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Thought for the day: When you see a large open space
image like this one above, do you experience (like our forefathers) an
irresistible urge to make use (a soccer field, a baseball field, a housing
track, a large new home or many new homes, etc.) of this “wasted land?” If you
do, please seek therapy. This land is not being wasted; it’s doing its job. It’s
keeping us alive, doing what Nature does.
Updates on Renaissance Square Project
- get the latest news on Rochester's largest Urban
Project.
"In the past 28 years, the city of Rochester has lost
one-third of its population, Lowenstein said. Meanwhile, Ontario County is
growing." --Daily Messenger
Smart Urban Sprawl
Dumb Urban Sprawl
Is Development choking
off our food supply and environment? A recent
American Farmland Trust (AFT) report
American Farmland
Trust: Farming on the Edge: Sprawling development threatens America's best
farmland ranked New York 13th in the nation in the amount of farmland
developed between 1992 and 1997. In particular, the study identified the
"Finger Lakes/Ontario Plain"--including , Onondaga, Monroe, and Erie Counties
and many of the neighbors - as the 11th Most Threatened Farming Region in the
County --from American Farmland Trust
Read today's D&C headlines:
Democrat & Chronicle: Concerns grow over drop in region's farm acreage
— Monroe County lost 51,570 acres of farmland to
development in the last 20 years -- an amount that surpasses the areas of
Greece, Gates and Brighton combined and encompasses more than 80 square miles.
The county’s usable farmland is now close to 93,700 acres, a drop of more
than one-third. (February 9, 2003)
Democrat and Chronicle
Learn all about Rochester's
2010 Renaissance
project. It is a model for Smart Growth- wise stewardship of our
environment.
Smart
Choices or Sprawling Growth: A 50-State Survey of Development-
The Sierra Club Report on Sprawl, September 2000
From Smart Growth
America, Rochester ranks 12th in the nation:
The Sprawl
Index - Rochester, NY
Overall Sprawl Index Score: 77.93 - ranking it
12th most sprawling of 83 metro areas measured. A
lower score on the index indicates a greater degree of sprawl. The average score
for all metros ranked is 100. A lower score indicates below average conditions
among these 83 US metro areas: for example, less compact housing, a poorer mix
of homes and jobs, poor street connectivity, or weaker than average town
centers. A score above 100 indicates above average performance, when compared to
the other metro areas ranked. Most metro areas score between 50 and 150 on the
scale. What Makes a Place Sprawling:
The sprawl index measured sprawl in four ways. Below are index scores for
this metro area. See the report for a full
explanation of each factor. (will link to report) Sprawl
Factor index score ranking out of 83 (most to least
sprawling) Residential Density Factor 91.37 35
- Mix of homes, jobs, & services 82.31 21
- Strength of town centers/downtowns 120.70 67
- Accessibility of street network 37.23 1
Stop Sprawl
Though our community, and many others, have
no need for such ruinous projects (for our population is not increasing)
undeterred development occurs regardless because big businesses have the
political and economic clout to threaten a community's tax base if they don't
get what they want. Urban sprawl presents an almost apocalyptic process here in
Rochester and around the world that cannot be stopped-despite how they
negatively impact residents and established businesses-because our community
leaders fail to see the long-term consequences of human assault on Nature.
Beyond the usual complaints against urban
sprawl-the destruction of neighborhoods, the need for more vehicles requiring
more hours on the road, and the ruinous loss of monies in the inner city--there
is another certainty that is not so obvious, and most who are against the
expansion of our asphalt jungle into pristine land rarely mention because it is
extremely unfashionable to do so. It is the gradual and persistent destruction
of our environment that the encroachment of our way of life wreaks on the
environment.
As confirmed by more and more scientists, we
are presently living in the Sixth
Great Mass Extinction-a time analogous to that period which destroyed
the dinosaurs sixty-five million years ago when a sizable percent of our
planet's species went extinct. Somehow, we have allowed ourselves to nurture the
notion that extinctions like these are inevitable, coming and going as they have
through the ages, and that we are not the cause.
