National Award fo
Smart Growl
Achievement
NATIONAL AWARD FOR
Smarts Growth
ACH IEVEMENT
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A message from...
EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson
On behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, I am delighted to congratulate
the winners of the 2011 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement. For the past
10 years, the EPA has presented this coveted award to communities that are committed
to creating healthier, safer and more economically and environmentally sustainable
places to live, work and play. This year's winners highlight the exceptional depth and
diversity of smart-growth practices across the nation.
The projects demonstrate the extraordinary value of working together to ensure
that new developments create opportunities accessible to everyone. These are
communities that work for residents, for businesses and for the local economy.
They are also the kinds of places that the EPA, the Department of Housing and Urban
Development and the Department of Transportation work together to foster through
the Partnership for Sustainable Communities. Our federal collaboration aligns
environmental, housing and transportation initiatives to get the most out of every
dollar we invest and to facilitate the kinds of success stories we are honoring with
these awards.
The EPA is proud to share the stories and ideas from these projects so that other
communities can learn from and build upon these successes. Please join me in
celebrating the achievements of this year's winners.
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Across the country, local communities are finding innovative ways to connect people to jobs through
new transit lines, bus routes, and bicycle and pedestrian paths. At the Department of Transportation,
I'm proud that through our work with the Partnership for Sustainable Communities we are empowering
communities to build the efficient, affordable transportation options that will create jobs today and lay a
foundation for future prosperity.
Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood
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EPA created the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in 2002
to recognize exceptional approaches to development that respect the
environment, foster economic vitality, and enhance quality of life. Over
the past 10 years, EPA has received 762 applications from 48 states, the
District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. This year, EPA received
68 applications from 27 states.
The winning entries were selected based on their effectiveness in
creating sustainable communities; creating a robust public involvement
process; generating partnerships among public, private, and nonprofit
stakeholders; and serving as national models.
Award winners were selected by two panels. The first consisted of experts
from the planning and design professions, nonprofits, academia, and
federal agencies. The second was an internal EPA panel that provided
additional comments. EPA's Associate Administrator for Policy,
Michael Goo, made the final award determinations.
Thanks to the Partnership for Sustainable Communities that
HUD forged with EPA and DOT, communities are developing
comprehensive housing and transportation plans that will
give them a built-in competitive edge in attracting jobs and
private investment. In this way, we're not just building more
sustainable communities we're laying the foundation for the
21st-century economy our country needs to compete.
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan
Overall Excellence
Old North St. Louis Revitalization Initiative,
St. Louis, MO: A community redefined and
rebuilt a historic neighborhood to attract
new residents and economic growth while
maintaining its distinctive character.
Smart Growth and Green Building
Silver Gardens Apartments,
Albuquerque, NM: The first LEED Platinum-
certified affordable housing project in the
Southwest puts innovative green design near
reliable transportation options, meeting a
critical public need.
Programs, Policies, and Regulations
Plan El Paso 2010, El Paso, TX:
A comprehensive, transit-oriented
development plan will help link neighborhoods
to greater economic opportunity and to one
another, creating new homes and jobs.
Rural Smart Growth
Maroney Commons, Howard, SD: A green
building generates jobs and teaches rural
communities about innovative environmental
approaches to spur economic development.
Civic Places
Uptown Normal Roundabout, Normal, IL:
A roundabout originally designed to
manage traffic has evolved into a civic
gathering place and an anchor for economic
revitalization, with green features that
benefit the entire community.
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How Smart Growth Protect:
Smart Growth Principles
Mix land uses.
Take advantage of compact
building design.
Create a range of housing
opportunities and choices.
Create walkable
neighborhoods.
Foster distinctive, attractive
communities with a strong
sense of place.
Preserve open space,
farmland, natural beauty, and
critical environmental areas.
Strengthen and direct
development toward existing
communities.
Provide a variety of
transportation choices.
Make development
decisions predictable, fair,
and cost-effective.
Encourage community and
stakeholder collaboration in
development decisions.
In an era of reduced budgets and constrained resources,
governments at all levels are trying to use every dollar wisely
and meet multiple goals with every public investment. Smart
growth approaches allow communities not only to achieve
better environmental results, but to wisely invest their limited
resources to realize multiple benefits.
