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Smart Growth Implementation Assistance Communities Selected in 2008
EPA developed the Smart Growth Implementation Assistance (SGIA) program in response to communities' requests for help in achieving their development goals. Through this program, EPA provides technical assistance from private-sector experts to help communities find the best tools and resources to plan for growth in ways that sustain environmental and economic progress and create a high quality of life. Click here for more information about the SGIA program.
The 2008 Request for Applications for SGIA closed on May 8, 2008. Three localities were selected from this nationwide application process. EPA will organize multi-disciplinary teams to provide direct technical assistance as specified by the community.
The communities selected are:
- Capitol Region Council of Governments, Connecticut
- Miami-Dade County, Florida
- New York City, New York
Capitol Region Council of Governments, Connecticut
The Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) has been a long-time proponent of the environment, social, and economic benefits of smart growth. CRCOG recognized an opportunity to integrate renewed state efforts to add affordable housing with implementation of smart growth practices in its member municipalities. The state of Connecticut seeks to identify and encourage locations for affordable housing that are close to transit and job centers. To accomplish this, the state offers municipalities financial incentives to enact “incentive housing zones” that encourage affordable housing development. CRCOG requested EPA assistance with technical policy analysis and public participation processes to develop and promote model smart growth regulations that include provisions for incentive housing zones in rural, suburban, and urban areas in the Capitol region.
Support and partners: Towns of Bloomfield, Manchester, South Windsor, and Tolland; Partnership for Strong Communities; University of Hartford; and American Farmland Trust.
Miami-Dade County, Florida
With growing concern about Miami’s expansion into areas adjacent to Everglades National Park, Miami-Dade County officials are seeking solutions to direct growth to already-developed areas. The county requested EPA assistance for policy analysis regarding management and oversight of its Urban Development Boundary (UDB). In the past, the UDB has been amended to accommodate growth, but officials want to investigate how to use it more effectively to guide growth and development toward existing areas and protect sensitive environmental areas. This project will provide a key test for understanding how to balance development and conservation goals through smart growth principles.
Support and partners: Florida Atlantic University, Biscayne National Park, Builders Association of South Florida, Trust for Public Land, Funders’ Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities, and the Agricultural Practices Studies Advisory Board.
New York City, New York
New York City’s vision for urban sustainability, PlaNYC, creates a framework for advancing comprehensive green development in communities throughout the city. While the plan provides general guidelines for accomplishing smart growth and green building, the city is eager to develop specific criteria and guiding principles that will help residents, city staff, and entrepreneurs address the intersection between environmentally conscious and economically sound building principles. The Mayor’s Office of Comprehensive Neighborhood Economic Development requested EPA assistance to identify ways to implement the sustainability strategies outlined in PlanNYC in the pilot community of Bedford Stuyvesant. Stakeholders anticipate the project will result in the identification of neighborhood-based, innovative practices and strategies to support the green design, construction, and management of affordable residential and mixed-use development.
Support and partners: Bedford-Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, Pratt Area Community Council, Bridge Street Development Corporation, North East Brooklyn Housing Development Corporation
For more information about these projects or about the SGIA program, contact Kevin Nelson (nelson.kevin@epa.gov, 202-566-2835).