Late last year, UConn's Center for Land Use Education and Research(CLEAR)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 pointed out.

A new report has confirmed CLEAR's research. "Wildlands and Woodlands," the work of nearly 20 pre-eminent professors from Yale, Harvard, Brandeis, Cornell and other prominent schools in the Northeast, concludes that the forests of southern New England are being chopped down to make room for subdivisions, strip malls and highways, and this loss of natural landscape has been particularly rapid in the last 30 years.

The authors make a special note that, unlike the development seen in the mid-1800s, in which thousands of acres were cleared for farms, today's sprawl is "hard" development, meaning it won't revert to woodland anytime soon.

Forestry experts note that there is, in fact, more forested lands in the state than there was in mid-19th century. In 1600, when European colonists first began arriving, it's estimated that about 90 percent of the state was carpeted with trees. By 1860, only about 30 percent of Connecticut had forest cover, as land was cleared for farms, and timber was needed for construction and iron smelting operations. But by 1950, as agriculture and timber operations moved to the West and Midwest, the forests rebounded -- with about 70 percent of the state covered by woodlands in the mid-20th century. Since then, sprawl and development has taken its toll, and now just about 50 percent of the state is forested.

And speaking of farmland,according to the recently-released state Council on Environmental Quality's annual environmental assessment, Connecticut is losing about 1,800 acres of agricultural fields each year (some estimates are higher). In 2009, the state purchased development rights to 10 farms totaling 1,370 acres. This was a big improvement over 2008, when seven farms totaling 675 acres were protected. However, the state's goal is to preserve 130,000 acres of farmland, of which about 47,000 acres have been saved by public and private sources. At the current rate of preservation, we'll reach the goal sometime in the next century. Except that there won't be 130,000 acres to save by then. Indeed, the council report says, total area of farmland in the state will drop below 130,000 acres between 2050 and 2060. The state was poised to purchase development rights for 24 farm representing 2,282 acres, at a cost of $13.6 million, with another two dozen farms in the pipeline through money from the Community Investment Act of 2005, but Jodi Rell cut $5 million, about a fourth of the total, from the Community Investment Act to help balance this year's budget, and another $5 million for next year's.

Enjoy the woods while you can!

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Mon Jun 07, 2010 at 12:01:57 PM EDT

1. Oil and Land Use -- Are you angry at the oil spill catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico? Then stop land development on the fringe and direct development to town and urban centers. That is the findings of a meta-analysis of nearly 50 published studies on the subject of land use and travel behavior.

2. Smart Growth on NPR -- In case you missed it, Connecticut NPR's Where We Live took a look at the lessons the Hartford region couldl learn from Portland, Oregon's integrated approach to public transit. Click here to listen.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

You Are What You Zone

by: commonweal

Mon May 24, 2010 at 09:56:16 AM EDT

Often overlooked during discussions of sprawl, outdated zoning regulations continue to dictate how Connecticut's towns and cities look and fucntion -- often to the detriment to the economic and social well-being of our state. Case in point are two recent articles that tell the story of two problems that continue to plague Connecticut: the loss of young people and the decay of our cities.

The Norwich Bulletin examines how zoning laws are to blame for pushing young people out of the state. Using a recent article in The Connecticut Economy: A University of Connecticut Quarterly Review, by Executive Editor Steven P. Lanza as a springboard, the Bulletin story examines how zoning regulations bar or slow construction of multifamily homes that might appeal to entry-level workers, who tend to be young. The workers, who might have remained in Connecticut after graduating from school, cannot find housing within their budgets and leave the state. I urge you to read the entire story.

