Smart Growth Strategies
for New England
Conference Summary
and Outcomes
Hynes Convention Center
Boston, Massachusetts
February 2, 1999
c/EPA
Region 1, New England
www.epa.gov/regionl
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Conference Sponsors:
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties
Natipnal Trust for Historic Preservation
The Nature Conservancy
New England Chapters of the American Planning Association
New England Governors' Conference
Trust for Public Land
Urban Land Institute
Associate Sponsors:
Associated Industries of Massachusetts
Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire
Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Inc.
Connecticut Conference of Municipalities
Conservation Law Foundation
Council of State Governments
Eco/Eco Civic Forum (Maine)
Environmental Diversity Forum
Grow Smart Rhode Island
International Council of Shopping Centers
Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Maine Association of Planners
Maine Real Estate and Development Association
National Association of Home Builders
New Hampshire Municipal Association
New Hampshire Planning Association
Northeast Watershed Roundtable
US Department of Housing and Urban Development
US Department of Transportation
Vermont Association of Planners
Vermont Forum on Sprawl
Vermont League of Cities and Towns
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UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
\ 1 CONGRESS STREET
I SUITE 1100
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02114-2023
April, 1999
Dear New Englander:
Thank you for your interest in the "Smart Growth Strategies for New
England" conference, which attracted 1,000 participants who eagerly
contributed their ideas and insights for shaping a smart growth agenda for
New England. We hope the following summary of the day captures this
creativity and energy.
You and those of us at EPA-New England treasure the character of our
region - be it our classic villages with a town green and houses clustered
nearby, with adjoining woods and open spaces, or the vibrant and walkable
neighborhoods and converted mill buildings of our great urban centers.
These are the reasons for holding the conference, and the reasons for
bringing a wide range of partners to plan and sponsor the conference.To
protect this character, to regenerate it in some of our cities and towns, and
to create it in new developments - will require the kind of community spirit
and collaboration that was so much a part of our conference.
As you will see in this summary, conference speakers described a number
of successes that are already supporting livable communities in New
England, as well as strategies and challenges needed to support future
efforts. EPA-New England will be supporting these next steps through our
"Smart Growth Action Plan." A description of the Plan is included in the
conference summary, and the full text can be found on our web site
(http://www.epa.gov/region I /).
On behalf of EPA-New England, I express my appreciation for your interest
and efforts. We look forward to working with you. Should you have any
questions, or need additional information, please do not hesitate to contact
Rosemary Monahan at (617) 918-1087 or Tara Tracy at (617) 918-1697.
John P. DeVillars
Regional Administrator
Internet Address (URL) • http//www.epa.gov
Recycled/Recyclable • Printed with Vegetable Oil Based Inks on Recycled Paper (Minimum) 25% Postconsumer)
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A Message from
the Honorable Howard Dean,
Governor of Vermont
April, 1999
Dear New Englander:
It was a pleasure to address the attendees at the "Smart Growth Strategies
for New England" conference. Issues surrounding unplanned growth are of
concern to all residents of this unique corner of America.
Vermont has taken some significant strides toward protecting the social
and economic integrity of our communities. We possess one of the most
stringent statewide development control laws in the United States, Act 250,
which requires all development projects over ten acres to undergo review
by a District Environmental Commission. During the past legislative session
we passed the Downtown and Community Development Act, which creates
a number of incentives for municipalities to focus development in designated
downtowns. Furthermore, during my administration we have conserved over
350,000 acres of farm and forest land to remain open to Vermonters for all
time - most notably the recent acquisition of 133,000 acres of Champion
Lumber Company forest land in Vermont's northeast kingdom.
While we have made enormous progress in our efforts to bolster Vermont's
communities and landscape, there is still work to be done. During this
legislative session we will build on the foundation of our Downtown Act,
and create greater incentives for businesses to locate in our downtowns.
The fight against sprawl is far more than an effort to boost downtown
economics or concentrate growth in designated areas. If we ignore the
threats to communities posed by economic and social homogenization, we
will forfeit those qualities that make New England, and communities every-
where, unique and vital; and in so doing we will jeopardize the very qualities
that make this region such a wonderful place to live.
