EPA Partnering with State Capitals on Green Design and Economic Revitalization (HQ, AL, AZ, DC, MS, NE)
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
today announced that through its Greening America’s Capitals
(GAC) project, it will help the capital cities of Alabama, Arizona,
Mississippi, Nebraska and the District of Columbia to create
healthy communities through green development. GAC will help to
stimulate economic development, provide more housing and
transportation choices, and reduce infrastructure and energy costs.
Through this project, EPA will provide design assistance from
private-sector experts to help these capital cities demonstrate
sustainable designs that create vibrant neighborhoods with multiple
social, economic, environmental, and public health
benefits.
The five selected cities are:
· Montgomery, Ala.
Montgomery will receive assistance to redesign a one-mile segment
of the Selma to Montgomery National Historic Trail to improve the
streetscape for walking and biking, include natural solutions to
manage storm water, known as green infrastructure, and create
better connections between neighborhoods for pedestrians in an area
crisscrossed by major highway overpasses.
· Phoenix,
Ariz.
Phoenix will receive assistance that focuses on revitalizing Lower
Grand Avenue, a key commercial strip that has the potential to
become an area of economic growth by reusing historic buildings for
a new mix of uses. The project will also provide examples of how to
use green infrastructure in arid climates.
· Washington, DC
The District of Columbia will receive assistance to make three
intersections at the Anacostia Metro Station safer and more
effective for cars, pedestrians, and bicycles. The project will
also develop design options for the surrounding streets and open
spaces to improve the area for pedestrians and increase connections
to nearby homes, stores, and the new St. Elizabeth’s
campus.
· Jackson,
Miss.
Jackson will receive assistance to redesign a downtown segment of
Congress Street, which runs past the Mississippi State Capitol and
Jackson City Hall. Assistance will include retrofitting the street
and adjacent public spaces with green infrastructure to manage
storm water, improve pedestrian access and safety, and encourage
economic development.
· Lincoln,
Neb.
Lincoln requested assistance to create a green infrastructure pilot
project in the South Capitol neighborhood. In this residential
area, just two blocks from the state capitol, improved streetscape
design could better manage storm water while supporting more
walking, biking, and transit options.
GAC is a project of the Partnership for
Sustainable Communities among EPA, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT). The interagency collaboration coordinates
federal investments in infrastructure, facilities, and services to
get better results for communities and use taxpayer money more
efficiently. The partnership is helping communities across the
country to create more housing choices, make transportation more
efficient and reliable, reinforce existing investments, and support
vibrant and healthy neighborhoods that attract businesses. HUD and
DOT were involved in the review and selection process and will
provide technical expertise on each project. This is the second
year of the GAC program. The capital cities selected last year were
Boston, Mass.; Jefferson City, Mo.; Hartford, Conn.; Charleston,
W.Va.; and Little Rock, Ark.
The five capital cities were selected from 23
letters of interest received through a solicitation of interest by
EPA. The agency will organize teams of regional urban designers,
planners, and landscape architects to provide customized technical
assistance as requested by each community. In addition to helping
the selected state capitals build a greener future and civic pride,
the assistance will help create models that many other cities can
look to in creating their own environmentally and economically
sustainable designs for growth and development.
More information on GAC: http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/greencapitals.htm