PLC - Newsletter

Big Box Stores Unwelcome in Kaua'i County
The dilemma of big box stores is a major issue in Arizona, as well as throughout the country, including Hawaii. “Big boxes, regardless of what company, when they come into town they do cause mom-and-pop stores to close," said Kaua'i County Councilman Mel Rapozo as the Kaua’i County council voted 5-0 to ban stores larger than 75,000 square feet on the island of Kaua'i. This is the first such law on the archipelago; its initial target is likely to be a familiar site to any traveler who has headed north out of Lihue – the 119,000-square-foot Wal-Mart was to be expanded into an almost 200,000-square-foot Supercenter.
Source: http://www.smartgrowth.org/news/article.asp?art=6076

Historic Preservation: Well-known Site Goes from Clothing to Dining
“For decades, Valley men turned to Hanny's for a polished, new look -- a natty suit or crisp shirt,” writes Jahna Berry in the July 7, 2007, issue of The Arizona Republic. “This year, the shuttered department store's a getting the makeover. It could reopen as a swank restaurant as early as December in downtown Phoenix.”
Source: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/business/articles/0707biz-hannys0707.html

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Deadline for 2007 State Planning Awards Submittal is July 16
The Arizona Planning Association (AzPA) recognizes and encourages outstanding achievements that contribute to advances in the planning field. Awards will be presented at AzPA's Annual Conference in Glendale on Nov. 8. The deadline for receipt of all entries and accompanying materials is July 16. For more information on the awards, go to the AzPA Web Site at http://www.azplanning.org/.

Valley Forward Gears up for 27th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards
The Call for Entries has gone out for Valley Forward Organization’s 27th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards. Deadline for submission is July 20. For questions, call the Valley Forward office, 602-249-2408, or visit the organization’s Web Site at http://www.valleyforward.org/. One of Valley Forward's most prominent events, the Environmental Excellence Awards encompass 22 categories in eight major areas: Buildings and Structures; Site Development and Landscape; Open Space and Connectivity; Art in Public Places; Environmental Technologies; Environmental Education/Communication; and Environmental Stewardship; and Livable Communities. The awards presentation is Sept. 29, at Westin Kierland Resort.

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ASU Research Magazine Focuses on Resilience Solutions Group
“Some people bounce back well from traumatic events or from life’s many defeats, large or small. Others lack the skill. ASU scientists are studying the natural capacity for ‘resilience’ among older Americans,” writes Adelheid Fischer in the latest issue of ASU Research Magazine. Her article focuses on a group of ASU psychologists and social scientists known as the Resilience Solutions Group (RSG). “The group studies a human capacity that is as old as the Book of Job — the ability of people to right themselves after life breaks their stride with a blow like a two-by-four to the side of the head.” Read the complete article at http://researchmag.asu.edu/2007/06/comeback_stories.html.

Revamped Web Site in the Works at Sustainable Arizona
Sustainable Arizona is debuting a new Web Site, including new modules, improved navigation and a new server with greater security. A blog section and a calendar have also been added. Check out the site at http://www.sustainablearizona.org for the latest news on new technologies and advances towards sustainable development worldwide. Join us as a news and information editor. Sustainable Arizona is a resource, education and action organization dedicated to improving the quality of life in Arizona and the Southwest. It works with businesses, individuals, governments and other organizations to build resilient economies, strong communities and healthy natural environments.

People are the Resource for Community Improvement
Jay Walljasper's The Great Neighborhood Book, published by New Society, explains how any community can be improved and enlivened, not by vast infusions of cash, not by government, but by the people who live there. Through real-life stories, this book addresses such challenges as traffic control, crime, comfort and safety, and developing economic vitality. The Great Neighborhood Book offers compelling evidence of how people in communities have enhanced their own neighborhoods through ''Placemaking'' – the Project for Public Spaces (PPS) term for the process of transforming public space. This guide also offers real-life examples that show the magic that happens when individuals take small steps, and motivate others to make change. It joins The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces and How to Turn a Place Around in the PPS library of publications that explore a place-based approach to improving neighborhoods.
This book is a must-read not only for neighborhood activists and concerned citizens but also for urban planners, developers and policy-makers. Read more or order online from: http://www.pps.org/info/products/Books_Videos/great_neighborhood_book/.

