Landscapes2 Related References

Since 2000, CCPC has collected information summarizing the amount of open space protected in Chester County. The total amount of protected open space for 2007 in the County exceeded 105,000 acres, which is over 21 percent of the total area of the County.

Congress is paying attention to the growing demand for safe, reliable public transportation across the country. Record Ridership Spurs Congress to Double Amtrak Funding. Lawmakers have long debated whether taxpayers should continue to subsidize the nation's intercity passenger rail network. Momentum has grown in Congress to invest more in passenger rail service amid concerns over rising gas prices, climate change and traffic congestion. It is the first time Congress passed an Amtrak reauthorization bill since 1997.

The last large, unbroken forest left in southeastern Pennsylvania, Hopewell Big Woods is one of the most important natural areas in the region. An expanse of over 73,000 acres, or 110 square miles, Hopewell Big Woods is a rarity in our landscape. Led by National Lands Trust, the Partnership is seeking to conserve at least 4,000 acres of old growth, 15,000 acres of unbroken forest, and the watersheds supported by this forest.

County Lines Give Thanks for Open Space Local officials join land trusts to preserve the greenways that make our area an oasis in the midst of a sprawling development.

Accreditation Commission Announces Nation's First Accredited Land Trusts — Brandywine Conservancy and Willistown Conservation Trust become two of the nation's first 39 accredited land trusts.

PennDOT Gets Ready For Winter and encourages drivers to prepare as well. With fewer daylight hours and the first frost already reported in many parts of the commonwealth, it's only a matter of time before the first winter storm hits Pennsylvania. PennDOT is reminding motorists they should do their part and be prepared for the challenges that winter driving offers. When snow begins to fall, PennDOT have more than 2,200 trucks ready to clear roads across the commonwealth.

Platform: Building the New Transit Town November 2008 Reconnecting America newsletter is now available. Hey ho, let's go, says Reconnecting America CEO Shelley Poticha, in the cover story about the growing national consensus that we need to rethink America's transportation investments.

Al Biehler, PennDOT Secretary, Discussing Smart Transportation — Smart Transportation is partnering to build great communities for future generations of Pennsylvanians by linking transportation investments with land use planning and decision-making

Shelley Poticha of Reconnecting America gives a policy update on federal transportation funding. You can listen to or view her presentation America at a Crossroads (PDF 2MB) in pdf.

Transit-Oriented Development Clearinghouse — As congestion on roads grew, departments of transportation attempted to ‘solve’ traffic problems by widening and expanding roadways, which in turn led to development further away from downtowns, which in turn put more cars on the road. It is a vicious circle known as the ‘sprawl cycle’ and it has to stop. Transportation and land use planners, not to mention elected officials, weren’t solving congestion but unwittingly promoting it.

PennDOT prepares for battle with aging bridges — Time has caught up to nearly 25% of the state's 25,000 bridges, including 88 in the Valley, where decades of aging has shown through with cracking decks, chipped parapets and rusted beams. With the help of a $350M bond issue approved two months ago, PennDOT officials are hoping to make up for lost time and fix more than 1,140 bridges across the state -- nearly 100 bridges in the region -- within the next three years.


Bicycle Friendly Communities Program at the Farm & Home Center, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster, PA 17601 on Friday, November 7, 2008. The Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign is an awards program that recognizes municipalities that actively support bicycling. A Bicycle Friendly Community provides safe accommodation for cycling and encourages its residents to bike for transportation and recreation. The League of American Bicyclists administers the Bicycle Friendly Community Campaign. RSVP to Lauri Ahlskog at 299-8333 by 11/3 or hlskogl@co.lancaster.pa.us.

Planning Related News and References

The Center for Integrative Environmental Research (CIER) at the University of Maryland addresses complex environmental challenges through research that explores the dynamic interactions among environmental, economic and social forces and stimulates active dialogue with stakeholders, researchers and decision makers. Researchers and students at CIER, working at local, regional, national and global scales, are developing strategies and tools to guide policy and investment decisions. For additional information, visit www.cier.umd.edu.

Natural gas boom could lead to a new way of thinking about generating electricity — Lost amid persistent worries about the price of crude oil and gasoline is a little-understood reality: There is more natural gas under our feet than we know what to do with.

NeighborWorks® America today announced that it distributed $530,000 in Green Grants to forty-three non-profit organizations around the country to support environmentally conscious housing rehabilitation, new construction and business retooling. The grants funded are supported in part by a contribution to NeighborWorks® America from The Home Depot Foundation.

NeighborWorks® America has launched a new online information hub; StableCommunities.org which features information and strategies to stabilize and revitalize your community in the wake of the foreclosure crisis.

New Urbanism Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry — The US lending crisis has cut homebuilding nearly everywhere, but walkable, transit-oriented developments are suffering least. Housing construction across the US has dropped to its lowest volume since 1991, and many new urbanist developments are seeing their sales fall off.

Green architect and urbanist Sim Van der Ryn celebrated with Athena Award "Father of sustainable design" calls for "resilient" communities. Sim Van der Ryn began earning an international reputation as the “father of the green building” during his tenure as California State Architect during then Governor Jerry Brown’s administration, but Congress for New Urbanism made made him the 10th recipient of the Athena Award in a ceremony in San Francisco on September 26th.

Upcoming Events and Training

The Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) has scheduled a series of public workshops to help shape Connections, our long-range plan for 2035. The workshops will examine the issues that we face today as well as those that will be with us in the coming years. Please mark your calendar:
Nov 6: Mercer County
Nov 12: Burlington County
Nov 13: Delaware County

SEPTA is initiating the development of the Authority's Five Year Strategic Business Plan. SEPTA has scheduled public meetings to solicit comments as part of the development process and prior to the establishment of the plan document.

5th Annual Smart Growth Symposium & Showcase: Creating New Partnerships for Development – November 14, 2008, from 8–11 a.m. PECO Building, 2301 Market St., Philadelphia (Lower Level).

2008 Homes within Reach Conference — Statewide Conference on Best Practices in Housing & Homelessness November 17 – 19, 2008. New housing legislation, continuing economic turmoil: now, more than ever, we all need to come together to hone our skills and advance new solutions.

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