The second article, by Christopher T. McCahill and Professor Norman Garrick of UCONN, can be found at Planetizen. The article explains the results of research conducted by a team at the University of Connecticut looking at what happens when automobile-oriented suburban policies and standards are applied on a consistent basis to once dense mixed-use downtowns. In the case of Hartford, their analysis concludes that decades of zoning for automobiles has left a city that is far from the mixed-use urban place that it was 60 years ago. In fact, their analysis suggests,

that what has been created in places like downtown Hartford is a hybrid urban form that functions more like suburban sprawl than a traditional urban place. The lesson that is emerging from this study suggests that when suburban policies are adopted in an urban environment, the resulting urban-sprawl hybrid may fail to reap the benefits of either city or suburb. By trying to accommodate as many automobiles in Hartford as there were residents, commuters, and visitors, the city has been left with a disconnected urban space where land for non-transportation use continues to shrink, as more land must be used each year for storing vehicles.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Sat May 08, 2010 at 12:48:41 PM EDT

1. Route 7 -- Kudos to the citizens and elected officials of Ridgefield, Redding and Wilton for coming together to plan a post-strip mall future for the southern part of Route 7.

2. Changes to CT's Smart Growth Laws -- The Midwest Planning BLUZ has the recent changes implemented to our states Smart Growth Laws by HB6467. Also, check out the Tri-State Transportation Campaign website for information on the impact CT's budget cuts will have on transportation.

3. C.A.R.E.'s 10th Anniversary -- Not to toot my own horn, but Canton Advocates for Responsible Expansion (C.A.R.E.) recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary of being in business. While I am proud of our success, I will be happier when we can go out of business.

4. New Britain Busway-- This project seems to be gasping for air with the recent decision by the Sierra Club to oppose the proposal. As I quoted in a previous post, "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."

5. The Cost of Sprawl -- According to a new report by Regional Plan Association (RPA), if the Hartford region continues to build most homes away from transit, vehicle emissions will increase 22 percent by 2020. But if new housing is transit-oriented, emissions will increase by only 11 percent and the average Hartford area household will save $360 in gas per year. Tisha Ferguson, outreach director for Connecticut Fund for the Environment, called the report "a blueprint for making the right choices to reconnect the urban and outlying communities, creating a vibrant urban hub and realizing Hartford's potential for regional economic leadership."

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again

by: commonweal

Thu Apr 29, 2010 at 07:36:10 AM EDT

With spring in the air, I thought I would trot out this op/ed I wrote for the Courant a few years ago. Nothing has changed of course: property taxes continue to spiral upward, budgets are getting tighter, and people are getting angrier, yet we continue to play by the same rules and expect different results. As I told a bunch of angry citizens at a local budget hearing last year, we are all going to be here next year, just as angry, and arguing over the same things unless we change the rules. As for the prospect of those rules changing anytime soon, i highly doubt it. When two members of the same party openly clash like this over proposed legislation what chance is there for a major overhaul of the way we fund our schools.

Another spring has arrived in Connecticut, and with it the obligatory haggling over town budgets. As usual, you have one side that stubbornly demands no increase in what it rightly perceives as already too high property taxes, and another side that decries what it views as draconian cuts to the education budget. Neither side ends up winning.

A modest increase in the mill rate is usually finally approved after lengthy hearings, but never enough to fully fund all the wished-for education programs. Both sides leave the process dissatisfied, angry, and all too quick to blame their local elected officials. The most tragic aspect of this yearly ritual, however, is the fact that both sides do a lot of talking and shouting, but they never really take a step back and listen to each other. If they did, they would discover that we are all players in a game in which the rules are stacked against us.

There's More... :: (0 Comments, 689 words in story)

Back to the Future

by: commonweal

Tue Mar 30, 2010 at 12:44:28 PM EDT

On March 18th I had the pleasure of attending 1000 Friends of Connecticut third annual statewide Smart Growth conference in Hartford entitled Old Challenges, New Opportunities. Perhaps the best way to illustrate these old challenges and new opportunities are the following photos:

