New Jersey Future Blog
Study Confirms Need to Put Teeth Behind State Smart Growth Plans
November 3rd, 2009 by Jay Corbalis
A new study titled, “Managing Growth With Priority Funding Areas: A Good Idea Whose Time Has Yet to Come” highlights Maryland’s efforts at creating priority funding areas to incentivize smart growth land development decisions. The study shows that voluntary incentives alone are not enough to curb sprawl and direct growth. While New Jersey’s track record of curbing sprawl is slightly better than Maryland’s, the recent study shows that we cannot sit idly and expect smart growth just to happen. New Jersey Future recently presented a proposal for giving New Jersey’s state planning process more teeth, in part by providing the State Planning Commission additional independence and authority.
Using the state planning process to determine where and how we grow and preserve is critical to New Jersey’s economic prosperity, environmental health and community equity. If you hope your legislators will work with New Jersey Future and others to support more effective state planning in New Jersey, sign this petition!
http://www.change.org/actions/view/tell_your_elected_officials_to_strengthen_state_planning