But, this time we are.
The problem is that we have not developed a
sensible economy, one that does not treat our environment as a limitless
resource. And, the problem is made more difficult to see by developers and the
public because we approve of such projects only in the context of our perceived
needs, not the bigger picture that these developments are accumulative, growing
exponentially around the world. Most scoff when the environmental factor in
these issues of man's continual expansion upon Nature comes up. It makes me
think of The Emperor's New Clothes, a brutally honest reality that is, but no
one wishes to discuss.
As our environment disintegrates, this great
extinction, a result of our own choices, so does our ability to survive. The
illusion, created by our own prowess in medical and technological advances, that
we are living longer, healthier, and better has profoundly clouded the most
obvious fact: We have not conquered Nature, we have only pulled back the trigger
farther on the weapon that will kill us. --FrankRegan@RochesterEnvironment.com
News on Urban
Sprawl for Rochester, NY (please note: links (if they still work) will
open in a new page.
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How crowed is Rochester? Find out: Terraserver
where you can look at satellite photos!
Rochester,
New York, United States 22 Apr 1994
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"Smart
growth" won't save cities, but a market solution might Instead of
fighting the suburbs' success, cities should be learning from it. City
governments should upgrade their services and facilities to suburban standards
and make it easier to live and do business within their boundaries. Andy
they should initiate active marketing programs to sell the substantial
benefits cities still offer.
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Rochester
2010 -- The City of Rochester's Comprehensive Plan. The plan is finished but you can
still contact those in charge at this address.
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From
Southern
Environmental Law Center (a non-profit, regional organization dedicated to protecting
the natural areas and resources of Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina,
Tennessee, and Virginia) read about Land and Community Project recently released a report
with the Environmental Law Institute, Smart Growth in the Southeast: New Approaches to
Guiding Development.
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1999 Sierra Club
Sprawl Report --Solving Sprawl, The Sierra Club
rates the states: Introduction: Solving Sprawl, Transportation Planning, Open Space
Protection, Community Revitalization. Including,
Resources to help you.
- Urban
Sprawl, from Enn.com. This is a three-part essay that describes urban sprawl and
provides resources on this topic and actions sites where you can help.
Building Green Building Green: The South Central Regional Office Building of the PA
Department of Environmental Protection This special episode of the award
winning GreenWorks for Pennsylvania TV show examines how Pennsylvania state government, in
partnership with a private developer, created a cost-effective "green" building
through the use of sustainable design and construction materials for the Department of
Environmental Protection's South-central Regional Office Building, located in Harrisburg.
The building is considered to be Pennsylvania's prototype for "green" state
office buildings. --from
The
Greenworks Channel.- Here’s a good Rochester
resource for making Rochester sustainable in design and transportation -
RRCDC: Rochester Regional Community Design
Center "The Rochester Regional Community Design Center is a group of
design professionals, planners and citizens with a shared interest in
defining, promoting and helping to implement design excellence and
sustainability in the built environment."
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Sprawl City - This website
emerges from the work of environmental authors Leon Kolankiewicz and Roy
Beck to make U.S. Bureau of the Census data on sprawl more easily available
to the public. The philosophy of the website is this: To be effective,
anti-sprawl efforts must be targeted at the factors that are most
responsible for the encroachment of cities and their suburbs on the
surrounding rural land. The relative contributions of the factors must be
understood if anti-sprawl resources are to be used efficiently and
effectively. This website features U.S. government data and analysis of that
data that allow the visitor to see the roles of contributing factors in the
sprawl of individual urban areas, states, bio-regions and the nation as a
whole.
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Homes and Communities --HUD -- US Department
of Housing and Urban Development. We’ve created this web site to help
people find homes and to help our Nation's communities develop and thrive.
As you will see, HUD’s home page is a huge clearinghouse of information
about homes and communities. We’ve tried to organize it in ways that
make sense to you, our audience. Take a few minutes to go on our site tour
- it will help you find the information that you want... and you might
even find a few surprises along the way!
