Smart Growth Conference

Conference underscored local=critical (0.00 / 0)

I enjoyed the conference too.

For me, the conference really underscored how, especially in CT, the local codes & regulators are critical to smart growth and preventing sprawl.

At least we're making progress, town by town.  Will be interesting to see if Hamden's 'smart code' adoption starts a trend, or if other towns wait a few years to see how it's working (does anyone have good links to this code? I did a quick search & didn't find any).

For now, in most towns even once people get to a smart growth "aha" moment, it can be hard to get such projects approved until/unless zoning is changed. 

Although likely a good thing overall IMO, the rising difficulty of getting & upholding variances makes updating codes critical to moving from accepting smart growth as a good idea to actually building smart growth.

Eventually, we will need to shrink the much-longer time frames for smart growth project approvals vs. building-as-normal projects - especially for smaller infill projects.  Hopefully the pioneering CT smart growth projects will do well (at least by zoning) & subsequent smart growth projects will benefit - time will tell

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by: densityisgood @ Mon Nov 19, 2007 at 11:25:48 AM CST

I will be writing (0.00 / 0)

a diary on SmartCodes very soon.  It will have the appropriate link.  By the way, Hamden is only the 10th town in the nation to adopt SmartCodes

People, not developers, built cities and towns. ? Richard Domikis

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