Franklin’s work to make downtown a more walkable, attractive destination has helped the City win a national competitive award. Smart Growth America—a national nonprofit that advocates for better cities, towns, and neighborhoods—announced today that Franklin is among 14 winning communities that will receive a free technical assistance workshop in 2015. Through the program, Franklin will receive hands-on assistance from national experts on Smart Growth Principles.
“We are honored to have been selected and look forward to having national experts visit our community,” said Mayor Ken Moore. “We are always striving to improve our city and this award can help us do just that.”
The workshops offered through Smart Growth America’s program focus on a range of issues, including transit-oriented development, Complete Streets, smart growth zoning, economic development and fiscal health, parking management and regional planning for small communities, among other topics. Franklin will schedule a workshop sometime in March.
“This award is a testament to the hard work Franklin has already done,” said Roger Millar, Vice President of Smart Growth America’s Leadership Institute. “Our program was more competitive this year than ever before, and Franklin stood out as a community doing great work. We’re excited to be able to help City staff continue on to the next stage of this work.”
Smart Growth America received over 120 applications for technical assistance from 35 states for its 2015 workshops. The full list of winning communities includes: Cheyenne Metropolitan Planning Organization, WY; City of Bentonville, AR; City of Charlottesville, VA; City of Columbia, MO; City of Fort Pierre, SD; City of Franklin, TN; City of Indianapolis, IN; City of Knoxville, TN; City of Sanford, FL; City of SeaTac, WA; City of Spokane, WA; Knoxville Regional Transportation Planning Organization, TN; Macon-Bibb County, GA; and Tucker County Planning Commission, WV.
