar, Inc., as the featured afternoon speaker.  The conference will also include various workshops on current hot topics in smart growth.

Check the 1000 Friends website soon for details

Major Public Transportation Policy Shift

by: commonweal

Mon Jan 18, 2010 at 10:35:55 AM EST

Changes Include Economic Development and Environmental Benefits

In a dramatic change from existing policy, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood today proposed that new funding guidelines for major transit projects be based on livability issues such as economic development opportunities and environmental benefits, in addition to cost and time saved, which are currently the primary criteria.

In remarks at the Transportation Research Board annual meeting, the Secretary announced the Obama Administration's plans to change how projects are selected to receive federal financial assistance in the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) New Starts and Small Starts programs.  As part of this initiative, the FTA will immediately rescind budget restrictions issued by the Bush Administration in March of 2005 that focused primarily on how much a project shortened commute times in comparison to its cost.  

"Our new policy for selecting major transit projects will work to promote livability rather than hinder it," said Secretary LaHood.  "We want to base our decisions on how much transit helps the environment, how much it improves development opportunities and how it makes our communities better places to live."

The change will apply to how the Federal Transit Administration evaluates major transit projects going forward.  In making funding decisions, the FTA will now evaluate the environmental, community and economic development benefits provided by transit projects, as well as the congestion relief benefits from such projects.  

"This new approach will help us do a much better job of aligning our priorities and values with our transit investments" said FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff.  "No longer will we ignore the many benefits that accrue to our environment and our communities when we build or expand rail and bus rapid transit systems."

FTA will soon initiate a separate rulemaking process, inviting public comment on ways to appropriately measure all the benefits that result from such investments.

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Wed Jan 06, 2010 at 08:34:57 AM EST

2. The folks over at the Tri-State Transportation Campaign have a great 2009 year in review of Connecticut's progress and falures when it comes to mass transportation.

Happy New Year

by: commonweal

Fri Jan 01, 2010 at 08:15:45 AM EST

1. REUSE AND REHABILITATE EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE

2. PLAN REGIONALLY

3. EXPAND HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION OPPORTUNITIES

4. CREATE MODEL ZONING REGULATIONS

5. GIVE GRANTS TO SUPPORT THESE POLICIES

The above will take leadership at the state and local level.  Please vote accordingly!

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 10:27:44 AM EST

2. Gubernatorial Tranportation Forum -- The Tri-State Transportation Campaign has a report on the recent transportation forum hosted by Keep CT Moving.  Their take on the discussion:  more substance and fewer platitudes.  Amen to that!

3. Public Transportation Applications -- The civic software company Front Seat has launched a new project aimed at encouraging public transportation ridership.  Called City-Go-Round, the project is a portal where you can find the many applications developers have created to ease and increase the convenience of riding transit.  For example, by typing in your zip code at City-Go-Round you may find apps that have taken publicly available transit agency schedule data and turned it into a slick iPhone or web app you can check on the go to find out when that next bus is coming, or when the next train will be headed your direction.

4.  A Tale of Two Cities -- The New Britain Herald examines the efforts of New Britain and Middletown to reinvigorate their downtown areas.

5.  CT League of Conservation Voters Takes a Stand -- A few days ago, CTLCV took a stand on Connecticut's lack of progress on mass transportation and overall transit planning.  From their press release:

Connecticut has failed its residents and businesses by not planning adequately for our transportation needs.  Our elected leaders now have a chance to make amends by competing aggressively for the federal stimulus funding now available for rail.  It's an opportunity we cannot afford to miss...We call on Connecticut's elected leaders to truly lead the way toward transforming our transit system, and secure the necessary funding through the Bond Commission to get the New Haven-Springfield line moving full speed ahead.  We must invest now to make the New Haven-Springfield commuter rail a reality, efficiently linking Connecticut's major cities to one another and others in the northeast.  Doing so is essential to getting Connecticut on a path to sustained economic recovery. While we are mindful of our current fiscal challenges, it's still the case that  "If we're not moving forward, we're moving backward."

6. Tolland Struggles With Development -- Interesting story on Tolland's struggles with trying to keep its rural charachter while promoting economic development; a struggle many of CT's towns are dealing with.  My advice is to bring all of Tolland's people together through a charrette process.

7. State Finance for Stamford's Harbor Point -- The Connecticut Development Authority (CDA) Board of Directors has approved its first allocation of Recovery Zone Economic Development Bonds. The $16 million allocation will provide lower-cost financing to facilitate the Harbor Point project in Stamford.  Harbor Point is a mixed-use project located on the waterfront of Stamford's South End that will total 80 acres, including infrastructure (electric, roads, sewers); residential units, including affordable housing; commercial and retail space; a community school; a grocer; a full service marina; as well as many acres of parks and open space. The project will be constructed on a Brownfield site, redeveloping the blighted land left by three abandoned factories. Harbor Point has already received LEED-ND Gold certification for integrating the principles of smart growth, urbanism and green building, one of only 25 such projects worldwide.

