The 25 years during which New Jersey Future has advocated for smarter growth have seen some important successes: greater transit use, more land preservation, and a rise in redevelopment activity. However, more work remains to be done.
New Jersey Future Blog
25 Years of Smart Growth in New Jersey
Thursday, November 8th, 2012The Jersey Shore: How To Protect a Treasured Asset?
Friday, November 2nd, 2012The Jersey Shore is one of the state’s most treasured assets: people live there, vacation there, and work there, and the region is a significant driver of New Jersey’s economic growth. But we must rebuild it in different ways in order for it to survive severe weather events such as Hurricane Sandy. Here are just some of the critical questions that must be addressed at all levels if we’re going to make the Shore a more resilient, more sustainable place.
Safe Routes to School: Small Steps for Healthy Kids
Thursday, October 11th, 2012During National Walk and Bike to School month, we look at some compelling reasons to make it easier for schoolchildren to walk or bike to school – most notably increased physical activity and reduced traffic. The new federal transportation legislation includes funding for cycling and walking programs and infrastructure, but also enough flexibility that those funds might get diverted for other uses. We urge the New Jersey state DOT to keep bicycle and pedestrian funding, and we encourage the development of more communities where housing and schools are within walking distance of each other.
Comprehensive Transit Inventory Allows for More Strategic Investment Decisions
Monday, September 24th, 2012The transit station inventory provides policy makers, municipal officials and development professionals with a systematic way to identify the highest-potential opportunities for various kinds of development around transit stations.
Targeting Industry and Geography Together to Foster Job Growth
Wednesday, September 12th, 2012New Jersey has recently been losing jobs in several of the key industries highlighted in the draft State Strategic Plan. An examination of innovation districts as an economic growth strategy suggests state investments in key industries should be strongly linked to the kinds of smart-growth places where they can flourish.
Cities (Of All Sizes) Lead the State in Population Growth
Wednesday, July 18th, 2012Not only are New Jersey’s urbanized counties leading the state in population growth trends, the cities within those counties are also leading the way. This is good news for the most developed state in the country.
Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit at a Crossroads
Thursday, June 28th, 2012The Urban Transit Hub Tax Credit has proven to be a popular incentive to concentrate jobs and housing around transit hubs. It is approaching its funding cap, which provides a good opportunity to take stock and perhaps adjust. But it also raises important questions about how the state wants to apportion its economic development incentives going forward.
New Jersey Counties Show Dramatic Reversal in Population Growth Patterns
Tuesday, June 12th, 2012In the past three years, New Jersey’s county population growth patterns have shown a remarkable reversal from their previous trend toward outward-pushing sprawl development. The newest Census figures indicate a return to urban and inner-suburban counties, to more compact, walkable places.
Seven Exemplary Projects, Plans Earn Smart Growth Awards for 2012
Thursday, May 31st, 2012Seven projects and plans, ranging from a mixed-use brownfield redevelopment to a shopping center transformation to an innovative alternative to traditional zoning, will receive New Jersey Future’s 2012 Smart Growth Awards. Joseph M. Taylor, chairman and chief executive officer of Panasonic Corporation of North America, will receive the Cary Edwards Leadership Award, honoring his decision to build a new headquarters in Newark.
Walk or Cycle to Work? You Have Company
Monday, May 14th, 2012Cycling or walking to work is a small but important phenomenon in New Jersey. Between 2000 and 2010 there has been a large increase in the number of people who cycle to work. Residents of bike friendly communities enjoy both health and economic benefits, and NJDOT and a growing number of municipalities are implementing Complete Streets policies to foster biking and walking.
