NSNA is enthusiastic about infill and urban development when it involves brownfields revitalization. There is much that government can to assist this process. Syd Gernstein explores the subject for National Policy Analysis (2002): Brownfields are abandoned commercial and industrial sites that are suspected to suffer from environmental contamination.…regulatory uncertainties made it difficult, risky and impractical for entrepreneurs to invest in […]
Infill
Randal O’Toole: “The Folly of ‘Smart Growth'”
Writing in Regulation magazine in Fall 2001, Randal O’Toole maintains that Oregon’s well-intended Smart Growth policies have had bad side effects. Mr. O’Toole is senior economist for the Oregon-based Thoreau Institute, which advocates environmental protection through incentives rather than government regulation. His analysis is available as a PDF.“The anti-sprawl movement,” O’Toole writes, “came into prominence in 1973 […]
Gazette Guest Column: “Give residents a role in city issues”
In today’s Gazette, Northampton resident Stephen Dashef urges officials to obtain citizen input early in the decision-making process: Since most people are not experienced or comfortable with public speaking in front of large groups, the mode of reaching out and obtaining information could include interviews, written answers to questionnaires, e-mail, or some combination of these […]
Suburban ‘Raise the Drawbridge’ Sentiment Motivates Some Smart Growth Policies
Many Smart Growth advocates are motivated by a sincere desire to emulate the best of urban environments: vibrant downtowns with strong civic ties that minimize car use. However, it must be acknowledged that some proponents may have less noble motivations. Among them are some who already live in the suburbs and are eager to restrict development around […]
New York Times: “Vibrant Cities Find One Thing Missing: Children”
One big challenge is emerging to the Smart Growth model: how to serve families with young children. In the case of Portland, high housing costs are motivating families to move to the newest edge suburbs, perpetuating sprawl. The New York Times reports (3/24/05): San Francisco, where the median house price is now about $700,000, had […]
Metro Portland’s Long Experience with Smart Growth: A Cautionary Tale
To see how Smart Growth policies might affect Northampton, we can look to the experience of those who are farther down the path. The experience of the Portland metro area raises concerns. Restricting sites that can be developed boosts home prices. Homeownership rates can suffer, especially among minorities and those with lower incomes. Buyers who want affordable homes with yards […]
Large Lots Gobble Up Land in Massachusetts
In Massachusetts, the chief drivers of sprawl include larger home sizes and lots. The Daily Item reports (3/8/04): Despite its gradual land protection progress, Massachusetts still lost more than 202,000 acres of forest, farmland and open space between 1985 and 1999, nearly 90 percent of those 40 acres a day taken for residential construction, while […]
Natick Hailed as Example of How to Do Smart Growth Well
NSNA is not opposed to all compact growth strategies. What concerns us most is when “smart growth” is cited as an excuse to consume precious downtown greenspace. However, we support efforts to revitalize commercial sites and underused parking lots, such as can be found on King Street. In this vein, MetroWest reports on successful initiatives in […]
The Atlantic Monthly: “A Good Place to Live”
While the Sustainable Northampton Plan is under consideration, let’s consider some successful initiatives seen elsewhere. In this Atlantic Monthly article (March 1988), Philip Langdon discusses architects who spurn sprawl and admire characteristics of nineteenth-century American towns, all while acknowledging the preferences of today’s homebuyers and the realities of cars: At first glance, what seems to make Seaside [Florida] special is […]
Letter to Gazette: “Increased housing density will hurt Northampton”
Saturdays’ Gazette publishes a letter from Beverly Parker Bingham of Northampton. She expresses concerns about the higher densities sought in the draft Sustainable Northampton Plan: …The Northampton we all wish to sustain is the Northampton that we have now…The Northampton League of Women Voters was the major force behind the creation of our master plan. The […]