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C
O M I D A COMIDA exists to ensure that those with legitimate intentions to
locate, expand, grow, and prosper in the Rochester area are supported in doing
so. We also strive to evolve our policies to better serve the needs of our
county. And we look forward to the day that New York State communities no longer
require county industrial development agencies to “level the playing field” of
economic prosperity. Although we don’t invent projects, we at COMIDA do all we
can to make them feasible, for the benefit of all of us who live here.
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Rochester Neighborhoods Online
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SouthWedgeOnline.com - Your
Guide to the South Wedge Community of Rochester, NY
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Upper
Monroe Neighborhood Association (UMNA)
UMNA -
Upper Monroe roots are planted deeply in rich soil. From there they grew
into one of Rochester's most attractive neighborhoods. In 1840, C.F.
Crosman founded the Crosman Seed House at 901 Monroe Avenue. By 1890, it
was one of the largest seed houses in the world, encompassing over 1,200
acres. Until it was sold in 1925, the Crosman Seed Company defined the
Upper Monroe Neighborhood. However, it's legacy lives on today in the
pride that Upper Monroe homeowners take in their yards and gardens, and
the affinity that residents feel toward their parks and open spaces
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The Curb Project: " Citizens
for University Avenue R e-Build " The part of University Avenue that runs through
NOTA is due to undergo major reconstruction. The
Neighbors have formed the CURB group and are working with the city to develop a plan to
preserve and enhance the character of this unique urban neighborhood.
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About The
Homeroom Rochester City Living is your resource
for learning more about Rochester living. Located in the headquarters of the
Landmark Society at 133 South Fitzhugh Street in Corn Hill, Rochester City
Living is designed to meet the needs of both the home-buying public and home
selling professionals. Visit us at 133 S. Fitzhugh Streetto learn more about
city living.
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Study Finds Sustainable
Design Saves $60,000 Per Home While Protecting Environment A summary
by Evan Manvel, 1000 Friends of Oregon
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County of Monroe Industrial
Development Agency (COMIDA) In the highly competitive global
economy, COMIDA represents Monroe County’s most competitive financial
tool. In partnership with local communities and New York State, COMIDA
allows Monroe County to compete effectively with those areas of the country
that regularly attempt to lure local companies away with offers of tax-free
industrial sites, low-cost financing, and low-cost labor. We remain a
fertile field for business and investment. And COMIDA is determined to make
potential employers aware of our region’s solid infrastructure and bright,
determined, highly skilled people. We’re committed to the maintenance and
growth of the Monroe County tradition of economic prosperity.
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RGRTA
REGIONAL TRANSIT SERVICE BUS ROUTE DESCRIPTIONS Administrative
Offices:
1372 East Main Street, Rochester, New York 14609; (716)654-0200 For Updates,
Timetables, and Fares, CALL RTS at 288-1700/TDD 654-0210
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Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse: The Sprawl Watch Clearinghouse mission is to make the tools, techniques, and
strategies developed to manage growth, accessible to citizens, grassroots organizations,
environmentalists, public officials, planners, architects, the media and business leaders.
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sustainUS.org
The USA Youth Planning Group for Sustainable Development is a network of
thousands of students throughout the country organizing around the World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in their schools, on their campuses and in
their communities. Originally formed at the Borgholm Youth Conference on
Environment and Sustainable Development in Sweden, the group is committed to
increasing youth participation in sustainable development issues, demanding
government accountability to its citizens and adherence to international
agreements, and reducing corporate influence in efforts to establish sustainable
development practices.
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Sprawl: The
Growing Pains of Suburban America Monday, April 26, 1999 --From Policy.com This is a
very complete resource on Urban Sprawl.
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SPRAWL WATCH CLEARINGHOUSE
The Politics of Smart Growth,from How Smart Growth Can Stop Sprawl, a briefing guide for
funders by David Bollier. (Washington,
D.C.:Essential Books), 1998.
