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Census 2010 - Get involved! The U.S. Constitution requires that a national census be taken once every ten years to count every person living in the country. Data collected during the 2010 Census will be used to decide how federal and state funds are distributed, including more than $400 billion per year in federal funds for projects like hospitals, schools, senior citizen centers, and job training facilities. As an affiliate of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey State Data Centers, DVRPC is committed to ensuring that every community in the Greater Philadelphia region is accurately counted. DVRPC encourages municipalities to take action by:
Visit beta.dvrpc.org/census for Census 2010 updates and data as it becomes available. |
FY 2011 Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) Underway DVRPC is currently working with its member agencies developing the draft FY 2011 Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) for New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The draft documents will be available during May-June 2010 for public and agency comment. In cooperation with PennDOT and the PA State Transportation Commission, a public meeting was held at DVRPC on August 2, 2009 to gather input to the TIP development process. A PDF version of the summary document is available via this link: 2011 STC Hearing Summary. |
NJ Transportation Enhancements Funding Authorized NJDOT recently hit the mark of working towards federal authorization of all $19.553 million of Transportation Enhancement funding for projects, statewide, funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA-TE). In addition to this funding, up to $10 million of FY10 non-ARRA TE funds will be used for additional TE projects, including several in the DVRPC region. Transportation Enhancement projects are designed to foster more livable communities, to preserve and protect environmental and cultural resources, and to promote alternative modes of transportation. Local entities were allowed to submit applications directly to NJDOT for local improvements. Projects awarded funding through this program in the DVRPC region include: Cooper Street Gateway in Beverly City; Mount Holly Pedestrian Improvements; Market Street Gateway in Palmyra Borough; Martin Luther King Boulevard Improvements in Camden City; Burlington Street Streetscape Improvements in Gloucester City; Market Street Commons and Streetscape in Gloucester City; Broadway Street Streetscape in Gloucester City; Mechanic Street and Clement Street Streetscape in Haddonfield Borough; Chestnut Avenue Pedestrian and Bikeway Extension in Merchantville Borough; King's Highway Streetscape Improvements, Phase II in Mount Ephraim Borough; Rebuilding Glassboro Historic Train Station; Paulsboro Pedestrian Streetscape, Phase II; Pedestrian Safety and Wayfinding Signage in Woodbury City; Stockton Street Streetscape in Highstown Borough; and Hopewell Borough Streetscape, Phase II. |
Peers Provide Local Government Website Assistance County and local government webmasters in the Delaware Valley meet regularly to learn more about emerging trends, to discuss vexing issues, and to share recent successes. Come to a meeting for free advice about how to make your local government website better! For more information, visit the Government Web Professionals of New Jersey or Southeastern Pennsylvania Government Webmasters websites for more information. For more information, visit the websites listed above, or contact Joe Fazekas at jfazekas@dvrpc.org. |
DVRPC to Develop a Local Energy and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Tool Kit DVRPC is developing a tool kit for townships and boroughs that will provide step-by-step guidance for identifying, prioritizing, and implementing cost-effective strategies to reduce energy demand and curb greenhouse gas emissions in municipal operations. The tool kit will help municipal leaders scrutinize current energy use to identify where to conserve. It will contain specific actions to reduce energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in municipal operations, including information about their costs and benefits. The tool kit, expected to be completed later this spring, will be distributed to all municipalities in the region. DVRPC plans to conduct training sessions throughout the region as well. For more information, visit beta.dvrpc.org/EnergyClimate. |
DVRPC and TreeVitalize Municipalities Support Local Trees Recognizing the need to restore tree canopy in our region, DVRPC is a key partner in the TreeVitalize Municipalities Program. A program of the overall TreeVitalize partnership, it operates in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties to help communities overcome obstacles to restoring and managing their tree canopy. TreeVitalize Municipalities challenges municipal leaders to treat trees as part of their community's infrastructure, and to consider trees in their plans, ordinances, and capital improvement projects. Recently, DVRPC completed a series of five case studies that highlight successful projects funded by the TreeVitalize Municipalities Forestry Incentive Grant Program. They include projects along Baltimore Avenue in Delaware County, in Cheltenham, in Hatfield Township, in Phoenixville/Schuylkill Township, and in Yardley/Morrisville. Click here to view the case studies. For more information and updates on the TreeVitalize Municipalities program, please visit beta.dvrpc.org/green or www.treevitalize.net. |