Thank You Heidi Green

by: commonweal

Sat Dec 12, 2009 at 17:21:07 PM EST

Heidi was kind enough to answer a few questions I submitted to her in order to get her take on the progress Smart Growth advocates have made over the past few years and what the future holds:

Commonweal:   What attracted you to the Smart Growth issue in general and specifically 1000 Friends of CT?

Heidi: Keeping our cities and downtowns lively competitive places, maintaining pristine spaces for recreation and biodiversity, and preserving our agricultural economy and delivering high quality locally-grown food, how could anyone not be attracted to that? Managing growth to develop smartly and sustainably has been a passion for as long as I can remember. I was tremendously excited when I heard a group of leaders was forming 1000 Friends. I wanted to jump right on that bandwagon!  

Commonweal In your opinion, what do you think were the major accomplishments of 1000 Friends during your tenure as president?

Heidi I am most proud of the smart growth project evaluation program, building the Campaign to Grow Connecticut Smart, and raising the level of awareness about smart growth and the related suite of policies statewide. I am also tremendously proud of the work we did to write Developing Connecticut's Economic Future. From that report came the smart growth working group, the comprehensive economic development strategy, the regionalism bill, and more. We've only just begun to shape policies to encourage smart growth in Connecticut, but it's a strong start!

Commonweal:  What else needs to be accomplished at the state level in order for meaningful Smart Growth policy to be enacted?

Heidi: To get to smart growth in Connecticut, we need to stop funding such a high percentage of government services at the local level. We rely too much on the property tax and it makes us develop unsustainably as a way to maximize tax revenues; we need to encourage cities and towns to work better together on economic development and natural resource stewardship; we need to invest strategically in transit, transit oriented development, brownfield cleanup and reuse, affordable housing near jobs and priority property preservation. We need to elect a governor who will make smart, sustainable development the pattern for the state's future growth!

Commonweal: What do you you say to those who contend that Smart Growth interferes with property rights (the "I can do anything I want with my property" crowd) or is some type of centralized planning that will take land use decisions away from the local level?

Heidi: I think it's really important to keep in mind that property rights advocates aren't opposed to smart growth. They're opposed to zoning laws and they're opposed to environmental regulations. I think it is absolutely appropriate for us to have regulations that protect health, safety and viability today, tomorrow and in perpetuity. Those regulations should be developed through an inclusive and democratic process, and they should be transparently and equitably imposed. I also believe that land is a legacy for us to steward. Scale is really important because habitats, water resources, air currents, etc. don't confine themselves to individual parcels. They often do not even confine themselves to individual towns.

Commonweal:  Any advice for your successor at 1000 Friends?

Heidi: The citizens of Connecticut are way ahead of their elected representatives on smart growth, encourage them to speak out!

Rail vs Bus

by: commonweal

Tue Dec 01, 2009 at 10:52:25 AM EST

My question is this: why do we have to choose between these two projects?  Ironically, on the same day as I read this article, there was much discussion about a similar conflict between bus in rail in Los Angeles on a listserve I belong to.   As Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute posted  

over the long run, rail and bus are complements not competitors, since rail systems require bus transit for access and encourage households to reduce their vehicle ownership, which increases overall demand for bus. As a result, cities and regions with high quality rail transit systems tend to have high rates of per-capita bus transit ridership.

that people have diverse travel needs to go lots of places, that rail works only for concentrated high-capacity markets, and that rail and bus are therefore complementary.  The Swiss would look at your argument for continued bus-rail hostility and say that you're trying to start a battle between the lungs and the heart.

I believe what this really comes down to is contained in the comments by Sen. Donald DeFronzo, a New Britain Democrat who is co-chairman of the transportation committee, who "said he's heard nothing from Gov. M. Jodi Rell to indicate that the busway merits top consideration for the state's limited pool of mass transit funds. And if the decision gets pushed into late next year, he noted, there will be a new governor, one who might not share Marie's [state Transportation Commissioner] enthusiasm for the busway."  In other words, there is total lack of communication and we have no overarching mass transportation plan for the state -- we are really just winging it.  Tell me again why we elect these people?  

