Are you trying to make Smart Growth work in your community? Could you use some help?

The Smart Growth Leadership Institute, funded by a grant from the United States Environmental Protection Agency, is looking for communities that have made a commitment to smart growth but are struggling with implementation, building support, identifying the most problematic policies, and other issues that typically accompany a major change in development practice. We will provide selected communities with significant technical assistance from a uniquely talented and experienced team of policy, planning, development and design professionals, including former Gov. Parris Glendening.

The Smart Growth Leadership Institute is a newly established non-profit organization dedicated to cultivating a new generation of skilled smart growth leaders capable of making smart growth a reality. Our goal is to help communities implement smart growth by overcoming obstacles by providing guidance in areas such as:

-- Assessing your codes and zoning ordinances to identify inconsistencies between "Smart Growth" policies and implementing codes that may still contain obsolete standards.

-- Examining your approval process to identify points in the process where redundant reviews can be eliminated, where timeframes can be shortened or where activities might be permitted to proceed concurrently.

-- Identifying "smart sites," or potential locations for Smart Growth projects.

-- Creating design standards and review protocol that will help achieve Smart Growth objectives and deal with prospective neighborhood opposition.

You can provide us with an initial expression of your interest by filling out a "brief summary" section, which contains four questions (listed below). Please send your responses (no more than one page) to Jessica Cogan at the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, [email protected], and for any additional questions. Please note that initial responses are due by September 26, 2003.

-- Name of community and contact name, address, phone number and email.

-- Describe the type of smart growth issues you face.

-- Discuss the smart growth implementation project you are interested in pursuing and what end result you are trying to achieve.

-- Describe the local interest in your commitment to smart growth.

Related Link: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/sgli.html

For more information contact:

Jessica Cogan
Smart Growth Leadership Institute
1200 18th Street, NW, Suite 801
Washington
DC 20036
USA

Phone: 202.207.3348
Email: [email protected]
Web: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/sgli.html