Talking Green

Arlington's Smart Growth Journey, the Movie

Arlington's Smart Growth Journey is a documentary movie chronicling the transformation of Arlington to become a liveable, walkable communities. Arlington didn't get to transform itself into smart growth communities just like that. There's lot of politics, citizen involmentment, etc. to make it happen. If you look at the timeline that shows the county's smart growth throughout the decades, you'll see that it took more than 30 years in the making. (So, don't feel bad with Dulles Metrorail project - phase 1 - that won't get done until 2013).

image: 1950s Arlington County

Timelines of few key events, via Arlington County.

1950s
July 1952 - Congress passes National Capital Planning Act
March 1954 - MD and VA general assemblies approve joint commission
1960s
April 1960 - Board endorses proposal to plan for mass transit transportation system
July 1960 - President Einsenhower signs rapid transit bill
1970s
December 1970 - Groundbreaking day for the 98 mile, $2.5 billion Regional metro Rapid Rail Transit System
November 1972 - Rosslyn- Ballston '72 plan adopted
1980s
May 1980 - Ballston sector plan adopted
August 1982 - I-66 opened through Arlington

There's more here.

By the way, the movie got rave reviews from Smart Growth.

It's worth watching the movie. Very fascinating story. Arlington's Smart Growth Journey premiere was on the 11th of May, however, you can watch it here online or buy a copy for $5 here.

O'Malley New Sustainability Initiatives

Washington Business Journal reports that Maryland Governor O'Malley pushes his new sustainable initiatives to control growth and pushing transit-oriented-development. In addition to the 6 related bills part of his "Smart, Green and Growing initiatives."

Via Office of the Governor.

The O’Malley-Brown Administration’s Smart, Green and Growing legislative agenda includes a number of smart growth initiatives, including protecting the integrity of Comprehensive Plans, modernizing the State’s Planning Visions, and developing Smart Growth Markers for state and local governments.  In addition, Governor O’Malley is proposing measures to revise and reauthorize and the Maryland Heritage Structure Rehabilitation Tax Credit Program and reinforce the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) bill from the 2008 legislative session.

Kaid Benfield, the smart growth expert over at NRDC, has this to say about O'Malley's green initiatives:

I hope that O'Malley will look at the "smart, green and growing" package as a start, but not as an end to his personal work on these issues.  I hope he also takes a hard look at the existing smart growth programs and ramp up their implementation and enforcement, with new legislative muscle if necessary. The fact that so much development is still occurring outside the designated growth areas, many of which were pretty generously designated by their municipalities, is alarming.