Saturday, July 17, 2004
Improvements in transportation have made southeastern Massachusetts a hot spot for sprawl. At the same time, the region is a national leader in defining public policy approaches to manage the change. Here's a good article on what one small town in the region is doing.
An important insight: town planners say that their biggest failure so far has been educating the public. They will be making a concerted effort to inform the public of the costs of sprawl. As one planner noted, the problem is that many residents have the false impression that more and more single-family homes mean more revenue for towns.
The Partnership for Southeastern Massachusetts: Vision 2020 leads the effort to respond to sprawl. On their web site you can download the results of a smart growth audit in southeastern Massachusetts. You can also download the audit form used to collect the information. This provides a good checklist of what towns and counties can do to manage sprawl.
posted by Ed Morrison |
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Some Background on EDPro Weblog
The purpose of this weblog is to help economic development professionals -- EDPros -- keep up with the changes sweeping our profession. Strap on your goggles. It's a whole new game. There are no experts any more. The only place to learn about economic development is from other EDPros who are doing it.
One other point: the prevaling approach (paradigm, if you like) in economic development is shifting from competition to collaboration. There are a lot of reaasons underlying this shift, but here's the important insight: You, your community, and your region will do better by collaborating and sharing information.
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Speaking and workshops on Open Source Economic Development
As the idea of Open Source Economic Development starts spreading, more people are asking about it. Visit the I-Open web site to learn more. My colleagues and I are happy to explain the basic concepts in a talk or a workshop. E-mail Susan Alshuler if you'd like to learn more about workshops and speaking.
Background on Ed Morrison
Download some background information on me here.
Curbing sprawl in southeastern Massachusetts
