I am writing today to announce the closure of the New Mexico Independent. After three and a half years of operation in New Mexico, the board of the American Independent News Network, has decided to shift publication of its news…
While environmental activists played their part yesterday during demonstrations at the capitol building, going so far as to dress up as solar panels and to sing the tune of “You Are My Sunshine,” their counterparts, the anti-cap-and-trade contingency who has…
Roughly one quarter of University of New Mexico students are unimpressed with the state’s flagship public school, according to a survey that questioned college students about their higher education experiences.
The “smart growth” crowd descends on the Duke City today for the beginning of a three-day conference.
The 8th annual New Partners for Smart Growth conference takes place January 22-24 at the Albuquerque Convention Center, bringing together planners, developers, government officials and policy makers.
The “vibrant city of Albuquerque,” said the conference organizers in a press release, is the “perfect setting” for this year’s event.
“Albuquerque can be viewed as a crossroads city, trying to balance future challenges with the desire to preserve centuries of cultural heritage,” said Judy Corbett, executive director of the Local Government Commission, which is organizing the conference. “The city is a perfect laboratory for the potential of smart growth to enhance the cultural, environmental and economic fabric of the city and state.”
Sitting at the intersection of Interstates 25 and 40, the region stands on the verge of rapid growth. The new green-tech and film industries emerging in the local economy complement the legacy of high-tech capital flowing from Sandia National Laboratory and Intel in nearby Rio Rancho.
The conference will be jam-packed with panel discussions, presentations, tours and undoubtedly a fair amount of debate.
To explain why “smart growth” is important when it comes to land-use planning, the press advisory also offered some interesting statistics about New Mexico and Albuquerque:
While New Mexico’s population has increased by 48%, the state’s vehicle-miles-traveled increased more than 112% between 1980 and 2005, according to the Growing Cooler report of The Urban Land Institute…
A 2006 report by the Climate Change Advisory Group notes the importance of land use to combat climate change, with land use-related actions in New Mexico [accounting for] 17.5% of potential emissions reductions [designed] to meet [a goal of] 20% reduction in carbon emissions by 2020.
Smart growth can also affect the state and you financially. A May 2008 report from the National Resources Defense Council on The Cost of Climate Change found that the national impacts on water resources due to climate change total approximately $1 trillion, with much of that expense coming from the Southwest and Southeast regions of the country. The report also identifies the Southwest and Southeast areas as the regions most at risk to accrue financial impacts in the energy sector due to climate change.
