New Jersey’s older cities have experienced a significant revival since 2000, outperforming the rest of the state in critical measures of economic growth.
Planning and Governance
Report Outlines Agenda for Urban Transformation
Thursday, May 15th, 2008Housing Costs, Property Taxes Shift Along with Population
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008Gloucester County still leads New Jersey’s 21 counties in population growth, growing by 1.58 percent between 2006 and 2007, nearly seven times the statewide growth rate of 0.23 percent. Somerset (1.09 percent) and Cumberland (0.89 percent) were the second and […]
One Township Blazes a Trail but the State Must Help it Along
Monday, April 14th, 2008Woolwich Township, a 21-square-mile municipality in Gloucester County, is the fastest-growing community in New Jersey and the second fastest-growing in the Northeast; since 1990, its population has increased six-fold. Woolwich officials have proposed a comprehensive overhaul of the township’s land-use […]
Taxes, Infrastructure Repair, and Lane Use
Wednesday, October 3rd, 2007At 10.5 cents per gallon, New Jersey has the third-lowest gasoline tax in the nation; only Alaska and Georgia* are lower. Washington has the highest tax: 36 cents per gallon.
TDR Implementation – Keen Interest, Slow Progress
Friday, June 1st, 2007Just over three years ago, the State Transfer of Development Rights (TDR) Act was signed into law, authorizing municipalities across New Jersey to adopt programs to “transfer” potential development from conservation areas to designated growth areas, typically at higher densities […]
Old Cities, New Potential?
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007The Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program has examined 376 U.S. cities and characterized 80 of them as “older industrial cities,” based on their substandard performance on a number of economic indicators, including employment growth, number of new business establishments, poverty […]
Washington Township and Smart Growth
Tuesday, April 17th, 2007The estimated average property tax bill in Washington Township increased by 84 percent between 1998 and 2004. This was the 14th-largest increase among all 566 municipalities in the state, and the biggest increase in Mercer County. (East Windsor Township is […]
South Jersey: A New Smart Growth Frontier?
Saturday, April 7th, 2007The fastest-growing county in New Jersey between 2005 and 2006 was Gloucester, with a 1.8 percent rise in population last year, according to estimates recently released by the Census Bureau. (Gloucester is also the fastest-growing county so far in the […]
Tax Relief without Reform?
Friday, January 12th, 2007New Jersey’s local governments shoulder a larger share of public education costs than most other states. Currently, 53.3 percent of revenues for public schools are raised locally in New Jersey, compared to a national average of only 43.9 percent.
Can Property Tax Relief Help Slow Sprawl?
Monday, December 18th, 2006New Jersey’s overdependence on property taxes to pay for local services, especially schools, is perhaps the most significant factor behind the state’s sprawling growth patterns, which have hurt families, businesses, the environment, and the economy.