Industry professionals must provide leadership in
our fragmented real estate industry OR government (at all
levels including the UN) will dictate how we build, where we build, and what we
build.
The paradigm shift from entrepreneurship to government
directed visions has occurred. Housing is the last of our “manufacturing”
industries that emotionally and financially affect people and their communities
– everyday! The very fabric of our country is being tested. The momentum of
change is well funded and structured for wide spread promotion at the local
level!
Read about some of the organizations and their policy
statements ---- Do your own homework and YOU be the judge!
We
must start with smart growth since many of the smart growth principles are
guiding our real estate development patterns. I have highlighted several goals
which are clearly taken from Agenda 21 policies and programs:
•
Create
Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices
•
Create
Walkable Neighborhoods
•
Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration
•
Foster
Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place
•
Make
Development Decisions Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective
•
Mix
Land Uses
•
Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty and Critical
Environmental Areas
•
Provide
a Variety of Transportation Choices
•
Strengthen and Direct Development Towards Existing Communities
•
Take
Advantage of Compact Building Design
DID YOU KNOW?
In
1996, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency joined with several non-profit
and government organizations to form the Smart Growth Network
(SGN). The Network was formed in response to increasing community concerns
about the need for new ways to grow that boost the economy, protect the
environment, and enhance community vitality.
The
Network's partners include environmental groups, historic preservation
organizations, professional organizations, developers, real estate interests;
local and state government entities.
American Farmland Trust
American Institute of Architects, Communities by Design
American Planning Association
American Public Health Association
American Society of Landscape Architects
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials
Center for Neighborhood Technology
Congress for the New Urbanism
Conservation Fund
Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance
Enterprise Community Partners
Environmental Finance Center Network
Environmental Law Institute
Florida Department of Health
Forterra
Funders' Network for Smart Growth and Livable Communities
Institute of Transportation Engineers
International City/County Management Association (ICMA)
Local Government Commission
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
National Association of Counties
National Association of Development Organizations
National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals
National Association of Conservation Districts
National Association of Realtors
National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education
National Multi-Housing Council
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
National Trust for Historic Preservation
Natural Resources Defense Council
Northeast-Midwest Institute
Project for Public Spaces
Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Scenic America
Smart Growth America
State of Maryland
Surface Transportation Policy Project
Sustainable Community
Development Group Inc
Trust for Public Land
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
U.S. Forest Service
Urban Land Institute
Virginia Tech Metropolitan Institute and Urban Affairs & Planning
Program
As you
know the non-government organizations listed above survives on membership dues,
government grants, private funding, etc. These groups “lobby” government
officials and guide their membership toward their own platform of policies and
initiatives.
What group or trade organization elevates
real estate development issues and our industry as the PRIME reason for their
existence?
Our real estate development industry is influenced
everyday by federal legislation without a primary voice offering alternatives.
DID YOU KNOW?
The
following bills were introduced in Congress but both were directed back to
committees. This doesn’t mean the bill is dead but most likely modified. And
the legislation will most likely be reintroduced again and again!
S.1619 (111th): Livable communities Act
of 2009
Introduced August 6, 2009 (111th
Congress, 2009-2010)
S.1621 (112th): Livable Communities Act
of 2011
Introduced September 22, 2011 (112th
Congress, 2011-2013)
Let’s
take a look at the Livable Communities Act of 2009 considered the foundation in
which to build upon:
‘‘Livable
Communities Act of 2009’’ In this act, the legislation defines:
LIVABLE
COMMUNITY.—The term ‘‘livable community’’ means a metropolitan, urban,
suburban, rural, or neighborhood community that—
(A)
provides safe and reliable transportation choices;
(B)
provides affordable, energy-efficient,
and location-efficient housing
choices for
people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities;
(C)
supports, revitalizes, and encourages the growth of existing communities and maximizes the cost effectiveness of
existing infrastructure;
(D)
promotes economic development and economic competitiveness;
(E)
preserves the environment and natural resources;
(F) protects agricultural land, rural land, and
green spaces; and
(G)
supports public health and improves the quality of life for residents of and
workers in the community.
Both
of the proposed bills mirror “smart growth” goals and objectives. However, the
FEDERAL approach includes: Energy-efficient and Location-efficient housing
choices
There
are other well-established organizations with similar initiatives and combined
with resources of federal agencies , the pendulum may never return back to a
balanced norm! The following groups and
programs are taken directly from their websites.
Sustainable
Cities
Intelligent traffic solutions, green
buildings, water management, and smart grid infrastructure are just a few of
the technologies helping to steer today’s urbanization toward sustainability
For
a real-world look at how our solutions can be implemented today,
"Smarter
Neighborhoods, Smarter City". This report contains detailed
recommendations on how to help America's largest urban area - the City of New
York - plan for more sustainable growth.
