Thursday, November 20, 2008
News Atlanta Regional Commission recognized by EPA for smart-growth model
Posted by Thomas Wheatley @thomaswheatley on Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 9:46 PM
The Atlanta Regional Commission's innovative program to help local communities benefit from the spot-planning blunders of their pasts has garnered the organization the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Smart Growth Achievement Award.
Since 1999, the Livable Centers Initiative (LCI) program has helped local communities design vibrant "town centers" where residents can live, work and play. Local governments apply to the commission for grants that pay for planning studies. To date, more than $141 million has been allocated.
Sounds mundane, but it's actually cool. The program has sparked the interest of planning organizations across the nation as regions are finally trying to figure out how decades of sprawl can be retrofit to create town centers, increase areas of activity, and rethink transportation corridors. Think of it as making sense of exurban eyesores and annoyances. Or turning jalopies into Jaguars. Alliteration abounds!
The commission says the initiatives also help kickstart economic development while benefiting public health and the environment. The idea: More walkable communities encourage people to drive less and get around on their feet. This in turn reduces congestion and improves air quality while bringing people closer to their shopping needs and workplaces. And it's been working:
Since the first LCI grants were awarded in 2000, more than 84,500 residential units, 20 million square feet of commercial space, 12,000 hotel units and 40 million square feet of office space are either planned, under construction or complete in these areas.
There's a problem, however: This year marks the last the funds are committed to the program.
EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson presented the award to Dan Reuter, the commission's land use division chief and LCI program manager, at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
For more info on LCI's, visit the ARC's website.
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