September 21, 2023

While some of the staff at New Jersey Future are preparing for our big annual awards celebration in October, others are working on projects in our own backyard, the state capital. New Jersey Future has been headquartered in Trenton for three decades and we are committed to partnering with the City to catalyze downtown redevelopment opportunities and help the city achieve its vision of becoming the region’s downtown.

Recently, a number of projects that New Jersey Future has been involved with have gotten underway or launched that support this vision. We've worked with our partners to dedicate state funding in the next fiscal budget for Capital Park and were successful—the state has allocated $3 million for the initial design and development of the park that will extend the Capitol Building renovations outside the halls of the building itself and into the community. 

Last week, Smart Growth America named Trenton’s Route 29 as one of 15 community-focused projects to receive a Community Connectors Grant, aimed at assisting places who wish to revitalize their cities by removing and rerouting freeways that segregate people, and separate them from the natural amenities. By reimagining this urban freeway, we can extend the open space of Capital Park all the way to, and up and down, the Delaware River Waterfront, increase pedestrian and bicyclist safety throughout the area, and rebuild neighborhoods and a local economy where there are now ramps and parking lots. 

Finally, NJF is working with the Trenton Parking Authority to conduct outreach and community engagement for the redevelopment of the Front Street Garage. This derelict and vacant building needs to be demolished, and the City is looking to the public to shape what will come next at this downtown redevelopment site. We encourage all who live or work in Trenton to help frame the options for this redevelopment project by attending the meeting taking place at Mercer County Community College on Monday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m., or by completing the online survey.

Together these initiatives to revitalize our state capital will serve as examples of how we can reimagine spaces while prioritizing community voices as we shape land-use solutions across the state.

Peter Kasabach

Executive Director

P.S. We’re less than two weeks away from our 21st annual Smart Growth Awards Showcase on October 3, 2023 at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. This is your chance to join a wonderful evening celebrating the best projects and plans from across the state and honoring three special individuals. See the details below and buy your ticket online to this special event.

Accessing New Federal Funding for Active Transportation Projects: Camden County Got a Bunch, How Can You?

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law by President Joe Biden on November 15, 2021, investing $1.2 trillion in America’s infrastructure. From the IIJA, New Jersey municipal, county, and state governments have the opportunity to tap into once-in-a-generation funding programs, many of which support safe and accessible transportation alternatives for walkers, bikers, and rollers. Camden County took advantage of the IIJA opportunity to secure $19 million in federal funding to design and build a new 3.8 mile section of the LINK trail. Read more.

Green Infrastructure in the Garden State: Stormwater Research in the Delaware River Watershed

In 2020, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection updated the Stormwater Management Rules, which now require that municipalities incorporate green infrastructure into major development projects. In many areas of the state, this relatively new policy change has meant a significant departure from the way that stormwater management was approached previously. New Jersey Future sought to explore the impact of the rule change on green infrastructure implementation in New Jersey’s Delaware River Watershed region. Read more.

New Jersey Water Workforce Development Initiative Pilot Program Launches

After several years of planning and development, the Water Workforce Initiative at Hudson County Community College officially kicked off on September 13. The 15 students began their classes with water course instructors from Veolia, Michael Assante and John Libitz. New Jersey Future is a proud collaborative partner in this effort with Bank of America, Veolia, New Jersey Water Association, New Jersey Utility Association, and members of Jersey Water Works. Read this article to learn more about the pilot program.

New Jersey Future’s Smart Growth Awards honor projects, plans, and policies across the state that demonstrate smart growth principles in action. The awards shine a spotlight on businesses, organizations, and individuals with the vision to encourage smart growth values and designs. This year’s Smart Growth Awards honors seven incredible winning projects, two Cary Edwards Leadership Award honorees, and an inaugural Redevelopment Trailblazer Award winner.

Learn more about the 2023 winners through their winner profiles and join us for the celebration on October 3 from 5:30–8:30 p.m. at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center.

Get your tickets today while early bird pricing is extended through September 23!