Sincerely,
7/&*w>y|
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Conference Overview
aThe concept of the "Smart Growth Strategies for New England" conference
grew out of discussions among staff and leaders of the US Environmental
Protection Agency's New England office and many of the agency's partners in
preserving and protecting this special corner of the country. The purpose of
this 1-day conference was to provide attendees with an opportunity to hear
about ways to foster economic growth while protecting natural resources and
quality of life. Specifically, the conference's agenda was comprised of a morn-
ing plenary session, followed by concurrent breakout sessions which focused
on the barriers to and incentives for achieving smart growth. Using a working
lunch format, the agenda then provided for the identification of specific
actions needed to create and support livable communities in urban, suburban,
and rural settings. The conference agenda closed with a plenary summarizing
the lunchtime breakout sessions and a call to action. The speakers and chairs of
all of these sessions represented the region's leaders and experts from various
facets of the development, planning, and conservation communities.
The conference planning committee was comprised of representatives of
diverse organizations. The committee worked together in a cooperative and
collaborative manner, reflecting the overall spirit needed to create and support
livable communities in New England. With EPA-New England, the following
organizations planned and co-sponsored the conference:
> National Association of Industrial and Office Properties
>• National Trust for Historic Preservation
*• The Nature Conservancy
>• New England Chapters of the American Planning Association
> New England Governors' Conference
>• Trust for Public Land
>• Urban Land Institute
Also participating in planning the conference were representatives of the
Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs and the Maine State
Planning Office.
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In addition, the valuable contributions of the conference's associate sponsors
should be acknowledged. These organizations were:
>• Associated Industries of Massachusetts
>• Business and Industry Association of New Hampshire
>• Connecticut Business and Industry Association, Inc.
>• Connecticut Conference of Municipalities
> Conservation Law Foundation
> Council of State Governments
>• Eco/Eco Civic Forum (Maine)
> Environmental Diversity Forum
> Grow Smart Rhode Island
>• International Council of Shopping Centers
> Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
> Maine Association of Planners
> Maine Real Estate and Development Association
> National Association of Home Builders
> New Hampshire Municipal Association
>• New Hampshire Planning Association
>• Northeast Watershed Roundtable
>• US Department of Housing and Urban Development
> US Department of Transportation
> Vermont Association of Planners
>• Vermont Forum on Sprawl
>• Vermont League of Cities and Towns
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Morning Plenary
Setting the Stage: John R DeVillars,
EPA's New England Administrator
Keynote Address: The Honorable Howard Dean,
Governor of Vermont
Signing: Memorandum of Understanding
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Setting the Stage: John R DeVillars, EPA's New England
Administrator
After welcoming the approximately 1,000 attendees, Regional Administrator
DeVillars described the uniqueness and variety of New England - its villages,
urban centers, forests, mountains, and estuaries. He also described the adverse
land use and fiscal effects that unplanned growth is having on the region,
including:
> the loss of more than 1,200 acres of New England's open space a week to
development - including nearly 2 acres each hour in Massachusetts alone
> the development of 26,000 acres in Rhode Island over the past ten years - an
area the size of two Providences - while the state's population has remained
stable
>• the expenditure in Maine of $727 million (1970 - 1995) on new school
construction in fast growing towns, while the state's public school population
shrank by 27,000 students
>• for every $1 in revenue a low-density housing development brings to a New
England municipality, it costs the community as much as $1.50 in increased
expenses to pay for schools, roads, and other services
DeVillars then provided numerous details regarding the environmental impacts
of this unplanned growth. Among those: more than half of all New England's
water pollution now is due to non-point sources; habitat destruction and frag-
mentation are threatening more than 80 percent of the endangered species in
the region; and New Englanders are driving nearly a third more miles than they
were just a decade ago, an increase of another third from the previous decade.
This increased travel accounts for about 40 percent of the smog pollution that
causes violations of health-based air standards for more than 20 days a year in
parts of New England.
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Given these statistics, DeVillars said there is a need for all levels of govern-
ment, as well as other organizations and groups, to work together to solve
these problems. He subsequently announced the "EPA-New England Smart
Growth Action Plan" as the agency's contribution to solving these problems.
