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1000 Friends of Iowa News, Articles of Interest, Featured, Latest News, Uncategorized

Community Transportation Academy

Applications Open Cedar Rapids CTA

Apply today!

What is The Community Transportation Academy?

The CTA is designed to help bridge the gap between community members and transportation decision makers.

Over 10 weeks, participants learn about the basics of transportation planning and decision making, hear from local, regional, and national experts, and dig in on key transportation issues. Participants will also have the opportunity to identify a local transportation problem and propose a solution.

We customize the curriculum for each community/county it is held in. It is designed to help build capacity and engagement by connecting community members with local experts and practitioners, and is an opportunity to build knowledge and skills to solve local problems.

Community members will come away from the academy with the skills and knowledge to advocate for safe and accessible transportation systems that work for everyone.

Who Should Apply to Participate in the Community Transportation Academy?

The CTA is for any community member that wants to be more informed and involved at the local level. Whether you are a transit rider, cyclist, pedestrian, or care about safety; whether you are young or old, this academy is for anyone that cares about safe accessible transportation systems.

What if I have barriers to attending?

We offer a small stipend to those that need it that can be used for child care, transportation, or whatever is needed to make it easier for people to attend.

The academy is a mix of in-person and virtual classes using zoom. The in-person classes will be held at the Cedar Rapids Public Library.

Upcoming locations for the Community Transportation Academy:

May 6 -July 8 – Cedar Rapids, IA Tuesday evenings. A light meal or robust snacks will be served. If interested, Apply Here.

Future Academies:

September-November – Des Moines, IA. More information to come.

If you would like to bring the CTA to your community, reach out to Kari@1000friendsofiowa.org.

CTA participants at DART Central Station
Participants learning from guest speaker
CTA students doing a walk audit

1000 Friends of Iowa News, Articles of Interest, Featured, Latest News

What’s a VRUSA And What Does It Say About Iowa’s Roads?

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New Report on State Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessments Released

We’re thrilled to announce the release of the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment (VRUSA) Report, created through a collaborative effort by Midwest nonprofits in the RE-AMP Network! This report dives into how state Departments of Transportation in the Midwest are evaluating their efforts to address the safety of people who walk, bike, and roll on our streets.

Walking, accessibility, biking, and transit saw considerable improvements in policy and funding with the adoption of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. An often-overlooked piece of those legislative changes was the creation of a new document: the Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment (VRUSA, also pronounced Ver-roo-suh, for short).

The VRUSA came about because of a significant increase in pedestrian and cyclist crashes that resulted in serious injury and death. The number of serious injuries and deaths in vehicle crashes with pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users has been increasing since 2020.

According to the Iowa State Patrol, there were 351 traffic fatalities in Iowa in 2024 – 30% of those were vulnerable road users.

The VRUSA is a tool to evaluate how a state Department of Transportation (DOT) understands the issue of traffic violence among people who walk, roll, and bike. It also documents what state DOTs are doing to address and improve the safety of vulnerable road users. 

While every state is supposed to follow the same guidance from the Federal Highway Administration with developing their own VRUSA, that does not always look the same in practice. These documents are essentially self assessments — the onus is on states to evaluate themselves and their efforts. 

In creating their VRUSAs, each state needed to detail their efforts to protect vulnerable road users in five key areas:

  1. Overview of VRU Safety Performance – what trends exist in VRU crashes and what progress is the state DOT making to address this?
  2. Summary of Quantitative Analysis – what data and methodology did the state DOT use to identify high-risk areas of VRUs?
  3. Summary of Consultation – who did the state DOT consult with in the community and what solutions did these individuals or groups offer?
  4. Program of Projects or Strategies – what specific steps is the state DOT taking to reduce VRU crashes?
  5. Safe System Approach (SSA) – how was the Safe System Approach incorporated into the state DOT’s VRUSA?

The first major deadline for states to complete and submit their VRUSA was November 2023. After that, states are expected to update the document as part of their Strategic Highway Safety Plan update, which must be completed every five years. 