Today, most communities are looking
for ways to create more jobs and
improve their economies. Smart growth
approaches can help communities
protect their environment, save
money on infrastructure, make money
through increased property values,
and create jobs through maintenance
and reconstruction of infrastructure
or through the renovation of older
structures. At the same time, these
approaches can help communities meet
the market demand from young people
looking for vibrant neighborhoods and
from older Americans looking for a
setting where they can walk safely or
take public transportation to health
care facilities and other needs or
amenities. Safe, compact communities
also save individuals money by giving
them a range of housing choices at
different price points and affordable
transportation options.
But no economic prosperity will
endure without a healthy, safe, clean
environment. Investments in making
communities more environmentally
sustainable can also make them more
economically sustainable.
One of last year's winners,
Smart.Growth@NYC, has invested
heavily in safety improvements to
protect bicyclists and pedestrians.
This approach has reduced pollution,
reduced traffic injuries, and encouraged
people to get exercise by walking
and biking. After Times Square was
converted into a pedestrian-friendly
plaza, the city saw a 35 percent drop
in pedestrian injuries in the area and
a 63 percent reduction in injuries to
drivers and passengers.1 Air quality
also improved dramatically, with
concentrations of nitrogen oxide and
nitrogen dioxide, two pollutants that
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can trigger respiratory problems such as
asthma, decreasing by 63 and 41 percent,
respectively, between 2008 and 2011.2
The benefits go beyond health
and safety to become pocketbook
and quality-of-life issues as well.
Reducing air pollution and injuries
helps individuals save money on
health-related costs. In addition to the
environmental and health benefits,
more than two-thirds of stores in the
area approved of the pedestrian plaza,
showing that this change benefitted
businesses as well as visitors.3
In another example of multiple benefits
from a single project, New Columbia,
a 2007 award winner from Portland,
Oregon, is a former public housing site
that used green design to redevelop
into a mixed-use, mixed-income
neighborhood. Because of this effort,
New Columbia recently landed a new,
full-service grocery store that provides
residents an opportunity to buy healthy,
affordable, fresh food. The store is
also a source of much-needed jobs
for low-income residents. Before the
store opened, the nearest grocery was
a 30-minute bus ride away a serious
problem for a community where one-
third of residents do not have a car. The
new store has already become a meeting
place for families from New Columbia
and surrounding neighborhoods.
These approaches, like those of other
award winners, improve the quality of
life for residents, create vibrant places
that draw private-sector investments
and jobs, and make it easier for people
to stay healthy by being active all
while helping to protect our land, air,
and water.
'Grynbaum, Michael. "A Closing on Broadway Becomes Permanent." New York Times,
City Room blog. February 11, 2010.
2New York City. Press release. "Mayor Bloomberg Announces Latest Results of Health
Department Air Quality Study That Shows Air in Times Square Is Cleaner and Healthier Since
Pedestrian Plazas Were Opened." April 3, 2011.
3Grynbaum.
New Columbia provides a range of housing
opportunities for residents of various incomes.
New Columbia's green street design, including
100 pocket swales, helps reduce stormwater runoff.
The redesigned Times Square includes new
pedestrian areas as a result of the Green Lights
for Midtown project, a major initiative in the city's
efforts to improve mobility and safety, which was
implemented in April 2009.
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City of St. Louis and the
Old North St. Louis
Restoration Group
St. Louis, Missouri
Partners:
City of St. Louis Community
Development Administration,
Affordable Housing Commission,
Land Reutilization Authority,
Cultural Resources Office, and
Planning and Urban Design
Agency; Regional Housing
and Community Development
Alliance; Missouri Housing
Development Commission;
Missouri Foundation for
Health; Missouri Department
of Agriculture; University of
Missouri-St. Louis; and
University of Missouri Extension
For More Information:
Catherine L. Werner
Sustainability Director
City of St. Louis, Mayor's Office
(341) 622-3733
WernerC@stlouiscity.com
Old North St. Louis
Revitalization Initiative
Old North, a historic St. Louis neighborhood, has been
transformed over the last several years through a comprehensive,
locally driven redevelopment strategy that has turned a largely
abandoned area into a flourishing community. Old North now
attracts new residents with its various housing options and
amenities, including a farmers' market, a neighborhood grocery
co-op, outdoor movie presentations, and a history trail.