WalkBoston Offers Walk-to-School Materials
As Safe Routes to Schools programs proliferate nationwide, there are more and more resources available to any community that wants to launch its own walk-to-school initiative. Check out WalkBoston’s list of some of the very best resources at http://www.walkboston.org/projects/safe_routes.htm. This non-profit membership organization is dedicated to improving walking conditions in cities and towns across Massachusetts. Founded in 1990, WalkBoston’s goal is to make walking and pedestrian needs a basic part of the transportation discussion.

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100% Recycled Paper Bag Introduced to North America
Source: PRNewswire http://www.prnewswire.com/publicinterest/
The Duro Bag Mfg. Co. has introduced the only 100% recycled paper handle bag available in North America. Made from 60% post industrial and 40% post consumer fibers, its size helps with source reduction at the checkout counter, as it allows for more items. Duro recycles 100% of its Kraft and bleached paper waste from its production process. Call (866) 302-1215 to request a sample or to learn more about the 100%Recycled Paper Bag. For more information on the company, visit the Web Site at: http://www.durobag.com/.

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Fit to Live In: Two Triangle Communities Earn a Special Designation
Author: Joe Miller, News & Observer, Raleigh, N.C.
Source: http://www.newsobserver.com/707/story/455696.html

Ten years ago, a speed bump in front of your house was a sign the neighbor kids saw your street as a drag strip. Today, a speed bump symbolizes a community that cares about its residents' health.

Speed bumps, traffic circles, sidewalks, workplaces with showers, school lunches with non-fried options – these are among a variety of traits health experts look for when determining whether a town takes the health of residents seriously. And such are the traits that helped two Triangle communities – Chapel Hill and Durham – become two of eight communities to earn the state's first-ever Fit Community designation. Forty-one North Carolina communities applied; in addition to Chapel Hill and Durham, Apex was the only other Triangle community to apply.

Briefly, the Fit Community program is a joint effort by the N.C. Health and Wellness Trust Fund [http://www.healthwellnc.com/] and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina. Criteria for what constitutes a Fit Community were derived by Active Living by Design [http://www.activelivingbydesign.org/], a Chapel Hill nonprofit that advises 25 communities nationwide – from Seattle to Columbia, Mo. – on ways to be healthier.

Each Fit Community aspirant had to fill out a questionnaire with more than 160 questions (not to mention a special essay section).

To determine a Fit Community, Active Living wanted to know more than just what sort of physical fitness facilities the communities had on the ground. Sure, having parks within a quarter-mile of half the population helped. So did a high ratio of sidewalks to roads.

But places to get moving were not the only thing.

"Exercise was not necessarily the top value," says Active Living's Mark Dessauer.

The communities also had to prove a long-term commitment to the health and well-being of their residents.

Are healthy amenities actively promoted? Do the cities adequately finance health and nutrition programs? Do the towns' largest employers make an effort to create a healthy environment?

The reward for being named a Fit Community may not seem like much: a plaque to hang in the mayor's office, highway signs, and eligibility to apply for a modest pool of Fit Community grants.

Plus, of course, bragging rights.

Those bragging rights, though, could yield economic dividends.

"For a retiree looking to move or a business looking to relocate, being labeled a Fit Community could give you a leg up," says Lt. Gov. Beverly Perdue, who is chairwoman of the Health and Wellness Trust Fund.

Perdue also capitalizes on the Fit Community she lives in, Chapel Hill, by running or walking an hour every morning.

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Editor: M.H. Brennan
e-mail: projectforlivablecommunities@cox.net
Phone: 480-926-6598
Address: PO Box 8141, Chandler, AZ 85246
Website: http://www.projectforlivablecommunities.org

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The Project for Livable Communities (PLC) is a nonprofit organization headquartered in metropolitan Phoenix; membership includes professionals in urban design, public health, education and journalism. Founded in 2005, PLC, which includes the Alliance for Healthy Community Design (AHCD), fosters livable communities by addressing three major community components of the environments in which we live and work – Healthy Design, Safe Design and Sustainable Design – and focusing on the best practices of each.

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