2009 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
Featured Resource
From 2002 to 2015, EPA presented the National Award for Smart Growth Achievement to recognize and support communities that used innovative policies and strategies to strengthen their economies, provide housing and transportation choices, develop in ways that bring benefits to a wide range of residents, and protect the environment.
Awards were given in the following categories in 2009:
- Overall Excellence: Envision Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan and Implementation, Lancaster County Planning Commission in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
- Policies and Regulations: The City of Charlotte's Department of Transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina
- Built Projects: Parkside of Old Town, Chicago Housing Authority, FitzGerald Associates Architects, and Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation in Chicago, Illinois
- Smart Growth and Green Building: Tempe Transportation Center, City of Tempe and Architekton + Otak in Tempe, Arizona
Overall Excellence: Envision Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan and Implementation, Lancaster County Planning Commission in Lancaster, Pennsylvania
This Smart Growth Award recognized the Envision Lancaster County Comprehensive Plan and its implementation. To maintain the character of the county, as well as its diverse economy and natural resources, for future generations, the Lancaster County Planning Commission established a regional, countywide comprehensive growth management plan, which protected its valuable farmland and historic landscapes by strategically directing development to established towns and cities in the county.
Lancaster County's growth management and nationally ranked farmland preservation programs help preserve the agricultural economy, rural character, and unique culture of the area.
Policies and Regulations: The City of Charlotte's Department of Transportation in Charlotte, North Carolina
This Smart Growth Award recognized the Department of Transportation in the City of Charlotte, North Carolina. As the central city in a rapidly growing metropolitan area, Charlotte was under intense development pressures. Rather than continue the automobile-dominated development patterns of the last 50 years, Charlotte's Department of Transportation adopted Urban Street Design Guidelines to make walking, bicycling, and transit more appealing and make the city more attractive and sustainable.
For an update on this project, see the 2010 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement booklet.
Built Projects: Parkside of Old Town, Chicago Housing Authority, FitzGerald Associates Architects, and Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation in Chicago, Illinois
This Smart Growth Award recognized the Parkside of Old Town project, a collaboration between the Chicago Housing Authority, FitzGerald Associates Architects, and Holsten Real Estate Development Corporation.
Parkside of Old Town is on eight city blocks that were once home to a large dilapidated public housing complex. The redevelopment transformed the neighborhood by reconnecting it to downtown Chicago and creating mixed-income housing, parks, and new shops and restaurants.
Internal greenways and playgrounds provided safe, visible play areas, while pedestrian paths created easy routes between residences and the surrounding parks, community facilities, and commercial development.
Smart Growth and Green Building: Tempe Transportation Center, City of Tempe and Architekton + Otak in Tempe, Arizona
This Smart Growth Award recognized the Tempe Transportation Center, a model for sustainable design and a vibrant, mixed-use regional transportation hub. The design and development of the project also incorporated innovative and beautiful green building elements tailored to the Southwest desert environment.
The Transportation Center is where residents and visitors can access the free neighborhood circulator, the ASU shuttle, and local and regional buses. It also has become a gathering place for public events.