DVRPC Launches Mercer County Interactive Bikeability Map DVRPC has launched a new website for Mercer County residents and bicyclists, to help them plan bicycle-friendly routes to ride. The site will also help planners identify priority bicycle corridors and facilities to be considered in the future. DVRPC is looking for stakeholders' ideas on priority bicycle routes, and their opinions on the routes submitted by others. We also welcome any knowledge they have about the bikeability ratings shown: are they too high, too low, or do they not reflect a specific local issue? Visit beta.dvrpc.org/bikemercer to view the map. Proposed routes and comments will be accepted until Friday, March 12th. |
US 422 Corridor Draft Final Master Plan Complete DVRPC's US 422 Corridor Draft Final Master Plan, distributed in early February, identifies strategic steps and investment decisions to sustainably accommodate growth and mobility for the long-term future—across a corridor spanning 24 municipalities in Berks, Chester, and Montgomery counties. Smart growth and transportation principles, advocated by the federal and state governments, underlie the Master Plan. Encouraging population growth in centers, keeping residences, and jobs closely linked, mixing land uses, and completing multi-modal transportation projects to supply travel options throughout the corridor exemplify its elements and recommendations. The December 2009 reporting document has been released in an "open state" (e.g., Draft-Final) to accompany a campaign of municipal outreach meetings scheduled for this spring. DVRPC, Chester, and Montgomery County Planning staff will team as civic brokers to present the key content of the US 422 Corridor Master Plan to elected municipal officials, and identify appropriate techniques and programs that should be pursued at the municipal level—to encourage / strengthen local government's partnership in advancing the plan. The meetings will offer a final opportunity to garner comments and complete the project. The Draft-Final report will be available online, along with other useful information, via the US Route 422 Corridor Coalition's website. |
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| March 17, 2010 Breaking Ground Conference Philadelphia, PA A one-day workshop designed for local planning partners, practitioners, developers, and decision-makers on creating livable communities. |
| March 29, 2010 Financing Opportunities for Green Infrastructure Temple University Ambler Campus Learning Center Auditorium This workshop seeks to provide municipal officials and others in Southeastern Pennsylvania and surrounding areas with detailed information about federal and state green infrastructure (broadly defined to include stormwater, alternative energy, green buildings, and energy conservation, etc.) programs. |
| April 4-13, 2010 Lifesavers Conference Philadelphia, PA The conference is the premier national highway safety meeting and will address a wide range of safety topics, from child passenger safety and occupant protection, to roadway and vehicle safety and technology. |
| April 8-10, 2010 Pennsylvania Land Conservation Conference Malvern, PA This annual conference will provide training and networking for those involved with private and public land conservation in Pennsylvania. |
| April 10-13, 2010 American Planning Association (APA) National Planning Conference New Orleans, LA The annual APA conference will be held in New Orleans. Join over 5,000 planners and learn about innovative planning practices. |
| April 12-13, 2010 Grant Writing Workshop Philadelphia, PA The University City Science Center and Grant Writing USA will present a two-day grant writing workshop. Beginning and experienced grant writers from city, county, and state agencies are encouraged to attend. |
| April 28-30, 2010 New Jersey TransAction Conference Atlantic City, NJ This conference will feature workshop sessions specializing in bus, rail, roads, bridges, goods movement, pedestrian/bicycle, paratransit, community transportation, ports, and more. |
| April 19-21, 2010 Business of Brownfields 2010 Conference Pittsburgh, PA This conference will highlight technical, legal, and financial aspects of brownfield reclamation and development. Presentations will be made on the assessment, cleanup, and reuse of abandoned commercial and industrial sites. |
| May 5-7, 2010 Creating Health, Livable Communities for All Ages: From Theory to Reality Dover, DE This conference will include workshops, design charettes, and mobile workshops about communities in Delaware. |
| May 19-22, 2010 Congress for New Urbanism (CNU) Rx for Healthy Places Atlanta, GA Learn about new trends and concerns for green design health impacts of design and development decisions on our communities. |
