Landscapes2 Related References

Paoli Transportation Center: Amtrak, owner of the 20-acre tract has selected a master developer. The Paoli train station is outdated and doesn't accommodate the commuter traffic. DVRPC published the final report for the Paoli Station Intermodal Access and Parking Study. DVRPC estimated the following modes of access to the station for train riders: 44% Drive/Park, 21% Shuttle, 17% Bus, 9% Kiss-and-ride, 9% pedestrian.

PA's largest solar farm proposed in Lancaster County will help to generate income and clean energy and be a part of farmland preservation.

Pennsylvania could slash greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2020 by following the recommendations contained in the Climate Change Action Plan presented to Governor Edward G. Rendell.

Architect's urban living guide doesn't include cars. The best thing you can do for the environment is to push for dense, compact, attractive and walkable urban neighborhoods that mix homes, shops and offices.

Existing Surfaced Trails. The Planning Commission completed a trails inventory based on adopted municipal plans and studies. The inventory includes 260 miles of existing surfaced trails in 51 Chester County municipalities. Please visit the Map Gallery on the Planning Commission’s website.

Governor Rendell Announces Next Step in Mid-Atlantic Agreement on Low Carbon Fuel Standard and signed a memorandum of understanding with 10 Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states committing to a regional effort to develop a comprehensive, regional low carbon fuel standard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation fuels.

Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance recognizes Kardon Ponds, mixed use walkable community in Chester County.

Addressing Spraw and Land Use in PA. Working toward a more sustainable future. Poorly planned and sprawling development results in a cascading myriad of negative ecological and societal ills.

Street Corners vs Cul de Sacs. The fourth word to the mantra location, location, location is walkability!

Green Communities assists state and local governments to ensure their housing and economic development policies are smart and sustainable.

Sprawl lengthens emergency response times. Urban sprawl is significantly associated with increased EMS response time and a higher probability of delayed ambulance arrival following motor-vehicle crashes in the U.S. Building better streets saves time, lives, and money.

The Walkable and Livable Communities Institute is a non-profit center focused on helping cities and towns throughout the world become more walkable, bikeable, sustainable, socially engaged and welcoming by improving their built form.

Planning Related References

Planetizen 2000 - 2009: The Decade in Planning. The decade began with one crash and ended with another, but in between we've learned a lot about making cities.

America's Top Ten Transportation Topics for 2010. American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials developed a list of transportation topics that will be part of the national conversation in 2010 - in the media, in government and around the dinner table.

Green Top 10 for 2010. New Urbanism is the #1 Green Trend going into the next decade.

The SmartCode is an integrated land development ordinance. It folds zoning, subdivision regulations, urban design, public works standards and basic architectural controls into one compact document.

Learn About New Urbanism and its role in freeing people from automobile-dependence and in reversing development patterns that threaten our global climate.

Integrating Transportation and Land Use in Comprehensive Plan. This handbook is intended as a resource for Pennsylvania’s county and municipal leaders who seek practical guidance in better integrating land use and transportation in their comprehensive plan efforts.

Affordable Housing Design Advisor. The Affordable Housing Design Advisor brings together experience and ideas from successful affordable housing projects all over the country and the people who developed, designed and built them.

The Decline: The Geography of a Recession Unemployment Rates by County, January 2007 to November 2009 (currently the most recent available).

"You can measure the health of a city by the vitality and energy of its streets and public open spaces."
— William H. Whyte

LEED-ND and Healthy Neighborhoods — An Expert Panel Review. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is the primary federal agency for conducting and supporting public health activities. CDC does not endorse or recommend any products or information; it does support public health efforts to design and build active communities that make it easier for people to live healthy lives. The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND) is one of those public health efforts.

Examples of Codes That Support Smart Growth Development. Codes guide everything from permissible land uses, to building densities, locations, and setbacks, to street widths and parking requirements.

Farming in the City of Detroit Abandoned land in Detroit is being converted into cutting edge, city style farms; into a viable, beautiful and sustainable area that will serve the community, increase the tax base, create jobs and greatly improve the quality of life. The Hantz Farms will also harvest wind energy and utilize geothermal heat and biomass fuel from recycling compost.

New Energy Hubs: Transit-Oriented Development Meets District Energy. Advanced community design models are emerging to provide some of the greatest opportunities for reducing fossil fuel use, climate-disrupting emissions and traffic congestion, while also offering affordable, high-quality lifestyles.

Principals of New Urbanism Increasingly, regional planning techniques are being used to control and shape growth into compact, high-density, mixed-use neighborhoods, villages, towns, and cities. Planning new train systems (instead of more roads) delivers the best results when designed in harmony with regional land planning - known as Transit Oriented Development (TOD).

Creating Livable Sustainable Communities; managing growth, reducing traffic, creating sustainable development and making smart transportation investments.

EPA Seeks Stricter Rules to Curb Smog. A stricter standard for smog-causing pollutants that would bring substantial health benefits to millions of Americans while imposing large costs on industry and local governments.

New Research Connects Transportation Options to Physical Activity and Health. Making the Link from Transportation to Physical Activity and Obesity summarizes the most up-to-date research regarding how transportation investments encourage healthful activity.

Ten best green jobs for the next decade. Massive investments in clean energy promise to keep farmers, urban planners, and green-tech entrepreneurs in business for the next decade. This guide to sustainability focused career paths will help solar-charge your work life.

Affordability and Availability of Rental Housing in Pennsylvania. This special report by the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia provides an in-depth analysis of the housing needs of Pennsylvania's lower-income renter households and explores how these needs vary across the state.

Keystone Principles and Criteria for Growth, Investment & Resource Conservation. Pennsylvania’s future prosperity depends on effective collaboration among state and local governments working with public and private partners to make wise development and investment choices that enhance built communities and rural and natural resources.

Green jobs map and National Economic Impacts.

 

Citizen's Guild to effective participation in the Regional Transportation Planning process.

Upcoming Events and Training

UrbanSustainabilityForum "Building Safer Communities through Sustainable Land Use" at the Academy of Natural Sciences, January 28 @ 6:00 - 8:30 pm.

Census 2010 questionnaires will be mailed to all households in March. The questionnaire will be the shortest in history: just 10 basic questions that can be completed in 10 minutes. It is critical that all residents of Chester County are counted. The census determines political representation and allocation of federal funds. It guides business and local government decision making to meet the diverse needs of the community.

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