HUD,
DOT, EPA
On June
16, 2009, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD),
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), and the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) joined together to help communities nationwide improve access to
affordable housing, increase transportation options, and lower transportation
costs while protecting the environment.
The partnership
agencies incorporate six principles of livability into federal funding
programs, policies, and future legislative proposals.
Livability Principles
Provide more
transportation choices.
Develop safe, reliable, and economical transportation choices to decrease
household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil,
improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote public
health.
Promote equitable,
affordable housing.
Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages,
incomes, races, and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined
cost of housing and transportation.
Enhance economic
competitiveness.
Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to
employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs
by workers, as well as expanded business access to markets.
Support existing
communities.
Target federal funding toward existing communities—through strategies like transit-oriented,
mixed-use development and land recycling—to increase community revitalization
and the efficiency of public works investments and safeguard rural landscapes.
Coordinate and
leverage federal policies and investment.
Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration,
leverage funding, and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all
levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy
choices such as locally generated renewable energy.
Value communities and
neighborhoods.
Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy,
safe, and walkable neighborhoods—rural, urban, or suburban.
HUD, DOT, and
EPA are implementing the Livable communities Act without the legislation being
passed by Congress! These agencies are devoting dollars and manpower promoting
livability principles at the local level.
National
League of Cities
- The
Sustainable Cities Institute
The Sustainable
Cities Institute is NLC’s centerpiece
initiative to catalyze, inform, celebrate and support local governments as
critical leaders in advancing and strengthening comprehensive approaches to
sustainability.
The Sustainable Cities
Institute aims to give guidance and information to local governments that want
to pursue sustainability – in their own operations as well as across the
communities where they govern. This commitment to sustainability will challenge
local leaders to find the best long-term solutions for balancing environment,
equity and economy. To implement these solutions local government leaders will
need to prepare their communities for change.
Sustainable Cities
Collective
World’s best thinkers on the urban
futures sponsored by Siemens! Did you know the company has created the Siemens Sustainable Community Awards?
HUD
The mission of the Office of Sustainable Housing and Communities is to create strong, sustainable communities by
connecting housing to jobs, fostering local innovation, and helping to build a
clean energy economy.
From Moyers & Company website
The
federal government has been slow to enact meaningful reforms to combat climate
change. Fortunately, some local legislators have stepped up and are leading the
way. Here are 10- American cities with innovative sustainability initiatives.
2. San Francisco Bay Area is also home to nearly 700 LEED-certified building projects, and over a thousand
more projects under development.
3. Seattle -
Mayor Mike McGinn recently pledged not
to invest Seattle’s money in fossil fuel companies, and is putting pressure on
those who oversee the city’s pension funds to do the same.
|
4. Minneapolis has over 160 miles of bikeways,
85 miles of which don’t run alongside a road, Minneapolis is among America’s
greener large cities
5. Austin Green
Choice program — which enables Austin residents to
pay more of their electric bills in exchange for energy from green sources
— has been the most successful program of its kind nine years running. Austin
is also literally one of America’s greenest cities, with over 19,000 acres of
parkland — or about 30 square miles — covering more than 10 percent of the
city.
6. Eugene
7. New York City
8. Salt Lake City
9. Grand Rapids
10. Philadelphia
|
The
Center for Sustainable Organizations (CSO) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation
created in 2004
The
Sustainable Community Development Institute (SCDI) is a nonprofit (501-c-3),
international development organization incorporated in Washington, D.C., with
its home office in California. SCDI is dedicated to improving
people’s lives through deriving sustainable benefits to communities from
environmentally and socially responsible development projects.
The Community Revitalization
Alliance, working on
behalf of 50 organizations and institutions in 20 states, is hosted and managed
by Sustainable Community Development Group, Inc. Groups and the institutions in the
Alliance are leaders in problem-solving and implementing innovative rural and
urban strategies and projects. Their work epitomizes place-based best
practices.
The
Sustainable Community Initiatives - Our mission is to promote and develop
collaborative community projects and public education programs that enhance
economic opportunities and connect businesses, institutions, and people more
fully to their communities, the natural environment, and to each other.
The list continues and continues and continues! It is clear that
a philosophy at the federal level doesn’t have to be supported by the people.
Government and your tax dollars can promote any agenda with or without the consent
of the majority.
Next Week:
International
Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) founded in 1990.
“ICLEI is an international association
of local governments as well as national and regional local government
organizations who have made a commitment to sustainable
development.”
Is
your local community a member of ICLEI? Next week, it is time to open your eyes
even more!
