Election Recap: How Did Smart Growth Fare?

Tom Madrecki has compiled a roundup of how local land use and transportation related measures fared on Tuesday night. From Maine to Marin, voters approved initiatives to invest in transit, parks, redevelopment, and conservation.

1 minute read

November 8, 2012, 11:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"The good news," says Smart Growth America President and CEO Geoffrey Anderson, "is that across the nation last night, we saw widespread
support for investing in our existing communities. When voters see the
real benefits of putting their tax dollars into a project, they're very
much inclined to support it, no matter what kind of town they're from."

The approval of ballot measures in communities including Arlington, VA; Longmont, CO; and Everett, WA, "highlighted voters' strong support for neighborhood reinvestment and community building." Notable failures were in Alameda and Los Angeles, CA, were voters narrowly rejected sales tax for transportation measures, and Memphis where, "voters strongly rejected a one cent per gallon gas tax to fund transit operations." 

"Where ballot initiatives passed, residents found common ground
strengthening their towns and cities at a local level," Anderson says.
"In an era where money is tight for governments and households, every
dollar is being scrutinized, so it's remarkable how many of these
initiatives passed. And of those that didn't, several nonetheless had
the support of a majority of voters."

Wednesday, November 7, 2012 in Smart Growth America

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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