The downtown neighborhood of Old
North St. Louis, first built in 1 81 6, sat
largely vacant after decades of decline
until 1 981, when a group of engaged
citizens committed themselves to its
recovery. At that time, the historic
neighborhood covered 85 blocks, the
majority of which were underused with
few occupied buildings. Residents,
business owners, and community leaders
formed the Old North St. Louis Restoration
Group (ONSLRG) as a not-for-profit
corporation and laid the groundwork for
the neighborhood's transformation.
Over the last decade, ONSLRG has
engaged area residents in community-
driven practices to achieve concrete
results. Old North's population has
increased 28 percent over the last
decade, reversing a 50-year pattern of
outmigration from the neighborhood.
Residents are now active participants
in everything from design workshops
and building projects to potluck
suppers and "quality of life" meetings
where community members can raise
neighborhood concerns. ONSLRG
also collaborates with a wide variety
of organizations in the public and
private sectors.
Providing a range of housing options
has been critical to Old North's success.
ONSLRG and its partners have created
nearly 200 homes affordable and
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HThe community is like a little town in the middle of the city. The
first week that my shop opened, everyone from business owners
to the neighbors came by and introduced themselves... Old North
is very very family-oriented.
Ebony Wilson, owner of Therapy, a boutique shop
market rate, single-family homes and
apartments by renovating abandoned
historic buildings rather than demolishing
them and by developing on vacant
lots. These efforts have added housing
choices that allowed longtime residents
to stay while attracting newcomers.
ONSLRG has also completed several
large community design projects. Two
main blocks have been redeveloped with
new sidewalks, benches, street trees, and
streetlights. The changes, which required
rehabilitating 27 vacant buildings,
reconnected the commercial district to
the neighborhood.
Old North has varied amenities,
including restaurants and shops, all
within walking distance of homes.
In the past four years, ONSLRG has
organized a farmers' market, supported
eight community gardens, and initiated
a grocery co-op to encourage healthy
eating and lifestyles and to create new
jobs. New streetscape improvements
make walking safer and more pleasant
and take advantage of the area's
gridded street pattern. These changes
in Old North used innovative financing
from both public and private sources,
requiring the community to creatively
use block grants, historic tax credits,
affordable housing financing, and land
donated by the city.
Old North has used complementary,
forward-looking strategies that encourage
a mix of land uses, promote walking,
rehabilitate vacant buildings, support
varied housing choices, and establish
green spaces. The revitalization shows
the success of a grassroots effort to
reinvigorate a struggling neighborhood by
investing in its people and respecting its
historic character.
Residents enjoy a guided bicycle tour around
Old North.
The North City Farmers' Market, launched in
2007, provides free health screenings and
healthy cooking demonstrations.
After 33 years as a pedestrian mall, two
neighborhood blocks were reopened to vehicular
traffic yet remain pedestrian-friendly.
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City of Albuquerque
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Partners:
City of Albuquerque; Romero-
Rose, LLC; Silver Gardens I, LLC;
Historic District Improvement
Company; Enterprise Community
Investment, Inc; and the
Supportive Housing Coalition of
New Mexico
For More Information:
Doug H. Chaplin
Associate Director, Department
of Family & Community Services
City of Albuquerque
(505) 768-2745
dchaplin@cabq.gov
Silver Gardens Apartments
Silver Gardens Apartments is a 66-unit affordable housing
development located on a reclaimed brownfield site in downtown
Albuquerque. Situated across the street from the city's primary
transit hub, Silver Gardens is the Southwest's first Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum affordable
housing development and the first affordable housing project in
the nation to sell carbon offsets.
