Lessons from the Development Boom

Seattle City Brights
Chuck Wolfe

Infill development, or redevelopment of existing development, is among the key land use focal points in Washington State's urbanized areas. As entrenched land use and environmental professionals, we have long advised clients on the broad range of due diligence, compliance and related issues which arise as infill development proceeds from planning to implementation. This advice has been practical by nature, not the stuff of daily dialogue. But suddenly, our entrenched professional dialogue is mainstream.

But have we lost a practical, implementation-based perspective?

"Green", "sustainable" and "shovel ready"--and their older cousin, "smart growth"--have arrived with a vengeance, albeit often more as separate silos of ideas and inspiration than as interrelated elements of societal change. Even in a now slow real estate market, we now hear often from their advocates and thoughtful critics. How and where should we grow? Will the new residents of our region live, work and travel in a more sustainable way?

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help with learning more about TOD Part 2

myurbanist
November 8, 2009

Here is an additional resource, a Powerpoint summary presented in Olympia about a month ago, which outlines findings after investigation of top barriers to vibrant urban centers and TOD in the University of Washington/Quality Growth Alliance “From Barriers to Solutions and Best Practices” report.

As also noted in the post, the recently released Futurewise/GGLO “Transit Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State”, provides an applied analysis of what makes for successful development around transit stations and general guidance for future legislation.

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help with learning more about TOD

myurbanist
November 2, 2009

Moving forward, our region will benefit from two recently released research reports, both of which document the pitfalls and potential for transit oriented development. The first, of which I was the lead author, is entitled “TOD and Urban Centers: From Barriers to Solutions and Best Practices”, and was prepared by the University of Washington’s Runstad Center for Real Estate Studies in collaboration with the Quality Growth Alliance (QGA). The report and companion bibliography are available on the QGA website. The report was recently summarized in a seattlepi.comarticle. The second, the recently released Futurewise/GGLO “Transit Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State.

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U.S. to unleash millions for streetcar, bus projects to reduce pollution

The Oregonian
Dylan Rivera // December 1, 2009

The Obama administration today announced it wants to spend $280 million on urban neighborhood mass transit projects, such as streetcars and bus facilities, in an effort to make more livable communities that reduce pollution.

The news marks the first batch of money for a new Livability Initiative, which U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has characterized as a way to make cities more like the Portland area, where the streetcars, light rail lines and local land use policies promote walkable urban neighborhoods.

The money amounts to pocket change in the context of the billions of federal spending on transportation each year. It makes use of money Congress designated for mass transit projects, but which the Bush administration did not spend. It could help Portland's efforts to grow with streetcar lines beyond the downtown area and grow business for Clackamas-based United Streetcar, the only U.S.-based maker of modern streetcars.

"This represents a significant effort to promote livable communities, improve the quality of life for more Americans and create more transportation choices that serve the needs of individual communities," LaHood said. "Fostering the concept of livability in transportation projects will stimulate America's neighborhoods to become safer, healthier and more vibrant."

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the Green Top 10 for 2010

the Original Green
December 29, 2009

10 the Offshoring Reversal
9 the Sustainability of Preservation
8 Gizmo Green Gets Exposed
7 the Meltdown Vacuum
6 the Return of the Garden
5 the Re-Coding of the City
4 the Return of Durability
3 the Emergence of the Live-Work
2 the Big Convergence
1 the New City

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Mayor Speaks on Dallas' Strong Foundation of Can Do Spirit

Dallas Morning News Op-Ed
Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert // December 31, 2009

The coming of a new year and moving into a new decade provides an opportunity to reflect on where we have been and what lies ahead. In the face of this economy, Dallas has moved forward like no other city, and we have laid the foundation for even more progress in the decade ahead. The "can-do spirit," that belief in tomorrow, is again alive in Dallas. In fact, I believe at the next decade change, in 2020, people here will look back on this period as a historic point in our city's timeline that reshaped our image in a positive way, putting Big D on a world stage.

Through actions like comprehensive green building standards and the purchase of renewable energy, we are now recognized nationally as one of the leaders in addressing environmental challenges.

We'll also look back on this period as the time when downtown Dallas finally turned a corner. We welcomed AT&T, Tenet and more than 50 other companies into the city core, and major firms like Oncor and Deloitte renewed their commitments to downtown. Thousands of residents also chose downtown as home.

And we provided compassionate support for the homeless at the Bridge and, in doing so, enhanced the investments we have made in downtown.

Through strategic investments and the commitment of this community, we have built a foundation that will ensure a strong, vibrant economy in the future. And this was the time we invested in our future with the Dallas Convention Center hotel.

I also believe we'll look back at this period as the launch of southern Dallas investment – a time when businesses, developers and investors saw the future in this part of the city. In the last few years, the foundation has been laid for more investment in this area than at any time in the past. DART light rail, the Inland Port, UNT-Dallas and other investments in the southern half of the city have created the impetus for a new economic engine to benefit the entire region.

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New Year’s Resolutions for Cities: 10 Keys to Sustainability Planning Success

The City Fix

Don Knapp // December 30, 2009

Any serious New Year’s resolution requires a plan. But a mayor’s pledge to make his city more sustainable takes a lot more planning effort than your vow to drop 10 pounds. Crafting a comprehensive sustainability plan, even without procrastination, can take a full year for a city, and involve close coordination among dozens of individuals.

Trailblazers like New York City and Minneapolis have already shown that the end product is worth the effort: a detailed blueprint to combat climate change, save energy and taxpayer dollars, nurture solid economic development, renew infrastructure, and improve public health and education for all.

The planning lessons from these leaders were distilled in a Sustainability Planning Toolkit, released last month by ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability USA to its 600 U.S. local government members. Boil down those lessons even further and you get 10 keys to sustainability planning success, listed below. They’re worth a read for urban planners, plumbers, lawyers—anyone who lives in a community that values sustainability and is beginning its sustainability planning process.
It may encourage you to know that such communities are becoming more common. A 2009 Living Cities survey found that four in five of the 40 largest U.S. cities consider sustainability among their top five priorities. Approximately one-half are either currently creating sustainability plans or have finished one within the past year, and another one-quarter finished their plans earlier. For cities, towns, and counties, the keys to sustainability planning success are the same.

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