Welcome to 2020! This year Idaho Smart Growth (ISG) celebrates our 20th year! Reaching this anniversary is a time for reflection and for looking ahead.

Our Year in Review provides a brief look back at what we accomplished in 2019 and a look to the future as we embark on a strategic planning process.

Wildfire Preparedness Planning:

We led 9 regional and community specific workshops crisscrossing the state. Workshops were in large communities like Pocatello and Idaho Falls and small communities like Ola and Bear Lake. Workshops were held in wooded landscapes like Coeur d’Alene and Moscow and the rangeland of Murphy. These communities know wildfire is no longer something that happens only in wildlands. 

With each workshop, we brought together subject matter experts. Attendees ranged from residents to planners, weather forecasters, transportation planners, realtors, insurance and utility professionals. With wildfire, we all have a role to play in creating resilient communities. Click here to view some of the wildfire resources and presentations.

Citizens Planning Academy:

Our 2019 series focused on a theme of growth and planning and saw a record attendance! Now in its third year, over 170 citizens have attended our Citizens Planning Academy (CPA) since it began in 2017.

We grew session attendance 81% over 2018. With online attendance and video recordings published on our youtube channel our sessions reach a larger audience than ever before.

Grow Smart Awards:

Now in its 15th year, the Grow Smart Awards has recognized over 119 projects, plans, people and organizations.

The 2019 annual event benefited from another successful keynote with Robert Liberty presenting at the Linen Building in downtown Boise. Recipients represented 4 Idaho communities. Click here to view the full list of recipients.

We also hosted our second local event in Moscow celebrating 6 past local recipients. This was a partnership with Preservation Idaho’s Orchids and Onions event. Read more about the event partnership here.

In 2019 we led our 2nd annual walking tour, this year highlighting 7 projects throughout Garden City. If you’d like to follow our walking route, you can find the map and stops here.

Safe Routes to School:

We held our second statewide convening at the Idaho State Capitol in June, bringing together 29 local safe routes coordinators and professionals in various statewide transportation authorities including ITD and metropolitan planning organizations. Click here to view notes from the convening.

This year, Idaho Smart Growth also worked with several communities to strength their Child Pedestrian Safety applications for funding. Of the applicants we worked with, 4 were selected for 2019 funding. The communities who were selected for funding will now begin working to create a baseline of information by gathering bicycle and pedestrian counts, and introducing Safe Routes to School events and safety curriculum with support from Idaho Smart Growth. Click here to learn more about these communities.

Placemaking:

With a generous grant from the Idaho Association of Realtors, Idaho Smart Growth was able again to coordinate efforts for Park(ing) day in Boise on the last Friday in September. We coordinated the efforts of 8 participating organizations and created a sandwich board with information and a map to all 4 downtown locations. Check out the video with on-street interviews!

We also partnered with the Treasure Valley’s May in Motion event to incentivize organizations and individuals to adopt a bus stop.

Looking Ahead:

As we plan for the future, we are undertaking a strategic planning effort and want your input. Please take our survey and help us plan for another 20 years.

Thank you for taking the time to share you input.