Of course there is another office within
EPA that facilitates the bringing together of roughly 1000 Smart Growth
practitioners together every year as part of the National New Partners for SG
conference…and those speakers and participants spend three days
discussing best practices, planning, and development tools and strategies to
level that playing field. However, only a very small part of that professional
universe cross over and attend the annual BFs conference and I imagine it’s
the same on the flip side—few BFs Conference practitioners
attend/participate in the annual SG conference.
Joe Schilling
Phone-703-706-8102
From: Ignacio Dayrit
[mailto:idayrit@ci.emeryville.ca.us]
Sent: Sunday, June 19, 2005 1:52
PM
To: Joe Schilling; Jody Kass;
Charlie Bartsch; lsiegel@cpeo.org; Brownfields Internet Forum
Subject: RE: [CPEO-BIF] How
frequently shouldtheNationalBrownfieldsConferencetake place?
Thanks
for all you insights.
In thinking of brownfields as an industry, you have to consider that it
competes with greenfields/sprawl, and that we are all trying to protect
currently undeveloped areas as we revitalize our inner cities. We have
only begun to address that connection, by bringing Smart Growth into the
discussion.
In many markets, no amount on incentives to infill (brownfields and smart
growth) will sway growth in that direction. The pull of greenfields
development - because it is cheaper, easier, quicker, more desireable,
perceived as safer and having better schools - is difficult to overcome.
The entire development process, tax and regulatory structure tacitly favors
sprawl. However, if infill is supported to the level that sprawl development
is, then it levels the playing field. The current conference
format/frequency/strategy are not conducive to those discussions. We have
been discussing how to tweak and work within the system, rather that taking a
reassessment on how this country can continue to grow, and how the system has
to adapt. It involves bringing in a whole host of stakeholders and
disciplines that are not yet in the discussion.
I think this calls for both intense discussions both at the national and
regional levels, even if it may not be appropriate for EPA to sponsor all these
activities.
Ignacio Dayrit