1000 Friends of Iowa and others wanted to study this further. Thanks to funding from the RE-AMP Network, 1000 Friends of Iowa, along with our partners 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, Bike Cleveland, Bike Walk KC, Detroit Greenways Coalition, and Transportation Riders United, worked to analyze and compare the VRUSAs of Iowa and five other states. Then, 1000 Friends of Iowa and our partners compiled our work into the findings below:

Click here to read the report: Comparing Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessments in the Midwest

1000 Friends of Iowa News, Articles of Interest, Latest News

New Transportation Advocacy Tool Kit!

If we want to ensure responsible, equitable land use; and we want to reduce greenhouse gas emissions for transportation, we have to start doing things differently. In November 2021, The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law was passed. This was a massive bill directing unprecedented amounts of federal dollars to transportation infrastructure – including increased funding for transit, rails, clean transportation, and even some for eliminating some stretches of highways. But it also increased the amount of money that could go to building more highways. This could offset any gains we make from more transit, etc. However, much of these funds are flexible, meaning states and communities have some wiggle room. But our decision makers need to hear from us if we want to make sure that these dollars are spent wisely and in ways that are better for our communities. In the Fall of 2023, along with our partners, we released a report entitled Flex Your Grants: Leveraging Federal Dollars for Clean Transportation. This report looked at various pots of money that could be used for projects that help reduce our reliance on personal vehicles and gives examples for what some cities and states are doing. The Advocacy Tool Kit is a guide on how to influence transportation decisions in your state and how federal dollars are spent. Check out the Tool Kit Here!

Articles of Interest, Featured, Latest News, Uncategorized

Leveraging Federal Funds for Clean Transportation!

This summer, 1000 Friends of Iowa has worked with our partners in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan to ensure Federal Transportation dollars are being spent on clean transportation options, such as transit, and other multi-modal options. As part of this work we commissioned a report from the Shared Use Mobility Center called “Flex Your Grants! Leveraging federal dollars for clean transportation projects.”

This report explores different pots of funding and how it can be used for something other than more highways. The report also gives examples of how the funds have been used in other states & communities. Check out the report here:

Click to access FlexYourGrants_Final_September2023.pdf

Stay tuned for ways you can get involved with influencing how federal dollars are spent!

Articles of Interest, Featured, Latest News, Uncategorized

Community Conversations

While most of us have been staying at home during Covid-19, we have been working with sustainability teams across central Iowa to do webinars on critical topics and plan for how to move forward equitable climate and sustainability action on the local level. Check out these community conversations Below:

100% Clean Renewable Cities Panel Discussion

Sustainable City Code with Johnathan Rosenbloom

Transportation in the Metro

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventories and UNI’s CEEE

Stormwater and Flooding

Climate Action Planning

The Intersection of Urban Food Systems and Climate Change

DSM Urban Forest Master Plan and Climate Change

Climate Action – Leading with an Equity Lens

Getting to Zero Waste

1000 Friends of Iowa News, Action Alerts, Articles of Interest, Latest News

2018 Best Development Award Winners and Ceremony

CONTACT: Julia McGuire, Best Development Award Coordinator, 515-988-1828, awards@1000friendsofiowa.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1000 FRIENDS OF IOWA ANNOUNCES 2018 BEST DEVELOPMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Celebrating Iowa’s ‘development heroes’ and recognizing smart growth principles across the state

Dec. 11, 2018 (Des Moines, Iowa) – 1000 Friends of Iowa proudly announces eight recipients of its Best Development Award for 2018. These recipients were chosen because they implement the efficient use of resources to develop sustainable communities and provide a high quality of life.

