Governors' Institute on Community Design

Governors increasingly understand that land use and development patterns impact the quality of life, economic competitiveness and environmental quality of their states. For them, the challenge is finding tools and strategies that can make a difference in how regions and localities in their state grow. The Governors Institute on Community Design will allow leaders to share innovations; deliberate tough, “big picture” questions; and develop cost effective solutions appropriate for their states.

The Institute is led by three former governors - Christie Whitman (New Jersey - also former EPA Administrator), Parris Glendening (Maryland) and Angus King (Maine) - with a long history of promoting smart growth. The Institute is funded by US EPA, the National Endowment for the Arts, and jointly administered by the Smart Growth Leadership Institute and the National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education at the University of Maryland.

We are providing financial and technical support to the Governors Institute because air quality, water quality and water supply, brownfield redevelopment, wetlands and wildlife habitat protection, water infrastructure -- all are linked in some way to how and where we grow. State policies have a profound impact on growth patterns, community design, and, ultimately, environmental quality. Decisions about how and where to grow are the prerogative of states and localities. EPA works with states and communities to help them better understand how growth affects their environment and human health, and provide tools for them to better plan for and manage growth. Through the Governors Institute we are supporting states so that they can enjoy the benefits of economic growth with the least impact on their natural resources.

The National Endowment for the Arts is dedicated to supporting excellence in regional and community design. Through the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and Your Town: Designing its Future, the NEA has taught municipal and county elected leadership the relationship between design of the built environment and its impact on quality of life and place since 1986. With the Governors’ Institute, the NEA hopes to inspire state leaders to capitalize on their roles as chief state “designers” and identify innovative design approaches that improve the way people live in cities, suburbs, and countryside.

In the coming year, the Institute will conduct four workshops to pair governors and their cabinets with top planning experts to identify strategies that spur smarter development -- development that serves the economy, public health and the environment. Other forms of assistance that will be available to governors include ongoing advice on technical issues and a publication listing a range of policy options for Governors to consider.

For more information on the Governors Institute, contact Adhir Kackar (kackar.adhir@epa.gov), 202-566-2846, or visit http://www.govinstitute.org/

For more information on the Mayors Institute on City Design, visit http://www.archfoundation.org/micd/

For more information on Your Town: Designing the Future, visit http://www.yourtowndesign.org/

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