Title: Smart Growth in Rural Communities Part of the Blueprint for Health
1Smart Growth in Rural Communities- Part of the
Blueprint for Health
- Darlene Ahrens, District Director
- April 20, 2007
2Principles of Smart Growth(The Smart Growth
Network)
- 1. A shot at the American dream of opportunity
for all. - 2. Safe, convenient neighborhoods with homes that
people can afford. - 3. Development decisions that are fair to
everyone.
3- 4. Investing taxpayer money wisely in our
communities. - 5. Protecting and preserving our natural heritage
and working lands. - 6. Freedom to choose how we get around.
- 7. Healthy communities for all ages.
4- 8. Places designed for people.
- 9. A lasting legacy in our communities.
- 10. Growth and development that improves our
communities. - (Smart Growth Network smartgrowth.org)
5What is the link?
6One of the Smart Growth Principles
- 7 Healthy Communities for All Ages
7Streets that are safe and comfortable for walkers
and bikers encourage people to get more exercise
as part of their daily routines.
8Having transportation options besides cars helps
reduce traffic and air pollution.
9Preserving green space helps protect water
quality while making communities more attractive.
10Make it easy
- Research shows that when a community is
- designed to be easier to get around, people can
- more easily incorporate physical activity into
- their daily lives.
11Places designed for activity
- These usually enable people to stay in the same
neighborhood as they get older, - AND remain active longer
12It fits
- Making the healthy choice the easy choice can
encourage physical activity and reduce pollution.
13What our Blueprint community did!
1
- First, we asked the town manager and one of
- the principle people in community development
- to attend a National Smart Growth Conference.
14So.....
- Mark Your Calendars!The 7th Annual New Partners
for Smart Growth Building Safe, Healthy and
Livable Communities Conference will be held
February 7-9, 2008 at the Marriott Wardman Park
Hotel in Washington, DC.
15Next
- Those two members of our community came back and
talked to their zoning and planning boards. - They learned of things they were doing right and
things they could do differently. - They had to take information from much larger
towns and cities and apply it to the rural area.
16Then...
- We hosted a Smart Growth Summit with the keynote
speaker from EPA talking specifically about smart
growth in rural communities - We made sure there were resources from Vermont
for questions about village designation and tax
benefits for preservation.
17What are our plans for the future ?
- Our Fit and Healthy Coalition and individual
members are and will continue to work with the
Chamber of Commerce and with the Regional
Development Association to inform and encourage
smart growth practices wherever possible. - We have worked with the Zoning Commission to have
them consider Smart Growth principles in the
permit process.
18- Our work is just beginning. Our role is one in
which we will strive to educate both the
officials of the towns and the public about how
the design of a community, its growth patterns
and the planning process can have significant - implications for the health of our communities
for many years to come.