Silver Gardens Apartments provide
homes for residents with a mix of
incomes in a transit-accessible and
innovatively financed green building
downtown. The project is on a
reclaimed brownfield a former
bus depot and repair shop along a
main commercial street in central
Albuquerque. Restaurants, shops,
museums, theaters, schools, and
other amenities are all within easy
walking and biking distance, and the
transportation center across the street
is the hub for city and regional buses,
regional light rail, and train service. The
building, designed with the input of
nearby residents to ensure that it fit into
the surrounding neighborhood, provides
much-needed workforce housing in
Albuquerque's downtown, which was
important to the business community.
More than half the units offer deeply
subsidized affordable housing, targeting
tenants earning 60 percent or less of the
area median income, including several
renters who were previously homeless.
Another 15 percent are market-rate
apartments, and several units are set
aside for special-needs residents.
The colorful Silver Gardens building
creatively incorporates sustainable
design and other innovative elements.
Before and during construction,
unsuitable soils were "flipped" safely
beneath clean soil on the site, saving
landfill space and the 1,300 gallons of
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We have been able to make a real difference in downtown
Albuquerque and help improve the lives of hundreds of people.
Jay Czar, Executive Director, New Mexico Mortgage Finance Authority
fuel that would have been needed to
transport the waste. More than
85 percent of the construction refuse
was recycled. The apartments boast
blown-in cellulose insulation,
ENERGY STAR appliances, energy-
efficient glazed windows, and insulated
water pipes, making the apartments
40 percent more efficient than
conventionally built counterparts. A
central 15,000-square-foot courtyard
has provided a playground, picnic
space, native landscaping, and artwork.
The downtown location and the
transportation options further reduce the
residents' energy footprint and costs
by making driving optional, as evidenced
by frequently full bicycle racks.
Funding for the project came from a
variety of sources federal Low Income
Housing Tax Credits, the city's Workforce
Housing Trust Fund, the New Mexico
Sustainable Building Tax Credit, and
private foundations. As a condition of its
financing through the Workforce Housing
Trust Fund, Silver Gardens will maintain
its affordable housing status for at least
90 years. Revenue the building receives
in state tax credits for its LEED Platinum
status helps provide assistance for Silver
Gardens' low-income residents, including
an on-site social services coordinator.
Silver Gardens also sells its carbon
offsets, making it the first affordable
housing development to take advantage
of this tool, and has used those funds to
install solar panels on the roof.
Silver Gardens provides attractive homes
for low-income residents, puts workers
close to downtown businesses, and uses
energy and other resources efficiently.
With more than 130 people already on the
waitl ist for the second phase of apartments
under construction, the project is expected
to continue transforming and revitalizing
downtown Albuquerque.
The apartments are across from the Alvarado
Transportation Center, a regional transit hub.
Silver Gardens is an ENERGY STAR Multifamily
Pilot. Rainwater collected in an underground
cistern irrigates the landscaping, and rooftop solar
panels and a wind turbine provide electricity.
The building's courtyard incorporates art from
local Native American artists.
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City of El Paso
El Paso, Texas
Partners:
Texas Department of
Transportation; Sun Metro;
Dover, Kohl & Partners; and
Project Navigator
For More Information:
Mathew McElroy
Deputy Director for Planning
and Economic Development
City of El Paso
(915) 541-4322
mcelroymx@elpasotexas.gov
Plan El Paso 2010
With the help of robust community input, Plan El Paso 2010
created a vision for three environmentally sustainable, transit-
oriented neighborhoods linked by bus rapid transit and anchored
by the redevelopment of a former industrial site. El Paso rezoned
the industrial site to make redevelopment easier and plans to use
the new zoning around the city.
A city of more than 750,000 residents
on the U.S.-Mexico border, El Paso
was concerned about a variety of
converging factors. Automobile-oriented
development was isolating residents,
while the upcoming expansion of a
nearby military base created the need for
thousands of housing units and increased
infrastructure. In response, the city
initiated Plan El Paso 2010, an effort to
create more environmentally and socially
sustainable communities connected by a
bus rapid transit (BRT) network.
El Paso's BRT is intended to improve
the speed and reliability of transit
between neighborhoods by integrating
facilities, services, and amenities into one
transportation system.