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Tue Nov 24, 2009 at 10:17:52 AM EST

2. How Healthy are Connecticut's Forests? -- UConn's Center for Land Use Education and Research(CLEAR)recently released an analysis of forest fragmentation in our state.  Forest fragmentation-the breaking up of large forested blocks into smaller and smaller pieces-is considered by forestry, wildlife, water and social experts alike to have serious implications for the condition of our natural resources, character of our communities and health of our citizens.  During the 1985 - 2006 period, Connecticut lost about 264 square miles of core forest, while gaining area in the categories of forest influenced by development. This core forest represents only about 46% of the total forest cover.  "The increasing fragmentation of our forested landscapes sheds more light on the natural resource side of the smart growth/sprawl debate," CLEAR Associate Director Chet Arnold points out.  If you are interested in looking how your town or watershed forest stacks up, visit the forest fragmentation website.

3. Did Smart Growth Initiatives in Maryland Work? -- A little over ten years ago, Maryland burst onto the Smart Growth scene when its general assembly passed a package of bills called the Smart Growth and Neighborhood Conservation Initiative. Almost immediately, the stategained national recognition and earned several awards.1 By creating a system for concentrating state spending in urban areas as well as using other economic incentives to contain urban growth, it seemed the state had found a way to promote smarter growth without usurping local land use control.  However, a new study says the law has been a bust, largely because it has no teeth to force local governments to comply and because builders have little incentive to redevelop older urban neighborhoods.  The study shows that voluntary incentives alone are not enough to curb sprawl and direct growth.  Simply put, we cannot sit idly and expect smart growth just to happen.

Mean Streets

by: commonweal

Thu Nov 12, 2009 at 14:14:56 PM EST

Transportation for America just issued Dangerous by Design, a report that examines the causes of these pedestrian fatalities, identitfies the most dangerous cities for walking, and makes concrete recommendations for making our streets safer.  Among the recommendations are the implementation of traffic calming devices and better street design, expansion of the Safe Routes to School Program, and the adoption of a National Complete Streets Policy. Together, these proposals can help us build walkable communities that people, not just cars, can enjoy.

Please take the time to write or e-mail your Congressman or Senator and tell them to make safe streets a federal priority.  Also, please sign the Transportation for America petition asking Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to make pedestrian safety a priority.

UPDATE: Make it 7.  An 83-year-old man was struck and killed while crossing the street in East Haven last night.  

The Sprawl Economy

by: commonweal

Wed Oct 21, 2009 at 15:29:16 PM EDT

It was the worthlessness of the tradable securitized debt associated with all those overpriced (and overvalued) chipboard and vinyl houses, smeared recklessly over the American landscape, that started all the trouble in the first place. And it is our inability to come to grips with that underlying catastrophe that prolongs the resolution of the still-florid banking crisis - since the federal government is doing everything possible to prop up the failed capital equation of terminal suburbia, and to deny the obsolescence of that version of the American Dream and all the mechanisms for delivering it. . . The federal government and Wall Street remain committed to supporting all the rackets associated with a suburban sprawl economy that has entered its own zone of remorseless failure. It is failing as a capital investment first, and is secondarily failing as a practical living arrangement. The two failures will continue in a close race toward terminal entropy.

I would also argue that our cities have also, in part, been destroyed economically by our insatiable need to "outfit suburbia."  The response to our decaying cities over the past several decades has been was G.K. Chesterton called the modern heresy of "altering the human soul to fit its conditions instead of altering human conditions to fit the human soul."  It is this idea which has produced waves of so-called urban renewal projects in the form of freeways, convention centers, stadiums, waterfront developments, and casinos that have wiped out entire urban neighborhoods.  Instead of seeing cities as a place where people live, work and play, they have become viewed as simply a place to bring people from suburbia to play while avoiding the social unpleasantries of urban decay.  

Whether its Constitution Plaza in Hartford, Fort Trumbull in New London, or Route 34 in New Haven, Connecticut has seen its share of urban renewal projects that have disrupted, damaged and displaced small businesses and neighborhoods -- almost always poor or working class -- that were once thriving communities.   We seem to have this mantra in this country that we need to destroy the village in order to save it.  

Hopefully, with the recent introduction of the Livable Communities Act in Congress and the continued efforts of individuals such as John Norquist, former Mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, we can begin to reclaim our cities. As Mayor of Milwaukee, Mr. Norquist  successfully removed Park East Freeway, the largest freeway removal project in the United States, and replaced it with a mixed-use development that included affordable housing, retail, office and open space.  The Milwaukee redevelopment has been lauded as an excellent model of how to remake cities destroyed by highway projects into more pedestrian friendly, economically self-sustaining and environmentally friendly spaces.

Ultimately, however, with the specter of global warming hanging over our heads, we as citizens need to stop acting as if our vital environmental resources our infinite and that we can simply go on consuming forever.  We need to develop a sustainable economy that will preserve our environment and communities, not continue down the road that led us to suburbia.  

UPDATE: Must read article by Tom Condon in yesterday's Hartford Courant on the "End of the Road for a Ruinous Lifestyle."  