The Plan has four major components:
>• building effective partnerships with a wide variety of organizations
such as the conference co-sponsors and associate sponsors, as well as
EPA-New England's federal and state agency partners
> reshaping EPA-New England's programs and policies by using federal
authorities to oppose or modify projects that contribute to sprawl, as well as
to further develop and support efforts such as Brownfields projects and the
Urban Environmental Initiative
>• strengthening local capacity through a "Fundamentals of Smart
Growth" training program and a new competitive grants program
> elevating public awareness through workshops, outreach, and local
conferences across New England
In conclusion, DeVillars said it is particularly important for EPA-New England
to engage a wide range of business, government, and nonprofit stakeholders in
these efforts, given New England's long and rich history of local rule. The full
text of DeVillars' speech and the Smart Growth Action Plan can be viewed on
the EPA-New England web site at http://www.epa.gov/regionl/.
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Keynote Address: The Honorable Howard Dean, Governor
of Vermont
Governor Dean provided an overview of Vermont's efforts to combat
unplanned growth, beginning with a description of Act 250, the state's land use
law that guides and supports economic growth without "paving over the state."
While Act 250 is not without its faults, the Governor said that, for example, the
law's prevention of speculative development had a critical role in averting
major real estate and banking failures during the recession of the early 1990's.
He stated that good land use planning can have economic and unexpected
benefits.
Nonetheless, Vermont is developing rapidly. In the past 20 years, vehicle miles
traveled have doubled, despite only a 25 percent population increase.
Meanwhile, areas such as the City of Burlington and the rest of Chittenden
County are experiencing enormous growth from commercial development.
As a result, the private sector has been an important participant in Vermont's
overall efforts to control sprawl. Among the initiatives the Governor
mentioned are:
>• Government agencies should not be funding roads and sewers that facili-
tate sprawl. Also, state agencies are required by executive order to locate their
offices in downtowns. Further, the Vermont Board of Education adopted a
policy in 1997 that recognizes that schools are an essential part of the com-
munity, by requiring all school districts to thoroughly study renovation
options prior to pursuing new school construction that could occur in green-
fields or outside of a community center. Post Offices also were cited as an
essential component of most downtowns, even doubling as general stores in
smaller communities. Accordingly, the state has discouraged the US Postal
Service from relocation to non-downtown sites.
>• Incentives are needed to draw people to downtowns. Vermont's
"Downtown Bill" is a start, as it provides for tax credits towards reinvest-
ment projects, planning grants, and tax rebates for the rehabilitation of
historical structures. Further, the state has assisted with the development
of downtown parking garages to facilitate people getting to and utilizing
downtowns. Also cited were Vermont's successful negotiations with "big
box" developers such as WalMart, which facilitated their location in two
instances in either an existing development or in a downtown. Vermont's
legislature will be considering a tax cut this year, and Governor Dean stated
his intent to push for a reduced sales tax in downtown areas, as defined by
the Downtown Bill.
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>• Land conservation is an essential component of growth management.
Governor Dean cited an example of a corporate headquarters that received
an initially inappropriate curb cut to locate near national forest land. Instead
of using litigation to stop this development and potentially allowing future
development by another party, an agreement was negotiated with the
developer where a permanent conservation easement was placed on lands
adjacent to the headquarters. The conserved land then was deeded to the
Vermont Land Trust.
Governor Dean concluded his remarks by stating that New England has a
unique opportunity to create land settlement patterns for the next 100 years.
For Vermonters, these 200-year old patterns have created a sense of where
their communities begin and end, as well as a sense of the land, since they are
able to easily access and use it. While not all of New England's residents live in
communities of less than 2,500 as do more than two-thirds of Vermonters, this
sense of community can be created throughout the region, through local
action. To start, he suggested saving critical pieces of land in individual com-
munities and neighborhoods, and creating bike paths out of railroad beds so
people have contact with each other. The Governor stated that this will take
daily work by all involved, in order to measure every proposed project against
what effect it will have on a community's settlement patterns.
