RHODE ISLAND
"This streamlined, user friendly rehab code will reduce the time, expense and unpredictability of bringing older buildings back to life for residential, commercial and industrial uses. Rhode Island, in becoming only the third state in the country to adopt a rehab code (New Jersey and Maryland being the two others), is taking a major step forward in encouraging revitalization of our cities, town centers and overall economy while maintaining high standards of life safety."-- Editor's note: for more on the importance of building codes, see Ed McMahon's Building Codes Get Smarter (read excerpts; article can also be ordered & downloaded).
Grow Smart Rhode Island also commissioned the preparation of a report, The Costs of Suburban Sprawl and Urban Decay in Rhode Island (Dec. 1999). One of the report's key findings is that continued sprawl development will cost Rhode Island taxpayers almost $1.5 billion over the next 20 years. The report found that: "Tax revenue losses in decaying urban centers account for more than half the projected sprawl costs. Another 15% of the total costs come from tax revenue losses in non-urban areas. The cost of building and maintaining extra infrastructure -- local roads, public schools, gas lines, electric utility lines, sanitary sewer lines, etc. -- to accommodate sprawl accounts for an additional 30% of the $1.5 billion figure.
-- The Executive Summary of the report can be downloaded (pdf file); information on ordering the report is available on the Grow Smart Rhode Island web site.
-- Also of note, Grow Smart Rhode Island has prepared a briefing book, A Strategy
For Saving Rhode Island From Sprawl and Urban Decay (July 2002), which can also be downloaded.
return to state indexDo you know of a state or local program we haven't listed that fights sprawl? If so, please e-mail us the information at: editor@plannersweb.com, and we'll include it here.