The pictures are of Hartford before and after the interstate (the views were part of a presentation by Dr. Norman Garrick of the University of Connecticut at a recent Congress for the New Urbanism transportation summit). IMO, these two photos are the best illustrations of what we have done to our once thriving cities in Connecticut and what we need to correct if we are to reverse our decades long frenzy of auto-centric development. However, it is not a question of old challenges and new opportunities. In reality, we face new challenges as we attempt to take advantage of old opportunities because it is not a question of creating a new, unknown future, but of creating a future that already existed in many of our cities and communities half a century ago. Our post World War II land use decisions have separated and compartamentalized the various aspects our lives. We live in one place, work in another, and venture to still another place for shopping and entertainment. This separation has created a car-centric society and taken away from the vitality of the traditional town center or Main Street. As Portland Streetcar advocate Rick Gustafson told us at the conference during his keynote speech, cities across the country are beginning to once again embrace the mixed-use, transit oriented development of our past. Furthermore, recent surveys suggest that Americans are concerned about traffic congestion, the loss of farmland, and critical watersheds and other natural resources to development, the loss of community character, and the burdens of an over reliance on the automobile. As explained by a new report by the EPA and the Connecticut Capitol Region Council of Governments (see link below),

Americans understand that something has to give; that a future of rising energy costs and growing commute times can only amount to the consumption of time and money better spent on something other than sitting in traffic. They are looking for communities that offer a more appealing lifestyle that do not require a car to get around, that protect farms and natural lands, and that offer a variety of housing options.

In other words, people desire the old opportunities contained within the ways we use to design and build our cities and towns.

There's More... :: (0 Comments, 662 words in story)

More Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Fri Mar 12, 2010 at 09:02:52 AM EST

1. The Transportation Lobby -- Matthew Lewis over at the Center for Public Integrity details how the real estate industry drives national transportation policy. The story includes an interactive map where you can see who lobbied on transportation issues in your city and what they spent.

2. The Future of Route 7 -- The overriding sentiment at a recent public meeting on the future of Route 7 was "We don't want Route 7 to look like Route 1." Presented by the South Western Regional Planning Association in cooperation with the Housatonic Valley Council of Elected Officials, the meeting was an opportunity for people living in Wilton, Redding, and Ridgefield to hear about the current state of Route 7 and the overall vision for the corridor in 2030.

3. A European Perspective -- Streetsblog has an excellent post on the reflections of two British tourist as they travel acrossed the United States. "It's both a stark admonishment of how much we've given up for the car, sometimes barely noticing it, and a heartening reminder that what often seems normal to us need not be."

4. Dodd Running Short on Time -- Acknowleding that he only has 8-10 months left beofre he retires from the Senate, Chris Dodd promised that he'll step up his work to win passage of the Livable Communities Act.

5. Household Savings from Quality Mass Transportation -- The Victoria Transport Policy Institute has recently published a paper which indicates that high quality public transit typically requires about $268 annually per capita in additional tax subsidy and $104 in additional fares, but provides vehicle, parking and road cost savings averaging $1,040 per capita, plus other benefits including congestion reductions, increased traffic safety, pollution reductions, improved mobility for non-drivers, improved fitness and health.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Mon Feb 22, 2010 at 10:12:27 AM EST

1. Massive Fail -- In another example of Connecticut's lack of an overall transportation policy, the Courant is reporting that Connecticut came away with absolutely nothing in a competition for $1.5 billion in federal transportation grants last week. My Left Nutmeg has more on the reasons for this massive failure, the impact this will have on various transportation projects, and reaction from various politicians.

2. Downtown Griswold Revitalization -- Landscape architecture students from UCONN will spend part of the semester drawing up plans to revitalize Griswold's downtown after a meeting with residents next month.

3. Farmland Preservation Conference -- On March 27th, Working Land Alliance is celebrating its 10 year anniversary with a special conference entitled Plowing Ahead: Farmland Preservation in 2010 & Beyond. The event will provide an important opportunity to not only reflect on the past 10 years of farmland preservation advocacy in Connecticut, but also present an occasion to craft a vision for our cause over the next 10 years.