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Signing: Memorandum of Understanding
A "Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Smart Growth" was signed
by representatives of:
>> US EPA-New England
> US Department of Housing and Urban Development, New England Area
>• Four agencies of the US Department of Transportation: the Federal
Highway Administration, Massachusetts Division; the Federal Aviation
Administration; the Federal Railroad Administration; and the Federal
Transit Administration
The MOU recognizes that sprawl is an issue of growing national significance,
and that in New England, communities and others are in favor of growth that
is economically, environmentally, and socially smart Based on the "Clinton-
Gore Livability Agenda: Building Livable Communities for the 21 st Century,"
the MOU agencies agreed to undertake specific actions and responsibilities to
achieve this type of growth. For example, each agency will develop an imple-
mentation plan consistent with the Livability Agenda, and will work with each
other and New England communities to provide information and tools in
order to effect smart growth.
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Morning Session Summaries:
"Overcoming Barriers and
Providing Incentives and Tools"
This part of the conference program included seven concurrent breakout
sessions - all focusing on the general issues of overcoming barriers and
providing incentives and tools. Each of the sessions targeted specific aspects
of these issues - for example, siting of commercial development, and
government's role in planning and facilitating growth. The following sections
summariae each of the seven breakout sessions.
(1) Incentives for Smart Growth:
Where and How Should Development Occur?
(2) Encouraging Planned Business Growth:
Siting Commercial Development and Promoting Urban Redevelopment
(3) Tools for Encouraging Smart Growth and Saving Open Space
(4) Keeping Rural Economies Viable
(5) Infrastructure Investments for Smart Growth
(6) The Role of Local, Regional, and
State Governments in Planning for Growth
(7) Reshaping Federal and State Policies to
Encourage Smart Growth
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Morning Session #7—Incentives for Smart Growth: Where and
How Should Development Occur?
Chair:
Philip Langdon, author of A Better Place to Uve: Reshaping the
American Suburb
Speakers:
Anthony Green, Vice President, The Green Companies
Bennet Heart, Attorney, Conser%ration Law Foundation
Evan Richert, Director, Maine State Planning Office
|ohn H\ving, Director, Vermont Forum on Sprawl
Gary Garczynski, Senior Officer, National Association of
Home Builders
Panelists:
\YiJliam Shutkin, Director, New Ecology, Inc.
|ohn Bullard, Executive Director, Family Business Center,
University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth
Before determining where and how development should occur, speakers
agreed that the nation must concur on common definitions of smart growth,
sprawl, and sustainable development, and must understand current patterns
of development in urban, suburban, and rural areas. Agreement on a common
definition will:
>
establish a stronger position to create the framework and incentives necessary
to promote and support sustainable development
> help to overcome existing barriers between the development community and
natural resource managers
Combating sprawl and promoting smart growth will require a combination
of strategies, including education, regulatory reform, and financial incentives/
disincentives. For example:
> citizens need to be educated on the benefits of increasing density, the actual
costs (financial, social, and environmental) of the continuing outward migra-
tion to the "fringe," and the need to change public policies that create
unintended development patterns
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>• the results of consumer choice and preference surveys can be very powerful
planning tools
> downtowns and older, close-in areas can be made more attractive for new
development and redevelopment by streamlining the permitting process and
making zoning more flexible
> tax policies can be changed to favor development and redevelopment
in town centers and downtowns, and to discourage sprawl by assessing
taxes/fees in oudying areas that reflect the actual costs of this type of
development
Innovative approaches - for the use of both existing (e.g., cluster) and new
tools - need to be sought and promoted. An example of the latter, "Why not
fire trucks designed for (narrower) roads instead of (wide) roads designed for
fire trucks?"
Morning Session #2—Encouraging Planned Business Growth
Chair:
David I
David Lee, Vice President, Stull and Lee, Inc.
This session discussed important factors in siring and facilitating business
growth given New England demographics, such as the fact that 20 percent of
the region's population lives outside metropolitan areas.
