Recent Streetsblog SF posts about Smart Growth

Dodd’s Livability Bill Earns Praise from Local Governments

By Noah Kazis | Jun 9, 2010 | No Comments

With financial reform nearly complete, the Senate Banking Committee turned its attention today to one of Senator Chris Dodd’s (D-CT) next priorities, the Livable Communities Act. Local government came out strong for the initiative to promote sustainable and integrated regional planning, with representatives of the nation’s cities, towns, counties, and regional planning organizations testifying in favor. Among committee members, […]

“Grow Smart Bay Area” Promotes Development as a Tool for Change

By Matthew Roth | Jun 2, 2010 | 15 Comments

Click the map to enlarge. Image: Greenbelt Alliance. Even as our freeways and bridges in the Bay Area are choked with traffic for hours every day, the population in the region is projected to grow from over 7 million now to over 9 million by 2025. Deciding where to build housing to accommodate the growth […]

Bridge the Gap!

By Chris Carlsson | Jan 27, 2010 | 9 Comments

Photo: Matthew Roth As I climbed the steps out of the Lake Merritt BART station this morning I heard loud chanting. "Wow," I thought, "those bicyclists have really pulled out the troops!" But the demonstrators that greeted me across 8th Street in Oakland were pile drivers, iron workers, carpenters and other trades workers, chanting "Jobs […]

Bay Area Advocates Unveil New VMT Reduction Incentive for Developers

By Matthew Roth | Dec 22, 2009 | 6 Comments

Photo: Michael Patrick Among the many strategies to reduce vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and attendant greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from private vehicles, Bay Area smart growth advocate TransForm has developed a new certification called GreenTRIP to encourage architects, developers, and municipal officials to build transit-oriented development and implement transportation demand management (TDM) solutions for future […]

A Message from Copenhagen: Climate Plan Must Include Walkable Urbanism

By Ben Fried | Dec 9, 2009 | No Comments

The energy-saving benefits of transit aren’t limited to the transportation sector. Image: Jonathan Rose Companies via Richard Layman. At a panel discussion yesterday at the Copenhagen climate summit, American policymakers and transit experts delivered a clear message: Walkable urban development must be part of any effective plan to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks to […]

New Study Quantifies High Personal Costs of Building CA Cities for Cars

By Matthew Roth | Nov 19, 2009 | 10 Comments

Click to enlarge: Annual household transportation costs in the Bay Area. California residents living in sprawling suburban developments could save billions of dollars every year if they lived in denser, urban zones and along transit corridors, according to a study released today by smart growth and transit advocates TransForm. Analyzing four metropolitan areas–Southern California, the […]

Show More Stories