The public shaped this vision for
growth during a two-week workshop
that included more than 30 meetings
with residents, businesses, and other
stakeholders and hands-on design
sessions where participants could sketch
out ideas. Since over 70 percent of
El Paso's residents speak Spanish as their
primary language, the city conducted
bilingual outreach to as many residents
as possible, and a translator was present
at all public events. The far-reaching plan
was unanimously approved by the city
council in 2009, and BRT construction
began in 2010.
Plan El Paso 2010 creates transit-
oriented development in four areas:
The Oregon Corridor, which
connects a key U.S.-Mexico border
crossing, the central El Paso business
district, the University of Texas at
El Paso, and other civic and cultural
destinations. Bus and BRT lanes are
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I am a lifelong resident of El Paso. I've seen the city grow from a
prosperous city in the 1950s to a sprawling, large city with all of
the problems that come with it. Connecting El Paso is a huge step
in the right direction which will help the city bring back its quality
and prosperity through smart growth.
Charlie Wakeem, resident and Coronado Neighborhood Association president
currently being constructed to replace
existing parallel parking.
Five Points, a historic community,
formerly connected to downtown via a
streetcar line that shut down decades
ago, contains homes and businesses in
need of revitalization.
Remcon Circle, the site of a BRT transfer
station and a spread-out shopping
area that is slated to be retrofitted to a
walkable neighborhood with homes,
offices, stores, and green spaces.
The former location of the American
Smelting and Refining Company
(ASARCO), a 600-acre brownfield sits
on one of the BRT routes. ASARCO is
envisioned as a mixed-use, walkable,
compact redevelopment that will
stimulate cooperation between
El Paso and its cross-border neighbor,
Ciudad Juarez.
The city council rezoned the ASARCO
site using SmartCode, which will also
apply to the other three neighborhoods.
SmartCode emphasizes the form and
design of buildings rather than their uses.
It encourages mixing retail, businesses,
and homes and requires streets to be
welcoming to pedestrians, bicyclists, and
drivers. It also helps create and protect
parks, greenways, arroyos (seasonal
streams), and open space.
The city hopes that the new development
in these four neighborhoods will provide
welcoming streets and convenient
destinations that give residents places to
socialize in their neighborhoods, make
them feel safe walking to local stores, and
better connect them to the rest of the city
with the BRT. By reinvesting in existing
neighborhoods and preserving historic
structures, El Paso honors the past and
reinforces its sense of place.
r^
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I T"
When completed, the BRT system will provide
transportation choices to connect residents to
downtown El Paso.
A rendering of the future Oregon Street BRT line.
Plan El Paso 2010 engaged the public to provide
detailed input during hands-on workshops on the
design of their neighborhoods and the vision for
the city's future growth.
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Miner County Development
Corporation and the Rural
Learning Center
Howard, South Dakota
Partners:
City of Howard; Miner County;
U.S. Department of Agriculture;
American Institute of Architects
South Dakota; Citi Foundation
For More Information:
Kathy Callies
Vice President for Advancement
Rural Learning Center
(605) 772-5153
Kathy.callies@
rurallearningcenter.org
Maroney Commons
With just over 850 residents, Howard is reimagining what it means
to be rural with Maroney Commons. The Commons, built with
green building techniques, is a mixed-use complex with a hotel,
a conference center, a restaurant, and offices that will help rural
residents learn about green jobs and technology.
The story behind Maroney Commons
began over a decade ago, when
Howard High School students
launched a successful "buy local"
campaign to increase sales tax revenue
in Miner County. The effort generated
nearly $1 6 million in additional gross
sales for Howard, the county seat,
in its first year and inspired Miner
County's residents to engage in a
community visioning process. The
visioning process, combined with the
growth of the wind energy industry in
Miner County, led to the development
of the Maroney Commons.
Although the town could have built
the new facility on 40 acres of donated
land outside of town, Howard residents
instead chose to reinvest in their
downtown by demolishing and
salvaging materials from dilapidated
buildings on Main Street, putting
Maroney Commons at the center of
the community. Intensive workshops
gathered citizens' input throughout the
design process.
With the community's input, Maroney
Commons contains a restaurant, a
community kitchen, a fitness center,
retail space, a hotel, and meeting
space. This multi-use community
facility will provide educational,
social, and business opportunities
for not just Miner County residents,
but rural communities all across the
region. The facility is expected to
create 1 3 fulltime jobs and bring the
local economy more than $6 million
per year. Profits will likely allow the
building to be self-sustaining within
three years.