(A) Siting Commercial Development
Speakers:
Nancy Busnach, President, Busnach Consulting
Susan Houston, Executive Director, Massachusetts Alliance for
Economic Development
Charles Shorter, Director of Real Estate Consulting, E and Y
Kenneth Leventhal Real Estate Group
Case studies identified some of the considerations in siting corporate head-
quarters and other business developments. These include:
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>• the need to be near where employees live, and the importance of staff
retention
>• a productive relationship/partnership with city, state, and others, including
corporate support of traffic and school improvements
> a site within 35 miles of a labor pool, as well as proximity to universities for
graduate labor, research and development, and training collaboration
>• the presence of industry dusters, (e.g., interrelated groups of product and
service providers)
> the proximity of markets as well as the adequacy of utility infrastructure
> the need to optimize and support evolving business operating strategies (e.g.,
operational and functional redeployment opportunities, location attributes,
labor, infrastructure, and real estate incentives)
> 21st century factors, including an educated work force, available real estate,
and after-the-fact incentives
(B) Promoting Urban Redevelopment
Speakers:
Mike Freimuth, Director of Planning and Economic
Development, City of Bridgeport, CT
Tom Ahern, Senior Project Manager, Boston
Redevelopment Authority
AJden Raine, Principal, Raine Associates, Inc.
Larry Charles, Executive Director, O.N.E./C.H.A.N.E.
Case studies from Hartford, Providence, Boston, and Bridgeport identified
the following characteristics common to successful urban redevelopment:
>• the community should be given respect and attention from the beginning,
by creating "community ownership" and facilitating community control
and community accountability
> measure how development contributes to eliminating poverty
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> consider historic preservation needs
> encourage transit-oriented development
>• provide financial incentives (e.g., 30-year tax increment financing, grants, loans)
> consider key site characteristics such as location (e.g., waterfront), as well as
infrastructure and character (e.g., historically industrial) of the
redevelopment area
>• enable consolidation of land parcels
> merge local government development and planning staff to facilitate review
and permitting
Morning Session #3—Tools for Encouraging Smart Growth and
Saving Open Space
Mark Racicot,
Planning Council
Speakers:
Deb Brighton, Principal, Ad Hoc Associates
Thomas Dupree, President, Southern New England
Forest Consortium
Robert Mitchell, Planning Director, Town of Amherst, MA
Julie Iffland, Project Manager, Trust for Public Land
Richard Pfurr, Town Planner, Cheshire, CT
Open space preservation techniques and lessons learned in this session included:
> concentrate and increase density in downtowns and villages
> take advantage of state agricultural preservation programs, and otherwise
protect blocks of farmland
>• funding - start a seed fund, no matter how small, and cooperate with both
land trusts and neighborhoods, as their fund-raising drives can supplement
municipal funding
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> create and utilize flexible cluster zoning bylaws
> consider tax issues and consequences - research the actual tax consequence
of an open space purchase per household; provide current use taxation for
farmland or forest land, or abatements, where appropriate; assess land at its
use value; and look at changing the property tax structure to support social,
economic, and environmental goals
Lessons learned included:
>• innovation, flexibility, and partnerships are critical
>• there is no single solution
> the importance of knowing the constituency and their concerns, involving
the public, and developing reasonable arguments
>• never losing sight that most open space issues become political at some point,
and also that old assumptions (e.g., avoid discussion of costs) can be rewritten
Morning Session #4—Keeping Rural Economics Viable
Andrew YC'hittaker, Editor, The Forest Forum
Speakers:
Stephen Taylor, Commissioner, New Hampshire Department
of Agriculture, Markets, and Food
Charles Niebling, Senior Director of Policy, Society for the
Protection of New Hampshire Forests
Peter Merritt, President, Aquidneck Island Land Trust
Brent Mitchell, Director of Stewardship, Quebec-Labrador
Foundation/Atlantic Center
Panelists:
Jay Healy, Commissioner, Massachusetts Department of Food
and Agriculture and Manager, Hall Tavern Farm
Steve Wight, Owner/Manager, Sunday River Inn
This session explored the inextricable links among three traditionally disparate
concerns: (1) supporting the rural economy (agriculture, forestry, and tourism);
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(2) protecting the environment by promoting smart growth; and (3) maintain-
ing a desirable quality of rural life. Highlights included:
>• the nature and character of farming is changing, and the number of farms in
New England actually increased almost 7 percent from 1992 to 1997
> the profile of a typical farm and farmer is also changing - farms are smaller
in terms of sales, fewer farmers are full time, and more are engaged in direct
sales to consumers
>• marketing strategies must focus on the uniqueness of New England: value-
added products including New England-based promotions (e.g., "Made in
Vermont"), creating and utilizing local niche markets, and direct marketing as
an alternative to wholesale marketing
>• "softer" government programs that provide incentives and marketing sup-
port are more effective than "harder" regulations or protective programs
> rural economics, environment, and community are closely related, and all
should share relevant data in order to make the right decisions regarding
protection of the rural landscape
> if the "rurally-used" (e.g., forestry) land parcel holds development rights,
then eventually it will be developed; purchase or securing of conservation
easements and restrictions, as well as transfer of development rights,
among others, are all important tools to prevent unwanted development
in rural areas
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Morning Session #5—Infrastructure Investments for Smart Growth
__^^^^__
Chair:
Buzz Constable, Senior Vice President, AAX. Pern, Inc.
