Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Smart Growth

The Power of Transit-Oriented Development

By Ryan Avent | Aug 25, 2009 | 11 Comments

Back in the late 1970s, when Washington’s Metrorail system first began operating in Arlington County, Virginia, the future of Arlington and other old, inner suburbs was far from certain. Across the Potomac, the District of Columbia was suffering from depopulation, rapidly rising crime rates, and serious fiscal difficulties. Meanwhile, on the other side of Arlington, […]

A Brief Reply to Heritage’s Ronald Utt, PhD

By Ryan Avent | Jul 20, 2009 | 2 Comments

Readers, Ronald Utt has written a memo for the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, on Barack Obama’s transportation policy. Typically, when presented with an article from a group not known for its progressive views on urban issues, I’ll read through the piece at least twice to make sure I’ve gotten the argument. I’ll have […]

An Orszag-ian Principle: Transportation Reform is Health Reform

By Elana Schor | Jul 17, 2009 | 1 Comment

During the Washington budget debate earlier this year, a phrase widely attributed to White House budget director Peter Orszag was rolling off many a reporter’s keyboard: "Health reform is entitlement reform." Orszag’s idea, in a nutshell, is that controlling the nation’s skyrocketing health care costs, which are fueled in part by the obesity epidemic, would […]

New Report Quantifies Benefits of Adding Smart Growth to Climate Bill

By Elana Schor | Jun 22, 2009 | No Comments

As a new non-partisan analysis of the House climate change bill — proving that capping CO2 can save money for the poorest fifth of the nation — continues to make waves on the Hill, it’s worth noting that the legislation could yield even greater savings by focusing on reducing transportation-based emissions. House Energy & Commerce […]

Sprawlsville Steps Back From the Edge

By Ben Fried | Dec 12, 2008 | 7 Comments

A section of Tysons Corner slated for infill development. Image: Fairfax County/PB PlaceMaking [PDF] Last week the Federal Transit Administration finally approved the Silver Line, a long-awaited addition to the capital region’s transit system that will extend to suburbs in northern Virginia. There are still a few hoops to jump through to secure the necessary […]

Making the Case for Compact Development

By Sarah Goodyear | Sep 21, 2007 | 8 Comments

From the people at Smart Growth America comes word of a new book, Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change, just out from the Urban Land Institute. In the book, researchers argue that more compact development (such as Atlantic Station, a mixed-use complex in Atlanta built on reclaimed industrial land, shown at […]

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