November 19, 2011 Good Day EveryoneI wanted to pick a topic today that is big, broad, impac ting

and a study unto itself and simply introduce it as if we are discussing sol ving the worlds problems over a great cup of coffee. For those of you in plannin g and design, you know this for those of you in environmentalism, you know this too. But, isnt it fun to just step back now and again and look at things from a wide angled, I-can-save-the-world perspective. I love this. That was one of th e most fun components of going back to school. I felt like I truly had the abil ity to save the world, simply by being reminded of being surrounded by academia all the while reminding myself that these were the things that gave me my passio n in practice. Today, then, is about Smart Growth. Its about location; its about efficie ncy; its about connectivity; its about urbanism or the concept of thinking urbanist ically; and its a cornerstone to true sustainability where people live. As a proj ect coordinator with my local downtown organization, this topic is near and dear to my heart. Downtown Fargo is rich with living, dining, shopping, professiona l services, transportation options, pedestrian opportunities, architectural deta ils, history, and community. What if we thought about our other areas of growth in the same way as we think about our downtowns? Can we connect more to our do wntowns like a hub and also develop within our neighborhoods to create locales tha t allow us to increase our quality of life? YES! I love that I can walk a handful of blocks plus a few from my home to a lovely local coffee shop, a pizzeria, banks, grocery store, convenience store, c linic, pharmacy, and even a tattoo parlor how fantastic. I can catch a bus and go to downtown and be more connected. I can also connect to the university. I can use public transportation in a way that reduces my personal spending, reduce s emissions, and allows for stress free travel (of which is important now that I see some of that white stuff on the ground snow, that is, for you warm climate dwellers). I live in a great 1950 s neighborhood rich with trees, kind neighbor s, and established infrastructure that is connected. Smart growth is not just urban. It includes possibilities in planning a nd design for the suburban and rural communities as well. In its simplest sense , it is the alignment of transportation, housing, and commercial opportunities i nto a tighter network to optimize all three. It creates a community of local bu sinesses and jobs as well as a neighborhood with high quality of life characteri stics. Areas incorporating smart growth principles, are beautiful, engaging, sa fe, and maintained. They are sustainable economically, socially, and environmen tally. Smart Growth includes pedestrian friendly streets, density, mix of resid ential and commercial uses, optimum green spaces, multiple transportation option s, and so on that result in increased property values, increased sense of commun ity, increased connectivity, and the safeguarding of surrounding natural areas/w ildlife habitats via decreasing sprawl. It also can include brownfield cleanup and redevelopment, restoration, revitalization, improved water detention, imperi ous surfaces, architectural preservation (and historic preservation), and a mult itude of other opportunities. By simply looking at the infrastructure, lots, ex isting buildings, existing neighborhood layouts, spatial opportunities, remodeli ng opportunities, just to name a few, we can reshape our communities, create eco nomic opportunity, AND be mindful/protect the environment. It is the trifecta o f positive impacts and it isnt even a comprehensive list of opportunities, possib ilities, and effects. Doesnt that just make you excited? We can save land, resources, habitat, AND create a true sustainable community. I think its thrilling. Get involved i n your community in planning efforts to capitalize on such principles as we work to build our cities and towns as well as rebuild our economies. Many communitie s are working on planning processes in order to think through economic developme nt in our tough financial times. Fargo is going through their comprehensive pla nning process as we speak complete with interactive portal on the Go2030.com web site. Join in on the conversationlook at the principlesencourage action toward th

emdo what you can to support your localeand work toward those great change-the-worl d actions. It starts with a little to change A LOT!