Speakers:
Stephen Burrington, Vice President/General Counsel,
Conservation Law Foundation
James Dodge, Chairman, President, and CEO, Providence
Energy Corporation
Peter Markle, Division Administrator, Federal Highway
Administration
Jane Lincoln, Deputy Commissioner, Maine Department of
Transportation
Tim Brennan, Executive Director, Pioneer Valley Planning
Commission
Two overarching themes in this session were:
> die need to "download decision-making" and broaden participation in infra-
structure projects to include those at die local level closest to die problem
> die need for a "larger army" of better educated citizens capable of building
support for smart growth when opportunities for capital spending choices
do occur
Specifically and with respect to transportation, panelists emphasized me need for:
>• flexible road building standards to minimise impacts on die environment
> accounting for the potentially negative impacts of road improvements on die
sense of community
> goals diat include improved public transit, greater pedestrian orientation, and
better use of technology and innovation, especially given diat die full cost of
road maintenance typically is not captured by transportation taxes and fees
In addition, die impacts of die telecommunications boom were questioned.
While some believed diat this could exacerbate sprawl due to a reduced need to
commute, others speculated diat die better telecommunication features of
urban centers might serve to keep users more centrally located.
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Panelists emphasized the impacts of sprawl on other utilities as well (e.g., natu-
ral gas, wastewater, drinking water). For example, $18 million was spent in
Rhode Island on expanding natural gas service to new growth areas although
overall population grew very little.
Morning Session #6—The Role of Local, Regional, and State
Governments in Planning for Growth
Chair:
p^k»
Robert Yaro, Executive Director, Regional Plan Association
of New York
Speakers:
John Lipman, Director of Growth Planning, MA Executive
Office of Environmental Affairs
Peg Elmer, Planning Director, Vermont Department of
Housing and Community Affairs
Beth Delia ValJe, Community Planning and Investment
Program Manager, Maine State Planning Office
Armando Carbonell, Executive Director, Cape Cod Commission
(now Senior Fellow, Lincoln Institute of Land Policy)
Marilyn Cohen, Director of Planning and Development,
Town of North Kingstown, RJ
Panelists:
David Begelfer, Executive Director, National Association
of Industrial and Office Properties
David Luberoff, Assistant Director, Taubman Center for State
and Local Government, Kennedy School, Harvard University
Different approaches to planning among federal, state, and local levels of
government were compared and contrasted. In particular, suggestions, strate-
gies, and policy options for better intergovernmental coordination were
addressed. Specifically:
> patience and persistence are needed to institutionalize a community's vision
for its sense of place and its need to preserve it; it is more apparent and
identifiable in some areas and regions than in others
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> state support of local planning efforts and initiatives is needed, including a
definition of planning (which includes more than zoning), to address
unplanned growth through understanding of issues such as market forces,
cultural heritage, and community character
> municipalities must control their own destinies through planning and zoning
initiatives
>• urban, suburban, and rural areas all blame each other for sprawl, but actually,
all three are a symptom of the same problem
>• we must recognize the significant role that property tax based school funding
mechanisms play in land use decisions
>• residents of sprawling development should pay more of the real costs
> cities should be designed and maintained to be more desirable places to live
so people will not be as inclined to leave
> the availability of consumer choices, housing and transportation in particular,
are critical in our society
The following challenges for local, regional, and state agencies were identified:
> more funding is needed for local planning
> collaboration among all levels of government is needed
> local land use policies must be respected when regional and state investments
are made
>• state funding for infrastructure projects must be allocated and targeted,
consistent with local policies, to areas planned for growth
>• state agency regulatory powers should be exercised
>• federal enforcement assistance, as well as funding for state and local