4. Fort Worth Adopts Radical New Bike Transportation Plan -- The city of Fort Worth, TX unanimously approved the Bike Fort Worth plan. The plan will increase the current bike transportation network from 100 miles to nearly 1,000 miles - 224.7 miles of off-street trails, with the majority of the network shifting to on-street: 1.4 miles of bus & bike-only lanes in downtown, 218.3 miles of sharrow routes, and a huge 480.3 miles of dedicated bike lanes. The plan also calls for radical increases in the amount and quality of bike parking, minimum bike parking requirements in zoning, establishment of bike commuter facilities at transit hubs to tie into our bus, commuter rail, and planned modern streetcar systems, education programs for cyclists and drivers, new traffic ordinances to (among other things) require drivers to yield to bikes and to give at least 3 feet of clearance when passing, establishment of a city bike fleet for city staff use instead of cars in the urban core, establishment of bike counts, and much more.

5. I Dream of Trains -- Great op/ed by Ted Mann in the New London Day

*** REMINDER ****

Third Annual 1000 Friends of Connecticut Smart Growth Conference on Thursday, March 18, from 2:00 to 8:00 p.m. at 950 & 960 Main Street, Hartford.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

The end of the Cul-de-sac?

by: commonweal

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

The cul-de-sac is perhaps the quintessential symbol of suburban America. Perhaps millions of them have paved over greenways throughout the country. Haled for their safety (no traffic that can run over kids) and prized by developers because they allow more houses to be built into oddly shaped tracts and right up to the edges of rivers and property lines, planners and town officials are beginning to realize their downside.

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).

There's More... :: (0 Comments, 787 words in story)

Save These Dates

by: commonweal

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

1. January 26, 9:30 a.m. -- CT Voices for Children's 9th Annual Budget Forum entitled "State Budget Reform & Connecticut's Economic Development Strategies." Connecticut needs creative solutions that preserve the education, health, transportation, public safety, and other services that make our state a great place in which to live, work, and raise a family. Our exceptional panel of speakers will explore budget options and approaches to economic development that can help to keep Connecticut strong and help our families and communities prosper.

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

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Major Public Transportation Policy Shift

by: commonweal

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

Press release from the U.S. Department of Transportation is below. This is a major development and is to be applauded. Secretary LaHood blogged about this policy change a few days ago.

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.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

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

1. As I posted a few weeks ago some CT politicians seems to be in a bus vs. rail pissing match in New Britain which, if continued, will not end well for attempts to bring a smart, well integrated mass transportation system to our state. Richard Stowe over at Railtec has a more in depth analysis of the rail vs. busway argument and comes to the same conclusion: WE NEED BOTH!

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.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Happy New Year

by: commonweal

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

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Sorry for the technical difficulties for the past few days. We are back and ready to advocate for Smart Growth in CT in 2010. Here is an excellent Courant editorial that encapsulates what CT needs to do over the next several years to grow smartly, save energy, cut pollution, achieve affordable housing, preserve open space and save farms. In no particular order, the state and municipalities need to:

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!

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

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

1. Pedestrian Safety -- Time Magazine recently had a piece on South Florida's "notoriously reckless car culture." Florida was recently identified as being the most dangerous for pedestrians in Transportation for America's Dangerous by Design report. As the report concludes, we could make great strides on pedestrian safety by adopting "complete streets" policies, ensuring that roads are designed to be safe and accessible for everyone who uses them, whether motorist, bicyclist, transit rider or pedestrian. There is currently complete streets legislation pending before Congress. Meanwhile, another pedestrian was injured in Hartford while crossing the street just the other day.

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.

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Thank You Heidi Green

by: commonweal

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

As some of you may already know, Heidi Green, president of 1000 Friends of Connecticut has resigned from her position to seek new challenges and opportunities. Thanks to Heidi's efforts over the past several years, the issue of Smart Growth has been placed on our state's political front burner. She has indeed left her mark on our community for the better!

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!

Discuss :: (0 Comments)

Next >>

Active Users

Currently 0 user(s) logged on.