Working for Smart Growth:
More Livable Places and Open Spaces

 

Cities and Towns

What makes a great place to live?

Friday, August 19th, 2011

CNNMoney’s list of great places to live is a good start, but how about some more smart-growth indicators included in the criteria they used?

Accommodating Growth in Mercer County

Thursday, August 11th, 2011

Development pressures in Mercer County are likely to increase in the next 25 years, exacerbating traffic and loss of open space. Redevelopment is one way to address this problem, by accommodating new growth in areas with existing development and infrastructure. However, redevelopment efforts can face strong public resistance. New Jersey Future convened several groups of thought leaders in Mercer County to examine some of the reasons for this resistance, and to highlight steps that can be taken in the future to minimize it.

New Jersey Cities Breathe Sigh of Relief

Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

Gov. Christie has put transitional aid to cities, accompanied by oversight mechanisms, back in the budget, but has said he wants to wean cities off this aid. Given a half-century of disinvestment in urban areas, that may not be possible as soon as he would like. Until cities’ property tax bases reverse their decline, state aid will still be needed to deliver critical services.

The Mall as Private City

Wednesday, June 29th, 2011

Illuminated by two more decades of hindsight into the evolution of the retail sector, the mall does share some previously under-appreciated similarities with the old downtown that it nearly killed off.

Mutiny in the Meadowlands

Saturday, June 11th, 2011

The Meadowlands’ long-standing and nationally-renowned regional tax sharing program is at risk. For over forty years, this system has enabled sound regional planning and environmental principles to guide the area’s renaissance, rather than competition for ratables.

New Jersey Future Announces 10th Anniversary Smart Growth Award-Winners

Friday, June 3rd, 2011

A diverse group of innovative development and redevelopment projects located in cities, towns and townships across New Jersey will be honored with Smart Growth Awards from New Jersey Future as part of the 10th Anniversary awards celebration and retrospective.

Smart Growth Photo Contest

Wednesday, April 13th, 2011

We are inviting artists, students and anyone interested to submit original artwork representing smart growth themes such as walkable communities, vibrant civic spaces, alternative transportation (walking, biking, public transit), preserved farms and natural spaces.

Is Jersey City a Suburb? Joel Kotkin Thinks So.

Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

For much of the past decade, there has been a constant media drumbeat about the “return to the cities.” Urban real estate interests, environmentalists and planners have widely promoted this idea.

Forum Puts Focus on Redevelopment

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

Redevelopment is not a cookie-cutter exercise; it can take many different shapes and comes in many different sizes.

Transit-Accessible Towns In New Jersey Are More Recession-Resistant

Thursday, February 24th, 2011

image source: world.nycsubway.org

There are 140 New Jersey municipalities that host at least one rail transit station, including commuter rail (NJ Transit or SEPTA), light rail (Hudson-Bergen, River Line and Newark City Subway) and the PATH and PATCO systems.
These rail-transit municipalities accounted for 23.9 percent of all building permits issued statewide in the 1990s […]

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Ingrid Reed For Our Future Fund

 

Our New Jersey Future board of trustees, our staff, and our community, honors Ingrid’s legacy with the Ingrid Reed For our Future Fund, supporting education and training for future Smart Growth leaders with a particular focus on diversifying the field.

 

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