planning, is needed
>• open space lands should be purchased as part of an overall plan, not as
random parcels that are difficult to use or maintain
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> keep and make rural industries sustainable
> make urban and inner suburban communities livable so people do not
want to keep moving
Morning Session #7—Reshaping Federal and State Policies to
Encourage Smart Growth
Chair:
Harriet Tregoning, Director, Urban and Economic Development
Division, U.S. EPA Office of Policy
Speakers:
Keith Laughlin, Associate Director for Sustainable Development
Council on Environmental Quality
Mary Lou Crane, Secretary's Representative, U. S. Department
of Housing and Urban Development
Daniel Varin, Chair, Rhode Island \Xater Resources Board
Peter Clavelle, Mayor, Burlington, \T
Bruce Katz, Director, Brookings Center on Urban and
Metropolitan Policy, The Brookings Institution
The respective roles and interactions among federal, state, and even local
governments that either hinder or help achieve smart growth were considered.
The following principles, specifically related to federal agencies, emerged:
*• the need for collaboration, convening, communication, and change to create
incentives
>• agency roles include bringing together sectors of society at odds with one
another and spreading information at the local level
> the need to address "pro-sprawl" programs such as the Department of
Agriculture's loan programs for housing, commercial, and waste facilities in
rural areas, Housing and Urban Development's rurally-located programs,
some aspects of EPA regulations (e.g., air, water), and the Small Business
Loan Program
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Speakers identified the ways in which the federal government can change policy
to reduce sprawl, including:
>• transportation policy must link transportation projects with current and
projected land uses
>• federal buildings, especially Post Offices, must be located in downtown
neighborhoods or within established commercial centers
>• federal dollars should be invested in upgrading aging urban water and sewer
systems, instead of building new systems that encourage growth
>• public infrastructure funding for downtown projects, as well as incentives to
own homes in urban centers, should be expanded
>• expand the Brownfield program to include funding for cleanups
Solutions at all levels of government should include:
> overcoming the fear of increased density at the local level and offering
financial incentives to encourage it, including the use of basic infrastructure;
>• changing polices that concentrate poverty, and offer incentives to stem
"urban flight," including tax credits and transportation enhancements
> improving the education system in urban areas
>• overcoming the reliance on property taxes to finance local government and
education is needed in order to facilitate the other solutions
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Working Lunch Session Summaries:
"Smart Growth in Practice"
The goal of these concurrent sessions was to identify
what actions are needed to put smart growth into practice.
Participants in the urban, suburban, and rural sessions
discussed their ideas in small breakout groups and then
reported back to the larger session. In turn, each of
the Chairs of these three larger groups in the afternoon
sessions synthesized the principal ideas and recurring themes
from the report-outs, and presented these ideas and themes
to the Conference's afternoon plenary.
The following summaries provide synopses of the three
sessions, as presented in the afternoon plenary.
(1) Rebuilding Urban Communities
(2) Building Better Suburbs
(3) Investing in Rural Economies
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Working Lunch Session #1—Rebuilding Urban Communities
Gregory Watson, Executive Director, Dudley Street
Neighborhood Initiative
Several themes emerged from this session, including the following:
> Taxes. There is a need to rethink the tax system so it is responsive to the
needs of communities. An example is partitioning tax revenue so a percent-
age could be spent on infrastructure improvements and maintenance.
>• Politics. A forum is needed for regional thinking. In particular, it should be
community-based so that urban issues can be brought forward as a priority
for suburban-based legislatures.
> Transportation. Multi-modal and pedestrian-friendly are two improvements
to urban transportation that are needed. This could be achieved through
leverage such as limitations on the construction of new parking garages.