“These are our state’s ‘development heroes,’” according to Julia McGuire, Program Coordinator. The 2018 Best Development Award winners are listed below (category, recipient, project, city):

  • In the Innovative Leadership category, the City of Storm Lake for building a sustainable community through food, youth service and education, flood control, and stormwater management in Storm Lake
  • In the Placemaking/Greenspace category, Primary Health Care’s East Side Clinic for its Healing Garden in Des Moines
  • In the Renewable Energy category, Stuff Etc. for its unique “solar plus storage” technology in Coralville
  • In the Renovated Civic – Small Community category, the Bricker-Price Block for the restoration of the Bricker-Price Block in Earlham
  • In the Renovated Civic – Large Community, the Davenport Community School District for its J.B. Young Opportunity Center in Davenport
  • In the Renovated Residential category, Professional Property Management for Sun Prairie Apartments in West Des Moines
  • In the Stormwater Management category, the City of Algona for its Downtown Green Parking Lot Infrastructure Renewal in Algona
  • In the Transportation/Complete Streets category, the City of Manning for its Trails Network in Manning

“The nominations for 2018 were very diverse. The jurors really appreciated the number of renovations that were nominated. There are so many great developments occurring in our state,” stated Kari Carney, Executive Director of 1000 Friends of Iowa. “Iowa should celebrate the communities where thoughtful planning is happening. Hopefully other communities can replicate the successes of our 2018 category winners.”

The Best Development Awards winners are selected from a pool of nominations each year by an independent group of jurors. This year’s jurors were Pat Boddy, Senior Partner Emeritus at RDG Planning & Design; Jeff Geerts, Special Projects Manager with the Community Development Division of the Iowa Economic Development Authority; Jeff Hanson, Community Development Operations Manager of the City of Sioux City; Ulrike Passe, Associate Professor of Architecture at Iowa State University and Director of the Center for Building Energy Research, and Ryan Peterson, President of Impact7G.

An Award Ceremony will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 2019, at 12 noon at the Capitol Rotunda. It is free and open to the public.

The Best Development Awards Program recognizes projects in up to 12 different categories as a way for 1000 Friends of Iowa to express the fact that smart land use and sustainable communities are more than constructed buildings. All of the award recipients help advance sustainability across our state by considering site design, outdoor and indoor environmental impact, public use, and long-term benefits.

Founded in 1998, 1000 Friends of Iowa is the only organization in the state focused solely on promoting responsible land use in community, state, and federal development decisions. Its mission is to unite Iowans in efforts to protect farmland and natural areas, revitalize neighborhoods, towns and cities, and improve quality of life for future generations.

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For more information about the Best Development Awards Program, please contact Julia McGuire at 515-988-1828 or email awards@1000friendsofiowa.org.

1000 Friends of Iowa News, Action Alerts, Articles of Interest, Featured, Latest News

Help Save Energy Efficiency.

Updated:

Right  now, making it’s way through the Iowa State House is a horrible bill  – Senate File (SF) 2311 (formerly SSB 3093). The bill has passed out of committees in both houses and was passed out of the full senate.  The bill is now awaiting debate in the full house. This bill has sweeping changes that decimates energy efficiency programs, potentially losing over 80% of the current funds, it essentially deregulates utilities in Iowa, leaving all utility customers vulnerable to soaring prices and the whims of the utility companies, and it makes it easier for gas pipelines to be built in Iowa.

If enacted, Senate File (SF) 2311 (formerly SSB 3093), which is being championed by Iowa’s investor owned utilities, would:
  • Effectively deregulate Iowa’s energy utilities;
  • Slash energy efficiency programs, potentially by up to 80% or more;
  • Make it easier for gas pipelines to build in Iowa.
  • And though the bad solar provisions were removed, there is still an effort to put them back into the bill which if added back in, could essentially kill rooftop and community solar by allowing utility companies to discriminate against solar customers.
So what does that mean for you? It means:
This bill is bad for Iowans. Energy efficiency is a key factor that keeps utility rates low in Iowa. If passed,  utility rates will go up. Low income people will lose out on energy efficiency and weatherization programs  programs and utility companies can build unnecessary fossils fuel generation plants and charge all of their customers to foot the bill.
We could see a potential loss of over 20,000 jobs in the energy efficiency sectors and and a loss of over $200,000,000 that would have been savings for utility customers.
If you are asking what we can do about it, keep reading!

Talking points for the overall bill:  Click here.

Energy Efficiency Fact Sheet: Click here.

Another bad bill that is now making it’s way through the senate is SSB 3078. This bill proposes to eliminate all energy efficiency programs. It is on the Ways and Means subcommittee schedule for Monday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. The subcommittee is made up of Senator Fenestra, Senator Hogg, and Senator R.Schmidt. Please contact all three of them and ask them to oppose SSB 3078.  Click here to find their contact info.

