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From The President
What does your local
tax bill look like for 2010? Chances are, your city, township or borough
may be facing such a large budget shortfall that you and your neighbors could be
forced to pay higher property taxes, and at the same time live with deep cuts to
vital services, possibly including police and fire protection.
Times are tough for
many local governments. Most communities have done all they can to cut the
so-called "frills" from their budgets and are looking at alternatives like
sharing services with other communities, or as a last resort, raising
taxes. We at 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania applaud leaders who are seriously reviewing entering into shared services agreements for fire and police departments and other essential local government services. This is long overdue.
A recent study commissioned by the Pennsylvania State
Planning Board to review the cost savings of shared services indicates that
sharing services saves taxpayer dollars over the long term and perhaps even
more importantly, will preserve the service that currently exists. Many
communities that are facing higher health care and pension costs for their
police service have found that sharing the costs and services with other
communities isn't a bad deal if the alternative is shutting their department
down. There is no escaping the reality that all levels of government have to
look harder at how they can work more efficiently and effectively. ...More |
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Lancaster Recognized for Smart Growth Achievement
 Lancaster County Planning Commission has been recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency for its overall excellence in smart growth achievement. The county's comprehensive plan, Envision Lancaster County,
was cited as an example of effective growth management through land use
planning.
"U.S. EPA Smart Growth award is really a great honor for Lancaster County's citizens and business leaders," said James R. Cowhey, AICP, executive director of the LCPC. "Lancastrians are working hard to preserve a working agricultural landscape, a distinct culture and heritage, sustain a strong local and regional economy, and deliver a smart transportation system."
"Every year the Smart Growth Achievement Award winners show
us new and creative ways to bring environmental sustainability to our
communities -- and this year is no exception," said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson.
"Smart Growth has an important role to play in building a new foundation for
prosperity in communities across the nation. Innovative Smart Growth techniques
give communities from urban to suburban to rural the chance to be
environmentally sustainable and economically resilient."
The plan identifies key growth areas within the county and
targets development to those areas. This
is balanced with the community consensus to preserve the working agricultural landscape
that has historically dominated this growing county. To maintain momentum toward plan
implementation, Lancaster
County offers its own leadership
awards to individuals and organizations within the community who foster smart
growth across the county. |
Workshop Links Transportation and Housing
Policy
10,000 Friends staff member Grant Ervin joined Cheryle Campell from the U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development and Jim Ritzman from PennDOT to facilitate
a workshop at the 2009 Homes Within Reach conference. The focus of their
workshop was on the link between transportation and housing policy.
As 10,000 Friends continues to work on the complex issues
facing Pennsylvania's
communities, this opportunity allowed us to educate housing advocates on the
role that housing plays within a larger metropolitan system. By aligning
transportation and housing policy, communities can address climate challenges,
design better places, and align resources to encourage regional cooperation.
The workshop was another opportunity to share the message of
smart transportation and show how the innovative Pennsylvania Community
Transportation Initiative (PCTI) can be used to enhance the livability of
communities. Through human-scaled transportation improvements, the housing options
in existing communities can be made more desirable for potential residents.
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Models from Abroad for Bike Infrastructure at Home
 Philadelphia
has made great strides in improving its human-powered transportation
infrastructure through its complete streets executive order and the rapid
expansion of bicycle lanes throughout the city. However, with these gains have been
some setbacks. Following the tragic deaths of two pedestrians who were hit by
cyclists, Philadelphia
police have cracked down on cycling traffic violations and city council is
considering a number of bills to regulate cyclists in the city.
As advocates of a human-scaled transportation system, it is
important to remember that the path toward transitioning our cities and towns
back to multi-modal transportation hubs will not always be a smooth ride. Part
of the answer is education of all user groups and enforcement of
traffic safety laws; however, the infrastructure that is provided for each user
group is equally important in creating a safe transportation system for
everyone.
As communities across Pennsylvania
continue to grapple with these challenging issues, take a look at this short film about the approach to bicycle transportation taken by the city of Copenhagen. Because
of the city's innovative cycling infrastructure, 37% of Copenhagen's commuters travel by bicycle, and 55%
of all trips in the city are done on bike. While it has taken the city decades
to develop the culture and infrastructure to support human-scaled
transportation, this can serve as a model for what can be achieved here at
home in Pennsylvania.
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Delaware County Project Greens its Stormwater
 Stormwater runoff remains a serious concern for downstream
communities across Pennsylvania.
Aging and inadequate stormwater infrastructure can result in localized flooding
from even minor storms. These problems have grown more serious over time as
continued development upstream has increased impervious surfaces and runoff
issues.
Now residents are starting to take notice. Last year, the Southeast Pennsylvania First Suburbs Project,
a 10,000 Friends partner, identified
water infrastructure as priority, in part because of flooding issues like this.
The group continues to advocate for good investments water infrastructure.
In areas that are
undergoing new development, green water infrastructure can be utilized to
reduce the severity of stormwater runoff downstream. These techniques have been
used recently in a new housing project in Delaware County.
Be sure to watch this short film for a up-close view of how they reduced their stormwater impact and preserved a nearby stream ecosystem while successfully
developing the property. The techniques discussed are low-cost methods of
creating sustainable communities in Pennsylvania.
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More Smart Growth News From 10,000 Friends
 As part of out ongoing effort to bring you the most relevant smart growth news from around Pennsylvania and beyond, 10,000 Friends now offers the "News" section of our web site available as an RSS feed. By adding this feed to a service such as Google Reader, you can receive current news highlights from 10,000 Friends as we add them to our website. We believe this tool will help you to stay informed of the many important issues facing Pennsylvania's communities every day.  10,000 Friends has also joined the growing network of Twitter where we are connecting with Pennsylvania's political leaders, partner nonprofit organizations, and activists interested in our issues. If you are also a Twitter user, you can follow us @10000friends. Finally, be sure to check in on the Transportation For Pennsylvania coalition blog to get all the latest transportation news from across Pennsylvania. |
Stay Connected
10,000
Friends of Pennsylvania works as an alliance of organizations and
individuals committed to promoting land use policies and actions that
will enable Pennsylvania to strengthen its diverse urban, suburban and
rural communities. Through a diverse coalition focused on a positive
agenda, we seek proactive solutions and options for local, regional and
state leaders.
We update our site regularly with articles, opportunities and links, so please bookmark the home page of 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania and stop by often.
Our e-newsletters are designed to keep you in the loop on all of our activities. Click Join Our Mailing List! in the top right column to choose the e-newsletters you'd like to receive.
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