Urban Land Institute-Philadelphia

ULI Philadelphia is a founding sponsor of the Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance (DVSGA). The DVSGA is a collaborative initiative of government, private sector and non-profit organizations in the Greater Philadelphia tri-state region—southeastern Pennsylvania, southern New Jersey and Delaware. Initially spearheaded by ULI Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, more than 70 diverse organizations representing all aspects of land use policy and practice participated in the initial planning efforts. The goal of the DVSGA is to promote education and awareness of smart growth policies and practices. Its first project is a smart growth project recognition program that supports construction of good smart growth projects by giving them a much-needed boost in the local approval process.

The DVSGA promotes smart growth projects by recognizing proposed projects prior to development approval. Projects are reviewed on a quarterly basis by an independent, regionally diverse jury. Projects that receive DVSGA recognition are those that will foster regional growth and redevelopment in a manner that achieves important economic, environmental and quality of life objectives. By highlighting the potential of smart growth projects to add value to the region, the DVSGA hopes to encourage developers, business organizations, citizen groups and elected officials to strive for smart growth solutions.