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HThis is wonderful to have reused the old materials and built
something that looks to the future. You have to believe it can be
done and this building will help people do that.
Lulu Anderson, Maroney Commons volunteer
Maroney Commons is located downtown and
blends into the streetscape.
Maroney Commons has raised the bar
both through its innovative design
and construction and its educational
opportunities for rural residents. One of
the first LEED Platinum-certified buildings
in South Dakota, the building has solar
panels, a wind turbine, geothermal heating
and cooling, porous outdoor pavement,
rainwater capture and storage, and native
landscaping. Materials gathered from
demolished Main Street buildings were
recycled and reused during construction;
the wood floor from an old gymnasium
is now the floor of the restaurant, and
Maroney Commons' siding came from
an old American Legion hall. Real-time,
touch-screen displays of the wind and
solar energy produced at the building help
visitors understand these technologies.
The conference center, which holds
up to 300 people, was designed for
training in green energy jobs and rural
health care. The facility also hosts
design:South Dakota, a team of architects
and community development experts
who travel statewide helping residents
reimagine their rural communities
through design workshops. Eighty percent
of South Dakota's population lives within
1 00 miles of Howard, making the center
accessible to many small-town residents.
Maroney Commons serves as a model
for other rural towns looking to
create vibrant community places that
strengthen Main Streets, help residents
learn new skills to compete in the
21st-century economy, and demonstrate
environmentally responsible, energy-
efficient design. Its message that "Rural
is a good investment!" can inspire other
towns around the nation.
The restaurant reuses the floor from a basketball
court and incorporates the bleachers in the ceiling.
Maroney Commons will become a national
training center for wind energy technicians.
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Town of Normal, Illinois
Normal, Illinois
Partners:
Hoerr Schaudt Landscape
Architects, Farr Associates,
and the Illinois Department
of Transportation
For More Information:
Mercy Davison
Town Planner
Town of Normal
(309) 454-9590
mdavison@normal.org
Uptown Normal Roundabout
The Uptown Normal traffic roundabout doesn't just safely
manage traffic flow, it also brings together residents in an
attractive public space, diverts thousands of gallons of untreated
stormwater away from a creek, and contributes to the town's
economic development. The roundabout serves as a central civic
space for Normal, which had previously lacked a true town center.
Normal, Illinois, has transformed a busy
five-way intersection into a roundabout
and an attractive, green civic space. The
roundabout moves traffic at lower, more
predictable speeds, which reduces the
time vehicles spend idling and the areas
with potential for crashes. The result is a
safer and more efficient traffic flow with
less air pollution due to fewer emissions.
The roundabout design complements
the multimodal transportation station the
town is currently constructing next to it
with a U.S. Department of Transportation
grant. The station, which will eventually
have high-speed rail service, and the
roundabout take advantage of existing
infrastructure, bus service, and the town's
historic central business district.
The one-third-acre roundabout does
much more than move cars. It invites
pedestrians with shade trees, benches,
lighting, bike parking, green space, and
a water feature. People have lunch, read,
and play music, and the open space
invites community gatherings such as a
holiday caroling event. It is the anchor for
a community-wide revitalization and is
part of Uptown Normal's LEED-ND
Silver recognition.
A popular rails-to-trails conversion, the
Constitution Trail, leads to and around
the roundabout, helping both to revitalize
Normal and to bring people from
surrounding areas to Normal's central
district. A new Children's Discovery
Museum on the edge of the roundabout
already receives over 140,000 visitors
per year, and a hotel and conference
center have recently opened nearby.
One indication of the success of the
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BAs a bicycle commuter, I use the traffic circle every day. It's
quicker and more efficient than a four-way stop and seems to
lower the speed of the motor vehicles so bikes and cars are all
going about the same speed.
Mike McCurdy, resident
redevelopment is that property values in
the district have increased by about
30 percent since 2004.
