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Tags: smartgrowth

EPA's new, interactive green homes site

November 20, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably

Tags:
greenbuilding, homes, smartercities, smartgrowth

     The federal EPA has a new and very handy "what you can do" web site on green homes.  Click on a portion of the house and you'll be taken to a page with tips that pertain to that...continued

A close-up look at a revitalization district (Indianapolis, part 2: the challenges)

November 19, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Curbing Pollution , Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably

Tags:
brownfields, community, communitydevelopment, neighborhood, revitalization, smartercities, smartgrowth, vacantproperties

    Earlier this month I began a series of posts about Indianapolis's Smart Growth Redevelopment District, which I have had the honor of advising.  The area in question is a distressed part of the city, two miles northeast of...continued

Living green above the big box

November 18, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , Solving Global Warming

Tags:
bigboxstores, greenbuilding, markettransformation, smartercities, smartgrowth, transitorienteddevelopment

      Cool Town Studios has a very interesting new blog post about an award-winning development called The Rise in Vancouver.  Although the project is anchored by big-box retail, the parking is underground, there are 90 homes above, the...continued

Habitat partners with state, private sector to build affordable LEED-ND project in Oakland

November 17, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably

Tags:
brownfields, community, greenbuilding, habitatforhumanity, LEED-ND, neighborhood, oakland, revitalization, smartgrowth

     Habitat for Humanity's East Bay affiliate is retrofitting a brownfield into 54 affordable homes on two acres of land in Oakland, California.  With excellent location, walkable density, great design, and green features, the Edes Avenue project is participating...continued

Urban education: the next environmental and smart growth frontier

November 16, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Living Sustainably

Tags:
community, education, redevelopment, schools, smartercities, smartgrowth

Today I am pleased to present a very good guest post by my friend and frequent collaborator Lee Epstein:  Reading Kaid's recent posts on the great value (and sometime dearth) of environmentalists engaging on urban redevelopment issues made me recall...continued

New book ‘Green Community’ defines and illustrates sustainable neighborhoods, towns, cities

November 13, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably

Tags:
community, greencommunity, nationalbuildingmuseum, neighborhood, smartercities, smartgrowth, sustainablecommunities

I am most pleased to announce the release of Green Community, a new book produced and published jointly by the National Building Museum and the American Planning Association.  It's a terrific book of essays, if I do say so.  (Full...continued

‘Dangerous by Design’ report faults systematic inattention to pedestrian safety

November 12, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably

Tags:
bicycling, community, driving, neighborhood, safety, smartgrowth, streetdesign, transportation, walking

  Transportation for America's website introduces its important new report, Dangerous by Design, with an attention-grabbing statistic: "In the last 15 years, more than 76,000 Americans have been killed while crossing or walking along a street in their community. More...continued

“Housing First” offers glimmer of hope for homeless veterans, others

November 11, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Environmental Justice , Health and the Environment , Living Sustainably

Tags:
cities, community, homeless, housing, housingfirst, seattle, smartercities, smartgrowth, veterans

On this Veterans' Day, when we remember those who have served, it is troubling to note that, although veterans make up around 9 percent of our population, they comprise 23 percent of our homeless population and fully a third of...continued

Major real estate report: shift to urban living is “fundamental,” outer suburbs may “lack staying power”

November 10, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Green Enterprise , Living Sustainably , Moving Beyond Oil

Tags:
greenbuilding, infill, investment, realestate, smartgrowth, sprawl, suburbs

Last week the Urban Land Institute and PriceWaterhouseCoopers released their well-regarded annual analysis, Emerging Trends in Real Estate 2010.  The report, which has been published for the last 30 years, aims to advise the industry "on where to invest, what...continued

New York state moves to align new infrastructure with smart growth

November 9, 2009

Posted by Kaid Benfield in Living Sustainably

Tags:
infrastructure, newyork, revolvingfund, smartgrowth, sprawl, water

According to a press release issued last week, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis has announced that the agency will update the system used to score applications for clean water infrastructure loans. The changes will...continued

Kaid Benfield
Kaid Benfield
Director, Smart Growth Program
Washington, DC
Co-founder, LEED for Neighborhood Development rating system; co-founder, Smart Growth America coalition; author, Once There...
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