1000 Friends of Iowa News, Articles of Interest

Become a Sponsor for the 2018 BDA!

1000 Friends of Iowa’s Best Development Awards – Become a sponsor!

Iowa communities are facing turning points; how they move forward impacts Iowa for generations to come.

Showcasing Iowa’s very best works raises the bar, encouraging and inspiring tomorrow’s efforts to higher levels of sustainability.

With 15 years of project winners and more to come, the Best Development Awards create a platform of sustainable growth models that are innovative, economically viable, and serve their communities well.

The Best Development Awards recognizes projects in 12 categories:

  •   Residential – New, Renovated
  •   Commercial – New, Renovated
  •   Civic – New, Renovated
  •   Mixed Use Space
  •   Innovative Leadership
  •   Storm Water Management
  •   Transportation/Complete Streets
  •   Renewable Energy
  •   Urban Placemaking/Green Space

Timeline: Award nominations open September 1, 2018. Nominees are judged by independent jurors in December and the awards ceremony is January 22,  2019.

Your generous, tax-deductible sponsorship gift will enable us to amplify awareness of innovative development works and further inspire residents, cities, businesses, and organizations to do well by Iowa’s resources. 
Won’t you become a sponsor today?

To download the full sponsorship packet, click here.

To make a sponsorship gift, click here.

Sponsorship Benefits:

To see and read more about winners, check out The Iowan Magazine feature on 2015 winners: http://bit.ly/29SV8Xh and go to https://1000friendsofiowa.org/our- programs/best-development-awards/

1000 Friends of Iowa News, Articles of Interest

Best Development Awards – Become a Sponsor!

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Celebrating 16 Years of Recognizing Smart Growth & Sustainable Development Across Iowa

The Best Development Awards program recognizes cities, companies, nonprofit organizations, and individuals who demonstrate how responsible development and planning practices provide benefits to the community, the environment, and quality of life for future generations. Nominated projects help advance sustainability across our state by considering site placement, design, water efficiency, energy management, materials and resources used, indoor environmental quality, public use, and long-term benefits.

Our Best Development Awards Program is made possible because of the generous donations of our sponsors. Please consider becoming a sponsor this year.  For more information on sponsorships, click here.

Click here to make a sponsorship gift.

Nominations for the 2017 Awards will open on September 1, 2017.
Download the Best Development Awards informational brochure here.
HOW TO APPLY:

STEP 1: Download the category application (see links below)

STEP 2: Review the awards program and category criteria

STEP 3: Submit your nomination by the Nov. 15th deadline

Entry Fee: $50 

Pay entry fee online by clicking here or make checks payable to: 1000 Friends of Iowa 3850 Merle Hay Road, Suite 605 Des Moines, IA 50310 (Please note Best Development Awards entry fee)

2017 Categories (Click the specific category for its application) 

Questions? Contact: Awards@1000friendsofiowa.org

Now more than ever we must raise awareness of people doing great things in our communities. We are facing a critical time when our water, land, air, and climate are so threatened by the impacts of poor land use decisions — it is imperative that we work to promote efforts that are doing it right. Because we know that smart land use and sustainable communities are more that just buildings, we’ve added three new categories this year:

  • Renewable Energy, including solar and wind for commercial and residential properties
  • Transportation/Complete Streets, including walkability and bicycle-friendly measures that cut the dependency on fossil fuels and decrease sprawl
  • Placemaking/Green Space, which turn blight and poor planning into a living vision
Want to sponsor the 2017 Best Development Awards?
Get information here, including sponsorship benefits.

1000 Friends of Iowa established the Best Development Awards in 2001 to showcase development projects and programs in Iowa that best reflect the principles of smart growth, sustainability, and uphold the mission of 1000 Friends of Iowa. We also recognize the efforts of businesses, developers, cities, organizations, and individuals responsible for these projects. The Best Development Awards are selected from a pool of applicants each year and judged by an independent group of jurors. Become a sponsor today!

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