“Think about culture [and] what curating a downtown really means,” invited Natalie Pineiro, executive director of the Downtown Somerville Alliance, at the New Jersey Planning and Redevelopment Conference on June 14, hosted by New Jersey Future and the New Jersey chapter of the American Planning Association. Pineiro’s comment implored viewers of the breakout session, The Business of Redevelopment, to consider the importance of including diverse voices in planning for downtown revitalization and redevelopment of communities, especially small business owners and community members.
New Jersey Future Blog
Centering Small Business in Post-Pandemic Redevelopment
Thursday, July 7th, 2022Award-Winning Map Shows Water-Related Environmental Justice Issues in New Jersey
Thursday, June 30th, 2022The Summer 2021 floods in New Jersey, none more widespread and damaging than following Hurricane Ida, showed the damage that stormwater can wreak on communities. New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) anticipates that rainfall intensity will increase due to climate change, meaning that flooding will become more frequent.
Street View: Fostering an Inclusive Community Through Complete and Green Streets
Wednesday, June 29th, 2022From a satellite view, our streets, our towns, and our lives look picturesque. In reality, we know they are much messier than that.
One Year Later: How NJ Municipalities Have Implemented DEP’s Stormwater Management Rules
Monday, June 27th, 2022It has been just over a year since New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s (NJDEP) 2020 amendment to the Stormwater Management Rule (NJAC 7:8) took effect.
Making Savvy, Successful Stormwater Solutions: Why the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer (MS4) Permit Renewal Matters
Friday, June 24th, 2022As New Jersey faces increasing rainfall due to climate change and widespread water pollution, effective stormwater management becomes an increasingly important tactic for promoting healthy streams and improved water quality.
Young People are Leaving New Jersey: Exploring Potential Explanatory Variables
Wednesday, June 22nd, 2022With the youngest members of the demographically large Millennial generation (roughly, those born between 1981 and 1996) aging into young adulthood, the number of people between the ages of 25 and 44 increased nationwide by 3.5% between 2015 and 2019. In New Jersey, however, the population in this age range declined by 1.2% over the same time period, with high housing costs appearing as a major motivating factor.
State Guidance for Locating Warehouses is Here
Friday, June 10th, 2022The Office of Planning Advocacy, the staff for the State Planning Commission, has issued first-of-its-kind guidance on where and how warehouses should be located in New Jersey.
We Need a Better Way of Measuring How Much People Drive—And Why
Monday, May 23rd, 2022People driving cars and trucks from one place to another is not only a big contributor to New Jersey’s carbon footprint, but also leads to many hours wasted behind the wheel and many dollars spent to build and maintain the state’s road network. In New Jersey, the average licensed driver drives about 33 miles a day. While transportation planners and the general public are aware that daily life involves a lot of driving, the reasons for all this vehicular travel are less widely understood. A better way of measuring vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) might provide some insight into the problem—and what to do about it.
Supporting Equitable Access to Transit and Active Transportation
Monday, May 23rd, 2022Creating opportunities for more people to walk, bike, and take public transit is a critical element of growing and developing smarter. As we improve infrastructure and programs to accomplish this goal, we must make sure that we are improving access for everyone, especially those who have traditionally been, and continue to be, excluded or made to feel less safe in these spaces.
Community Design for All Ages: A New Sustainable Jersey Municipal Action
Friday, May 20th, 2022Towns enrolled in the Sustainable Jersey program can now get recognition for completing actions that make their communities more livable. The Sustainable Jersey action, Community Design for All Ages, launched in March 2022, offers several ways for municipalities to engage in age-friendly community-building. New Jersey Future participated in the development of the action, which is based on New Jersey Future’s Creating Great Places To Age: A Community Guide to Implementing Aging-Friendly Land Use Decisions.
