Implementing a Sustainable Future

The Together North Jersey Plan—the first comprehensive plan for sustainable development in North Jersey—was issued in November 2015. Since then, TNJ partners have reconvened to make the Plan’s vision for sustainable development a reality. Funded by the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) with technical support from the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center (VTC) at Rutgers University, partners launched the TNJ 2.0 implementation phase in May 2016. NJTPA and VTC work collaboratively to implement the plan through three core programs:

• The Vibrant Places Program leverages the power of placemaking to strengthen connections between people and places that enhance the social, physical, and economic fabric in communities across the region. Placemaking is the application of community planning that integrates arts, culture, and other community assets to attract new investment and strengthen the local economy. It is a sustainable form of economic development that links job creation to specific places by enhancing public spaces, streets, and other community amenities. TNJ supports and advances placemaking projects with a focus on disadvantaged communities and diverse stakeholders.
• TNJ Institutes are ongoing series of technical assistance and training activities designed to enhance the capacity of counties, municipalities, nonprofits, and others in the region to implement the actions recommended in the Plan.
• The TNJ Research and Knowledge-building program works to increase institutional capacity for planning in North Jersey by creating resources to assist municipalities throughout the region with common planning challenges. Examples include guides on implementing parklet program and planning around transit hubs.