GROWTH MANAGEMENT TOOLS AND PROGRAMS TARGETING SPECIFIC OUTCOMES WITH NON-MARGINAL INSTITUTIONAL CHANGE

Communities across the country are struggling to accommodate population growth and economic development while limiting negative impacts of associated land development patterns.. At federal, state and local levels, policies and programs are being implemented in an attempt to mitigate the negative impacts of growth. Many of these programs are united under the concept of Smart Growth. There are numerous resources available that explain and describe applications of tens, if not hundreds, of smart growth tools (for example: see ICMA, 2003). The purpose of this paper is to highlight a few growth management programs that have incorporated tools characterized by fairly significant institutional changes. Of particular interest are the economic incentives and disincentives created by the institutional change. First, sprawl and growth management are defined. Next, the role of federal policy in growth patterns is reviewed briefly. Third, specific examples of growth management policy tools are provided. Finally, several policy issues critical to the achievement of growth management are discussed. Because this paper was initially presented as a general resource for public policy educators, the background material references include an internet site where available.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Greening Historic DC: Challenges and Opportunities to Incorporate Historic Preservation into the District\u27s Drive for Sustainable Development

This paper focuses primarily on the District of Columbia, a city with a robust past and a bold agenda for a sustainable future. However, it may not be obvious why historic preservation - a movement typically concerned with aesthetics - can play an integral role in a city\u27s sustainability initiative. Therefore, this paper first sets forth the basic argument why historic preservation can be a tool to promote sustainable development. Part II examines the scientific data indicating that historic preservation is a green building practice. Next, Part III posits that investment in historic districts is an investment in sustainability. Then, Part IV gives an overview of the recent efforts by the National Trust for Historic Preservation to bolster this argument, including the National Trust\u27s collaboration with the U.S. Green Building Council, which has yielded significant changes to the LEED rating system. The remainder of this paper focuses on the efforts of the District. This paper identifies challenges and opportunities for the city\u27s historic preservation program as the city commits to a sustainable future

Open Space Acquisitions and Management Opportunities in the City of Atlanta and Adjacent Jurisdictions

The great cities of the world are distinguished by their public parks. The urban fabric of New York, Barcelona, Berlin, Moscow, Paris, Rome, Sydney, and Shanghai are all woven around great parks. Yet, with all of Atlanta's outstanding achievements, the City and the region have a notably undistinguished park system. In a study conducted by the Trust for Public Land and the Urban Land Institute, Atlanta ranks near the bottom of the nation's largest 25 cities in acreage of parkland per capita with 7.3 acres for every 1,000 residents. Compare that to Austin, Texas' 39 acres per 1,000 residents or Oklahoma City's 43 acres per 1,000 residents and it becomes clear that something is amiss in metro Atlanta.This study identifies the obstacles to acquiring and maintaining open and green spaces in the metro Atlanta region. Addressing open space shortages in metro Atlanta is a sizable task. This study could be considered the first step in a larger process. Time spent researching the various obstacles and opportunities regarding open space acquisition raised many questions that are beyond the scope of this project. A second phase might test the recommendations made in this phase by working with local officials on a few select projects, and begin to identify critical pieces of property in metro Atlanta that must be protected from development. A detailed inventory of significant open space and natural resources in the metro area that includes the existing inventory of land inside of Interstate 285 should be considered either as a separate study or included in this recommended second phase

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN HISTORICAL AREAS USING THE TOURIST TRAIL APPROACH: A CASE STUDY OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGE AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (CHUD) PROJECT IN SAIDA, LEBANON.

Cultural assets are vital aspects for any urban development process. Their importance increases considerably in historical areas, where the richness of cultural heritage has the ability to motivate cultural tourism. This paper emphasizes the sustainable development of urban historical areas based on their potential as cultural tourism sites. It argues that to guarantee the sustainability of any development intervention in these areas, a master planning process must be undertaken to balance all of the aspects of development. It tackles the interconnectedness of these aspects as an approach to their simultaneous development. As a focus of study, this paper raises a question about the ability of a \u27heritage trail\u27 an area of direct interactions between parties sharing in urban development in historic areas¬to achieve the sustainability goals of the involved areas. To answer this question, the paper investigates three nodes of interaction stimulated by the heritage trail: conservation and rehabilitation, interpretation, and micro-economic development. To illustrate the validity of the proposed approach, this paper discusses the heritage trail as an approach used in the Cultural Heritage and Urban Development (CHUD) project in the historical core of Saida (Old Saida), Lebanon as a case study

Review of Neighborhood Revitalization Initiatives

This document presents introductory information gathered on a wide range of neighborhood revitalization initiatives

Post-war Reconstruction: Concerns, Models and Approaches

This article focuses on constructive critique, recognition of avoidable mistakes, and speculation about viable, large-scale post-war reconstruction projects. The ideal outcome would be identification of such a project, suitable for near-term implementation, that could illuminate existing best practices along with innovative new approaches to an old proble

How local regulations can help meet our housing needs

Gretchen Weismann and Maggie Adams of Northeastern University's Center for Urban and Regional Policy analyze how building codes and zoning regulations affect housing costs and impede the construction of affordable housing. They also profile successful regulatory practices around the country.Housing

Urban regeneration policy impacts on the future of city-a comparative study in European and the Turkish context

Thesis (Master)--Izmir Institute of Technology, City and Regional Planning, Izmir, 2007Includes bibliographical references (leaves: 228-239)Text in English; Abstract: Turkish and Englishxv, 251 leavesThe aim of this thesis is to not only understand urban regeneration issues, but also to examine European and Turkish urban regeneration examples with making comparative study between them to present necessity and importance of urban regeneration for the future of cities. Cities, which have been result of the social, economical, physical and cultural interaction, have developed urban policies for urban areas where have experienced rapid change and transformations not only to keep step with this transformation and solve urban problems revealed after these changes but also to provide new urban requirements of people. Urban regeneration issue has been key element for renewing, re-evaluating of places where have been lost their economic activity, social and physical functions. In this framework, firstly aim of this study has been identified and definition of urban regeneration has been made as an introduction. Motives and results of transformation of cities have been determined. Evaluation of general framework of urban regeneration has been described with basic definitions of urban regeneration tools. Objectives of urban regeneration issue have been presented in terms of social, economical, physical and cultural. Urban regeneration process, strategy and policy in five different European countries have been described. Urban regeneration examples in these countries have been examined evaluated, specified according to characteristic features. Evolution of urban regeneration in Turkey has been stated with motives behind and then some urban regeneration examples have been examined. As a consequence, comparative study between Europe and Turkey has been made in respect of motives, objectives and results. Importance and necessity of urban regeneration projects for future of the city has been presented

Modes, Means and Measures: Adapting Sustainability Indicators to Assess Preservation Activity\u27s Impact on Community Equity

Preservation of and reinvestment in the built environment as a redevelopment tool has been used by cities and towns across the country, in many cases providing significant social, economic and environmental benefits. Potential social effects have often been the least explored aspect of sustainable development, especially with regard to preservation, yet they are often the most challenging, particularly given the potential for displacement. This thesis reviews literature where the issues of preservation, redevelopment and sustainability intersect. A set of best practices was developed that can be applied to other cities and towns to help balance preservation- and equity- enhancing activities. Another result of this research is the development of appropriate community indicators to provide means for measuring the effects of preservation on social equity. A selection of the indicators will be applied to two selected case studies (Northampton and Pittsfield, MA) to explore how such indicators can work as a measurement tool, how to best adapt them for a community, and their comparative strengths and weaknesses. The findings section addresses the data at both the fine and coarse grain – for the indicators and best practices as well as for the overall observations from the study process