Introduce newly elected officials, friends or opinion leaders in your community to our e-newsletter and be automatically entered to win a holiday entertainment package.

Click HERE for simple instructions, then qualify for dinner and a show at some of the best cultural institutions anchoring our urban and town centers. It's EASY, FAST and you'll be helping to expand the smart growth movement in your community.

Five (5) entertainment packages will be awarded:

■ Newport - 2 tickets to Evenings of Splendor at the Newport Mansions with dinner at either Castle Hill, The Mooring Restaurant or 22 Bowen's Wharf;

■ Pawtucket - 2 tickets to the

Ideal for boards and commissions, civic and neighborhood groups and chambers of commerce. Free narrated DVD also available.

America’s best neighborhoods share some basic characteristics - they're walkable, they include shops, housing and jobs in the same area and they have lots of parks and green space and good access to transit. The single element that makes all of this possible is the one thing many community residents fear the most - higher density development.

A Plan for Tomorrow: Re-Thinking Density to Create Stronger, Healthier Communities is a free PowerPoint presentation jointly prepared by the Urban Land Institute, the National Multi-Housing Council, and the Sierra Club, that shows how density can transform neighborhoods, and offers compelling research to allay conventional fears about density.

Click here for more information

The U.S. EPA presented its 2006 National Awards for Smart Growth Achievement on November 15, 2006 at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.

The program recognizes communities that use principles of smart growth to create better places. This competition is open annually to local or state governments and other public sector entities. New England captured two of the five national awards.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts was recognized for overall excellence in creating the Office of Commonwealth Development (OCD) to better coordinate state spending and policy decisions that influence where development happens, encourage innovative development locally, and make private investment in good projects easier.

The city of Winooski, Vermont (pop. 7,000) was recognized for its Downtown Redevelopment Project which has revitalized this small town with new development that respects the city’s character and history.

Read about all five (5) national award winners

Plan aims to help communities amend land development ordinances and regulations to achieve smart growth goals

In an effort to capitalize on Aquidneck Island's coastal character while safeguarding its future, the U.S. EPA’s Smart Growth Technical Assistance Team has released the Smart Growth document, “Implementing the Aquidneck Island West Side Master Plan: Promoting Growth Centers.”

The EPA team applied smart growth principles in presenting customized recommendations for each municipality, targeting proposed investment to the Melville Marina Village in Portsmouth; the Anchorage and Vanicek areas in Middletown; and the North End in Newport.

Read More

In a sweeping plan aimed at halting “sprawl” in Connecticut, Governor M. Jodi Rell issued an Executive Order on October 6, 2006 creating an Office of Responsible Growth to coordinate state initiatives to control rampant, ill-conceived development that threatens Connecticut’s special character.

The new office, part of the state budget and policy department, will review state funding that has an impact on the development of Connecticut and promote a future that is well-planned, economically strong and environmentally sound.

Click here to let us know if you would like your land- use/water resources related conference or workshop listed on the CommunityConnectionRI Calendar.

Friday, Dec. 8, 2006

Thurs., Jan. 25, 2007 (8:30a - 9:30p)

Thurs., March 1, 2007 (5:30p - 8:00p) * * Save The Date * *

Saturday, March 24, 2007 (8:30a - 4:00p)

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