The roundabout's design helps protect the
local ecosystem. Its water feature keeps
runoff out of a nearby creek by pumping
1.4 million gallons of stormwater per
year into the roundabout's outer channel,
where it is filtered by aquatic plants and
redirected into a recycled underground
cistern. Most of the accumulated water
is used to irrigate the town's streetscape
or will simply evaporate, protecting the
creek from unfiltered runoff. On the
outer ring of the roundabout, Normal
planted trees in uncompacted soil using a
technology that allows the trees to grow
larger and live three times longer than
conventional sidewalk trees, saving the
town an estimated $61,000 over 50 years
in replacement costs.
Because of the roundabout's innovative
nature, the project required extensive
negotiation with state transportation
officials, and Normal created marketing
materials that explained how vehicles
circulate around the roundabout. The
town also worked with Illinois State
University, located three blocks away, and
encouraged broad public involvement
with more than 85 public meetings about
the town-wide renewal plan, of which the
roundabout is a central element.
Normal's multi-use roundabout is an
innovative project that turned what
could have been an ordinary intersection
into a true amenity for the community.
With a little creativity, Normal found
a way to reap lasting economic,
environmental, transportation, and civic
benefits from its investment.
Plants filter the roundabout's stormwater and
beautify the water feature.
The roundabout creates a pedestrian-friendly
environment and invites people to enjoy the space.
The roundabout makes the area safer for
pedestrians and motorists by encouraging a
constant, but lower, speed.
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TEN YEARS of Creativity and Commitment
From Seattle, Washington, to the suburbs
of Washington, D.C.; from Maine's
coastal towns to the beach town of
Santa Cruz, California; from a former
military base in Orlando, Florida, to a
current military base in San Diego, the
47 recipients of the National Award for
Smart Growth Achievement over the
past 1 0 years have demonstrated an
impressive range of ideas and strategies
for improving communities.
Challenges like a lack of affordable
homes, underused or blighted properties,
and loss of agricultural land are common
to many communities around the
country. Award winners tackled these
problems and many others with creative
strategies that improved tax revenues,
encouraged new businesses, protected
the environment, and preserved cultural
and historical treasures. They offer models
and lessons for tribal communities, states,
regions, cities, suburbs, small towns, and
rural areas that can help meet short-
term economic challenges and create a
foundation for long-term prosperity.
Affordable housing is often a particular
challenge for senior citizens, disabled
people, and working adults. Award
winners have encouraged more
affordable housing options in innovative
ways. In San Francisco, the Mission
Creek Senior Community (2008), offers
environmentally healthy, affordable
units to seniors and ensures that all units
are accessible to the disabled. Another
California city, Santa Cruz (2004),
created preapproved design prototypes
for accessory dwelling units, also known
as "granny flats," to make it easier for
homeowners to build small units to rent.
This program has been the template
for similar programs across the nation,
providing a low-cost housing option for
seniors, young adults, and others and a
source of income for homeowners.
Miller's Court (2010) in Baltimore
markets affordable apartments in a
renovated historic building to teachers
to encourage them to live in the city.
Breckenridge, Colorado, a high-priced
resort town, cleaned up a former
mining site to develop the Wellington
neighborhood (2002), with homes
reserved for workers who could not
otherwise afford to live near their jobs.
Military families have gotten attractive,
affordable new homes in the Village at
NTC (2003) in San Diego.
Revitalizing underused places where
prior investments have been abandoned
brings new economic activity and
provides homes and amenities. Some
award winners, such as Old Town
Wichita (2006) in Wichita, Kansas,
and Baldwin Park (2005) in Orlando,
have taken advantage of large tracts
to create vibrant neighborhoods with
homes, stores, offices, parks, and
public spaces. Others have used a
single building to spark revival, like the
Moore Square Museums Magnet School
(2003) in Raleigh, North Carolina,
which has encouraged investment in the
surrounding area.
Forward-thinking, long-term planning
and visioning gave many award
winners a road map for growth
and development that makes sure
public funds are invested wisely and
effectively. The Sacramento Region
Blueprint (2004) engaged more than
5,000 community members to create
a growth scenario that is still helping
determine how the region spends its
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transportation and infrastructure money.