> Education. Reinvestment in inner city schools will change the perception
that urban schools are bad or undesirable.
> Sense of Community. For example, buying local helps residents understand
an urban (i.e., regional) economy. Avoid displacing residents through gentrifi-
cation of urban areas. Improve the quality of life for all urban residents.
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Working Lunch Session #2—Building Better Suburbs
Ch
Job
air:
ohn Mullin, Professor, University of Massachusetts at Amherst
The following subjects were highlighted in this session:
> Zoning. Flexibility and creative use of existing tools are critical. This
includes promotion of regional centers, master planning that addresses
"carrots and sticks," and encouragement of mixed uses.
>• Tax Policy. Options and revisions include real estate transfer taxes, excise
taxes on real estate, and/or broadening uses for gas tax revenue to support
open space purchases and public transportation.
>• Outreach and Education. Outreach is needed to educate citizens, local
officials, and others regarding the cost of sprawl. This should address, in a
meaningful way, issues such as the costs of putting a car on the street and
the costs of losing habitat. This type of information should be brought into
the curricula of all school levels - 1st grade to graduate school.
>• Infrastructure. Infrastructure (existing and planned) should guide where
development should go.
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Working Lunch Session #3—Investing in Rural Economies
Chair:
Wendy Nicholas, Director. Northeast ()ffice. National Trust
Historic Preservation
The following themes were outcomes of this session:
>• Rural Landscape. The importance of retaining the look of villages and
small towns, as well as maintaining public facilities such as schools, roads,
and municipal buildings, was emphasized.
>• Local Master Planning and Leadership. These are necessary tools to
support rural economies and communities.
> Financial Programs. Programs that support the industries that keep rural
land undeveloped include tax policies (e.g., current use taxes) and incentives
such as working capital loans, "Buy Local" and cooperative efforts, and
retirement planning for farmers.
> Education. Outreach efforts regarding sustainable rural economies should
be undertaken to make education materials available.
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Afternoon Plenary
Conference Outcomes: Jerold Kayden,
Associate Professor of Urban Planning,
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Call to Action: John R DeVillars,
EPA's New England Administrator
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Conference Outcomes: Jerold Kayden, Associate
Professor of Urban Planning, Harvard University
Graduate School of Design
After presentation of the outcomes of the Working Lunch sessions on urban,
suburban, and rural issues, Professor Kayden moderated a discussion among
the Chairs of these three sessions. Highlights of this discussion included:
>• Political Realities:
Techniques and tools already exist to achieve smart growth, but political
will, public support and funding often are lacking. For example, there is a
need to follow through on the adoption and enforcement of applicable
local bylaws, as well as to elect courageous politicians who are not afraid
of empowered communities.
Political and economic coalitions must be formed by creating constituen-
cies based on shared interests of issues such as open space, traffic pollu-
tion, and habitat. State leadership remains an essential forum for these
coalitions.
>• Societal and Market Issues:
Public policy must encourage choices in housing, transportation, and
shopping in a market economy. As an example, policy makers must work
with market forces to provide such choices.
Living choices must be better represented and communicated, since
people have trouble envisioning smart growth. Density is not a
four-letter word - if dense communities work, then word will spread.
It should be recognized that "livable communities" is a term with
resonance, indicating and creating an opportunity-based, fair, and
compassionate society.
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Call to Action: John R DeVillars, EPA's New England
Administrator
In closing the conference, Regional Administrator DeVillars thanked attendees
and speakers for their ideas and enthusiasm, and reminded all of the need to
work together to solve the sprawl problem and prevent further environmental
degradation. He also recommitted EPA-New England to implement the
agency's "Smart Growth Action Plan," in support of this cooperative and
collaborative approach. The Action Plan calls for: (1) elevating public awareness;
(2) building effective partnerships; (3) reshaping EPA's programs and policies;
and, (4) strengthening local capacity. DeVillars also announced plans to form a
"New England Smart Growth Partnership" to help shape, guide, and build
upon this Action Plan and the results of the conference. DeVillars encouraged
all present to promote and facilitate smart growth in order to protect New
England's unique environment and make its communities livable.
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