UPDATE #2 With the news yesterday that Pfizer is moving its R&D center out of the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, it looks as if New London's renewal project continues to spiral downward.  What a waste of time, money, and effort!
     

What opportunities exist in your community?

by: commonweal

Mon Oct 26, 2009 at 10:19:21 AM EDT

The maps and the accompanying report, entitled People, Place and Opportunity: Mapping Communities of Opportunity in Connecticut, will be unveiled on Thursday, November 12th, at the Hartford Seminary, 77 Sherman Street, Hartford, CT.

To register, please call 860-263-0731 or visit the CT Fair Housing website

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Tue Oct 13, 2009 at 09:56:58 AM EDT

2.  The Route 11 Boondoggle -- Great op/ed by Ryan Lynch, Senior Planner with the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, on gubernatorial candidate Dan Malloy's support for Route 11 expansion.

3.  One of the Ten Great Public Spaces -- The New Haven Green has been designated one of 10 "Great Public Spaces" nationwide by the American Planning Association.  "This is one of America's most historic and storied public spaces. The elected officials, business community and residents in New Haven are to be congratulated for their efforts ensuring the square and its historic buildings continue to benefit all who live in New Haven," APA Chief Executive Officer Paul Farmer said in a statement.  The other nine APA 2009 Great Public Spaces are East Park, Charlevoix, Mich.; Virginia Beach Boardwalk, Virginia Beach, Va.; the Squares of Savannah, Savannah, Ga.; the Grand Rounds, Minneapolis, Minn.; Central Square, Keene, N.H.; Queens Botanical Garden, Flushing, N.Y.; Lincoln Park, Chicago, Ill.; The Green, Dover, Del.; and Central Market, Lancaster, Penn.

4. Metro Green Apartments Open-- The Metro Green Apartments, a 50-unit affordable LEED Gold designed housing development on Henry Street between Atlantic Street and Washington Blvd. in Stamford, CT, officially opened on September 21.  The apartments are the first phase of Metro Green - a mixed-use Transit Oriented Development (TOD) consisting of 238 mixed-income residential units and a 350,000 sq. ft. Class-A office tower. Malkin Properties is the Master Developer of Metro Green. Jonathan Rose Companies and Malkin Properties are co-developers for Metro Green Residential.  The project is being lauded as a model for Smart Growth in Connecticut and an example of how Smart Growth projects are economically feasible even in today's economic climate.  "We created a new model for real estate investment, proving that in times of financial distress, the strongest real estate investment returns are realized by focusing on smart growth locations and intelligent green practices," said Jonathan F.P. Rose, president of Jonathan Rose Companies.

5. Take Advantage of a Crisis -- Loretta Waldman examines how Simsbury and Farmington have taken advantage of the economic downturn and the slowdown in development to plan for the future.  Meanwhile, Canton officials still don't get it.

Former Griswold Airport Update

by: commonweal

Wed Oct 07, 2009 at 09:20:51 AM EDT

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Mon Sep 28, 2009 at 20:32:06 PM EDT

smart growth tends to benefit consumers in numerous ways. Market research indicates that most households want improved accessibility (indicated by shorter commutes), land use mix(indicated by nearby shops and services), and diverse transport options (indicated by good walking conditions and public transit services) and will often choose small-lot and attached homes with these features. Demographic and economic trends are increasing smart growth demand, causing a shortage of such housing. Demand for sprawl housing is declining, resulting in oversupply and reduced value. The current stock of large-lot housing is adequate for the foreseeable future, but the supply of small-lot and attached housing will need to approximately double by 2025 to meet growing demand.

2.  Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities -- In collaboration with the Smart Growth Network, the NOAA and EPA have released a guide for planners, local government officials, developers, residents, and
other stakeholders that explains how can smart growth strategies help coastal and waterfront communities manage growth and development while balancing environmental, economic, and quality of life issues.

3. Route 11 Expansion on Backburner -- In a move that is sure to be lauded by Smart Growth and Mass Transportation advocates, the CT DOT has decide to reevaulate whether the Route 11 expansion project fits within the state's transportation priorities.  As the Tri-State Transportation Campaign reports, essentially this means that ConnDOT has deemed the Route 11 boondoggle, estimated to cost $1 billion, not in the financial interests of the state.

4.  Tracking the Transportation Lobby -- The Center for Public Integrity has started a new project that tracks and maps the dollars spent on lobbyists by special interests around the country that are working to influence the new transportation bill.  Very interesting reading!

5.  Deadly Bridge on Route 1 -- The Bike Bridgeport blog recently focused attention on the fact that over 20 serious injuries have been documented by New Haven's pedestrian and bicycle activists on the Tomlinson Bridge rail crossing on Route 1.  Unfortunately, it seem the DOT is not interested in fixing the problem.