HARTFORD — Thinking of housing as a solution, experts at a forum Wednesday shared policy ideas on how more mixed-income living units near transportation hubs could conserve energy and help make housing affordable. The forum Wednesday, held at The Lyceum Resource and Conference Center, was the second in a series of five discussions related to the theme, “Housing: The Hub of Public Policy 2010.”
The term “smart growth,” or the variation “responsible growth,” has worked its way into Connecticut policy debates and into state law in the past few years, but we still aren’t really doing it — walking the walk, growing smartly. This became painfully clear as I read Andres Duany’s new book, “The Smart Growth Manual.”
Duany, the Miami-based architect, planner and New Urbanist, and fellow planners Jeff Speck and Mike Lydon, have written a remarkably concise set of planning principles aimed at stopping urban disinvestment and wasteful suburban sprawl. There’s great wisdom here; every mayor and planner ought to read the book, and give copies to city council members.
On March 6, Professor Sara Bronin will present her paper “Fighting Energy Sprawl with Microgrids” at the 2010 meeting of the Association of Law, Property and Society. Professor Bronin has researched and published in the area of property, land use, and historic preservation law.
PLYMOUTH — In a presentation to the economic development commission Wednesday night, Milone & MacBroom, a engineering and planning firm, presented several options for the Route 6 streetscape project.
Khara Dodds, director of planning and economic development, said the town was able to hire the Cheshire firm to present the town with options and drawings through a Connecticut Small Town Economic Assistance Program grant. The next step is to draw up some plans and start construction.
Bridgeport Neighborhood Trust (BNT) received the 2010 Audrey Nelson Community Development Achievement Award for its successful work with the City of Bridgeport and the Bridgeport Housing Authority in completing the Pequonnock Replacement Housing Program, providing affordable housing to replace the former Pequonnock Housing Apartment complex.
Clinton’s Downtown Revitalization Committee presented plans for a substantial downtown beautification project that would substantially upgrade the looks of the town center, such as this graphic of proposed improvements for the Rte. 1 bridge over the Indian River.
*** National Award for Smart Growth Achievement: Applications due April 5, 2010
The Environmental Protection Agency is now accepting applications for the 2010 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. This competition is open to public- and private-sector entities that have successfully used smart growth principles to improve communities environmentally, socially, and economically. Up to five awards will be given in the following categories:
WINDSOR – Wanted: a developer with a proven track record who would be willing and able to transform 6½ acres of former industrial real estate in Windsor Center into 100 or so units of housing. If interested, contact the town’s economic development office. And please do it soon.
Windsor is gauging interest in redeveloping the site, consisting of two parcels: a 5,000-square-foot privately owned warehouse at 55 Mechanic St., and the town’s park and recreation garage and storage area at 69 Mechanic St. The town has reached an agreement with the owner of 55 Mechanic St. to purchase the property for $315,000.
Over the past two decades, there’s been a general — if not always unanimous — consensus that the town should preserve historic buildings, protect farms and other valuable open space, increase recreational opportunities and, in recent years, revitalize its town center.
Jewett City, Conn. — A group of landscape architecture students from the University of Connecticut will spend part of the semester drawing up plans to revitalize Griswold’s downtown after a meeting with residents next month.
Will Walmart, not Whole Foods, save the small farm and make America healthy?
The program, which Walmart calls Heritage Agriculture, will encourage farms within a day’s drive of one of its warehouses to grow crops that now take days to arrive in trucks from states like Florida and California. In many cases the crops once flourished in the places where Walmart is encouraging their revival, but vanished because of Big Agriculture competition.
BRISTOL – Regional planners listened intently late Thursday to pitches for both the proposed busway and the potential for commuter rail. Rail backers spoke first and then the proponents of the 9.4-mile busway between New Britain and Hartford got their turn.
PLAINVILLE — From Santa Barbara, Calif. to Burlington, Vt., dozens of cities and towns across the nation have been designated as Bicycle-Friendly Communities. Now a group of local biking enthusiasts are hoping that Plainville can be added to that list.
The Plainville Bicycle Friendly Committee met Thursday to discuss an upcoming event that could bring the town one step closer. On June 13, residents will be able to try out the bicycle routes that could become part of the planned bike path that will stretch from New Haven to Northampton, Mass.
CLINTON — A sweeping conceptual design for the revitalization of the historic town center — burying utility lines, building plazas, reconfiguring traffic and pedestrian movement — was unveiled this week after four years of research and planning by the Downtown Revitalization Committee.
If all of its recommendations were to be adopted, the price tag would amount to some $21 million, said Bill Paillet, representing Weston and Sampson, the Rocky Hill engineering firm that pulled the design together.
Before the U.S. DOT gave some early clues as to how the agency would craft its new transit funding rules, deputy housing and urban development (HUD) secretary Ron Sims answered another question that's been on the minds of transit and local-planning wonks: How will the Obama administration's three-agency partnership for sustainable communities spend its $150 million in funding for this year? DC.Streetsblog.org gives a rundown of what senior officials are thinking. …
Linking a network of pedestrian and bike trails from Norwalk north to Danbury would not only improve access to the Norwalk River Valley's wooded shores, but also serve residents by allowing them to ride bikes to rail stations, stores and other destinations, said Patricia Sesto, director of environmental affairs for the town of Wilton.
DANBURY — It’s an age-old idea whose time has reemerged — providing housing, shops and transportation within walking distance.
City and town planners throughout the area want to develop village centers around mass transportation — namely the Danbury branch rail line — where shops, apartments, dry cleaners, restaurants and health clubs, for example, could all be located nearby.
As Connecticut ages, our development is working against us. The suburbs can be an unpleasant place to get old.People move into sprawling communities for different reasons — a big lawn, some fresh air, good schools. Privacy is a big draw.
The bulb-shaped dead-end street, a standard pattern of postwar suburban development, is under attack. Earlier this year, Virginia became the first state to severely limit cul-de-sacs from future development, as The Washington Post reported. Cities such as Portland, Ore., Charlotte, N.C., and Austin, Texas, have essentially banned new cul-de-sacs. Other cities and states might follow suit.
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.
“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.”
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Haiku
a coyote drifts
through leftover woods
invisible
~ by Connecticut Poet Donna Fleischer
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“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.” ~ Lao Tzu
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