San Juan Pueblo (2004) in New Mexico
built on its 700-year history to develop
a long-term master plan that is the first
smart growth model for Native American
tribes and that preserves the pueblo's
distinctive sense of place.
Regional, long-term planning has
also helped a variety of places ensure
that their economically and culturally
important agricultural land and
scenic landscapes are protected from
encroaching development. Lancaster
County, Pennsylvania (2009), directs
growth to selected areas and away from
agricultural land that the county and its
residents want to preserve. On a larger
scale, the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan
region (2010) has been using a similar
model for more than 15 years, designating
growth areas and areas for preservation of
working lands and natural resources, and
coordinating transportation investments to
serve the growth areas.
The National Award for Smart Growth
Achievement winners demonstrate that
growth, development, and conservation,
when done right, strengthen communities,
create economic opportunities, and
protect our environment.
Portland
Metropolitan
Area, OR
San Francisco, CA
c M t \
San Mateo Q Sacramento
County, CA/S Metropolitan
Area, CA
Santa Cruz, CA.
Pasadena, CA/
San Diego, CA/
Since 2002, 47 winners in 24 states have received EPA's National
Award for Smart Growth Achievement. To learn more about these
projects, go to www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards.htm.
Route 1 Corridor, ME
State of Vermont.
Winooski, VT.
Minneapolis-St.Paul
Metropolitan Area, MN
Roxbury, MA
Commonwealth
of Massachusetts
Barnstable, MA
New York, NY
Lancaster County, PA
Baltimore, MD
Silver Spring, MD
Arlington County, VA
Raleigh, NC
Greensboro, NC
Davidson, NC
harlotte, NC
Orlando, FL
IS
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Thanks to our review panel members
Chris Beck
U.S. Department of Agriculture
Kaid Benfield
Natural Resources Defense Council
Frank Ciblin
General Services Administration
Liz Cuthrie
American Society of
Landscape Architects
Anita Hairston
PolicyLink
Cooper Martin
American Institute of Architects
Chris Miller
Piedmont Environmental Council
Vernice Miller-Travis
Maryland State Commission on
Environmental Justice and
Sustainable Communities
Kathy Nothstine
National Association of
Development Organizations
Danilo Pelletiere
National Low Income Housing Coalition
Jeff Price
Federal Transit Administration
Lynn Ross
National Housing Conference and
Center for Housing Policy
Dru Schmidt-Perkins
WOO Friends of Maryland
Jason Schupbach
National Endowment for the Arts
Cretchen Sweeney
U.S. Green Building Council
Jess Zimbabwe
Urban Land Institute
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Photo Credits
Front Cover:
St. Louis, MO: Photo courtesy of Sean Thomas,
Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.
How Smart Growth Protects the Environment (page 3):
Portland, OR: Photo courtesy of Housing Authority of Portland, Oregon.
Portland, OR: Photo courtesy of Housing Authority of Portland, Oregon.
New York City, NY: Photo courtesy of New York City
Department of Transportation.
Award Winners
Overall Excellence in Smart Growth, St. Louis, MO (page 5)
Top and middle: Photos courtesy of Sean Thomas,
Old North St. Louis Restoration Group.
Bottom: Photo courtesy of EPA.
Smart Growth and Green Building, Albuquerque, NM (page 7)
All photos courtesy of Patrick Coulie.
Programs, Policies, and Regulations, El Paso, TX (page 9)
Top: Photo courtesy of Dover, Kohl & Partners.
Middle: Rendering courtesy of Urban Advantage.
Bottom: Photo courtesy of the City of El Paso.
Rural Smart Growth, Howard, SD (page 11)
Top and bottom: Photos courtesy of EPA.
Middle: Photo courtesy of the Rural Learning Center.
Civic Places, Normal, IL (page 13)
All photos courtesy of Scott Shigley, Shigley Photo.
Photo Credits
San Francisco, CA: Photo courtesy of Martin Building Company.
Application Information for 2012
To apply for the 2012 National Award for
Smart Growth Achievement, please check
www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/awards.htm.
Applications will be available in February 2012.
Mint Plaza, San Francisco, winner of the
2010 Civic Places category.
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NATIONAL AWARD FOR
AC H i VI M N
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