• September 22: The Age-Friendly Alliance partners in Bergen County are hosting a conference at Bergen Community College. Join NJF Community Planning Manager Tanya Rohrbach as she presents strategies for making communities a great place to live and thrive at any age.
• September 25: Are you a Trenton resident or business owner? Come provide input and innovative ideas for the redevelopment of the Front Street Garage at the Community Stakeholder meeting being held at 6:30 p.m. at the Mercer County Community College James Kerney Campus. RSVP and take the survey.
• September 27–28: The 2023 AARP Livable Communities Economic Development Workshop from 1:00–5:00 p.m. is a free virtual event that explores how we can advance economic development. NJF Community Planning Manager Tanya Rohrbach will be featured in the innovation showcase.
• September 28–29: The Delaware River Watershed Forum provides a platform to brainstorm solutions, identify gaps, improve skills, and build relationships to advance our shared goals. Register today and get ready for an exciting panel featuring NJF Program Manager Lindsey Sigmund and Communications Director Michael Atkins.
• October 3: The 2023 Smart Growth Awards celebration from 5:30–8:30 p.m. at the New Brunswick Performing Arts Center will bring us back together for the first in-person reception and showcase since 2019! Purchase your tickets today to celebrate the winners with us. Early bird rate has been extended through September 23.

Smart Growth is equitable growth. It is also restorative, as smart growth and redevelopment can help correct systemic racial and economic disparities. As New Jersey Future drives land use decision-making toward more equitable outcomes, we will be sharing useful resources and lessons in this monthly spotlight. Please give us your feedback and share with us any particularly insightful articles, talks, events, or videos that you come across.

Over the course of this summer, we’ve tracked many articles focused on school segregation. Notably, NJ Spotlight published a series titled Segregated covering the causes, impacts, lack of teacher diversity, the Asian American experience, and remedies to school segregation in NJ. Parents, educators, municipal officials, and the general public await a decision from the NJ State Superior Court to address this chronic issue. While we await that decision, here are a few takeaways to stay informed.

Despite New Jersey’s diversity, it remains one of the most segregated public schooling systems in the country. Roughly 4 out of 10 schools in New Jersey were segregated to some degree by one or more races in the last year. NJ is the sixth most segregated state for Black students and seventh for Latino students. Segregation has a high impact on student outlook and achievement; Black and Hispanic students from districts that are both highly segregated and serve high-poverty neighborhoods have lower math and reading scores and higher drop-out rates whereas in integrated schools there is improved achievement. Such schools are also around 30%-40% less likely to offer high-level courses, such as Advanced Placement (AP) courses which can be an educational stepping stone for students, giving them the opportunity to receive college credits. Even when AP courses are offered, students of color feel singled out by their majority-white peers and teachers, leading to additional issues of fostering inclusivity and access to opportunity, as reported in the Montclair Local.

It's clear that housing and affordability play a key role in driving segregation. School districts where 80% of students are Hispanic and Black are often located in cities or urban areas with fewer resources. Franklin Township is a prime example of the success of the Mount Laurel Doctrine, which requires municipalities to provide affordable housing. Over 2,000 affordable housing units that were developed in Franklin Township resulted in a diverse district with diverse schools. The Latino Action Network and NAACP-NJ are leading a lawsuit in the Superior Court about the evident segregation in New Jersey schools which is unconstitutional and violates the Brown v. Board of Education case ruling, demanding a statewide strategy for remedy. Solutions to improve equity and diversity include the state funding schools based on the costs and needs of individual students, creating specialized magnet schools to integrate regions, and providing more opportunities for students to transfer between districts. When communities are segregated, both white and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Color) students are deprived of the ability to connect with peers of different backgrounds and are cut off from opportunities and cultural education. For further information, consider reading author Heather McGhee's Sum of Us: What Racism Costs, or listen to her interview on NPR's Fresh Air.

• Local Assistance Director, Community Planning: New Jersey Future is seeking an experienced, entrepreneurial, and mission-driven planning professional who is ready to help New Jersey communities become more sustainable, equitable, resilient, and competitive.
• Development Director: New Jersey Future is seeking an experienced professional and strategic thinker who will help advance the organization’s mission, guide the organization’s corporate and individual giving fundraising strategy, oversee and execute its related events and relationship-building activities, and manage relationships across fundraising platforms.

• 08/31/2023: More States Are Requiring Flood Disclosure (NRDC)

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