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The New York State Builders Association Web Site The
New York State Builders Association (NYSBA), chartered in 1950, is a trade association
comprised of local builder associations and their members, and is affiliated with the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
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Sprawl City: The philosophy of
the website is this: To be effective, anti-sprawl efforts must be targeted
at the factors that are most responsible for the encroachment of cities and
their suburbs on the surrounding rural land. The relative contributions of
the factors must be understood if anti-sprawl resources are to be used
efficiently and effectively. This website features U.S. government data and
analysis of that data that allow the visitor to see the roles of
contributing factors in the sprawl of individual urban areas, states,
bio-regions and the nation as a whole.
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Stop Sprawl: Sierra Club Stop Sprawl
Campaign: Sprawl, Roads, Livable Communities, and Resources
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Greater Rochester/Finger Lakes Regional Planning
Council The Genesee/Finger Lakes Regional Planning Council was established in
1977 by a joint resolution approved by its eight original member counties, including
Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, and Yates. Wyoming County
was admitted in 1986. The Council was organized pursuant to Articles 5-G and 12-B of the
New York State General Municipal Law.
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Planners Commission Sprawl Resource
Guide The Sprawl Resource Guide is designed to familiarize you with several of the key
issues associated with sprawl, and direct you to some of the wealth of information already
available on the Web.
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Pace University Land Use Law Center
Welcome
to the Land Use Law Center's web site. This site contains over 4,000 pages of material
produced by the Land Use Law Center written for both community leaders and experienced
land use practitioners.
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Smart Growth Network
(National) The Smart Growth Network is a growing coalition of developers, planners,
government officials, lending institutions, community development organizations,
architects, environmentalists and community activists all stakeholders in the development
process.
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Welcome to the Web site of the U.S.Department
of Energy's Center of Excellence for Sustainable Development We are delighted to offer
you this menu of information and services on how your community can adopt sustainable development as a strategy for
well-being.
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New York Planning Federation: Founded
in 1937 as a service and lobbying organization for municipal planning and
zoning boards in New York State, the New York Planning Federation still
maintains an emphasis on education and technical assistance to our
members. Our mission is simple: to promote sound planning, land use and
zoning practice in New York State so that orderly growth and development
may occur balanced with necessary resources conservation.
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The Center for Neighborhood Technology
Our Mission To invent and implement new tools and methods that create
livable urban communities for everyone.
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Cities and Green Living
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City dwellers face a wide range of environmental challenges: dirty air and
water, dwindling open space, garbage, soot-spewing buses, traffic, the
impacts of industry. NRDC employs equally diverse strategies to make our
cities healthier and more livable. We demonstrate that innovations in
building design and manufacturing methods can reduce wood use and air and
water pollution. -from Natural Recourses Defense Council
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CAT (The Coalition for Alternative
Transportation) is an educational charity working to improve mobility.
Better walking, bicycling and transit improve the economy and our quality of
life. Better transportation choices can reduce congestion, pollution and
automobile crashes, too. Curbing our ever growing use of the automobile can
fight problems such as suburban sprawl, obesity and high medical costs. CAT
helps us enjoy our car free options!
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National
Neighborhood Coalition The National Neighborhood
Coalition (NNC) Serves as the national voice for neighborhoods by providing a
crucial link to Washington for neighborhood and community based organizations.
Fosters communications and collaboration among local, regional and national
organizations working to build healthy and sustainable communities. Promotes
public policies that strengthen the role of community and neighborhood-based
nonprofits as problem solvers and community builders. NNC offers two categories
of membership, for nonprofit organizations and others interested in supporting
healthy neighborhoods, hosts a monthly forum program for discussion on timely
neighborhood issues and, publishes an acclaimed newsletter, The Voice, ten times
a year.
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American
Planning Association - Homepage
The need for planners to shape a
community vision has never been greater. The American Planning Association
brings together thousands of people — practicing planners, citizens, elected
officials — committed to making great communities happen. APA is a nonprofit
public interest and research organization committed to urban, suburban,
regional, and rural planning. APA and its professional institute, the American
Institute of Certified Planners, advance the art and science of planning to meet
the needs of people and society.
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