A Campaign to Renew the Lehigh Valley - Renew Lehigh Valley.org

What is RENEWLV?

Renew Lehigh Valley is committed to promoting smart growth and smart governance in order to revitalize our core communities, preserve open space, and establish an economically and environmentally sustainable foundation for our region's future growth.

Why RENEWLV?

The Lehigh Valley is rich in a variety of assets that foster a high quality of life in the region. These include unique cultural, historic, and natural resources.

Significant population growth is projected for the Lehigh Valley over the next 10 to 20 years, and it is crucial that the region grows in a way that not only draws on and preserves these assets, but also ensures that the Lehigh Valley's older core communities--our cities and boroughs--can thrive.

Making "smart growth" a reality in the Lehigh Valley must involve broad-based regional collaboration and the participation of individuals and organizations across the region's various communities. Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV) seeks to catalyze action focused on creating a vibrant region characterized by strong core communities, abundant open space, and regional thinking.

The Second-Annual State of the Lehigh Valley Report Release Event was a hit!

Thank you to everyone who attended the State of the Lehigh Valley lunch event on February 15th. And a special thanks again to our sponsors, without whom this event would not have been possible: Highmark Blue Shield, Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation, Capital Blue Cross, PPL, Air Products, Susquehanna Bank, Lehigh University's Social Science Research Center, Just Born Inc., Spillman Farmer Architects, and the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.

In case you missed the event, you can view the videos here! View the Introduction, the Community Trends, and the Community Discussion now.

Recent Updates

STATE OF THE LEHIGH VALLEY: Renew Lehigh Valley partnered with the Lehigh Valley Research Consortium for the second-annual State of the Lehigh Valley luncheon event. Read the State of the Lehigh Valley: Community Trends at a Glance 2011 report. View pictures of the event. View a list of registrants from the event. For those who weren't able to join us, view a full-length video of the Introduction, the Community Trends, and the Community Discussion through these links!

ANNUAL BI-COUNTY HEALTH MEETING SCHEDULED: On Monday, January 9, 2012, the Health Commission will hold its annual meeting at the Lehigh County Government Center. The newly elected Northampton County Council members, along with the Lehigh County commissioners, will be present at this meeting. This is the perfect opportunity to speak out in support of the Bi-County Health Bureau which has been studied and proposed for the Lehigh Valley and is supported at the state level (http://renewlv.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/october-17-2011-health-commission-presentationfinal-final10-171.ppt). All we need is support from both county councils to create the first bi-county health bureau in the state. This type of cooperation and partnership is indicative of joint ventures for which the Lehigh Valley is known and rewarded across the state!

HUD ANNOUNCES GRANT AWARD 21 November 2011: LVEDC submitted a grant proposal on behalf of the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Consortium and was awarded $3.4 million to create jobs and to improve housing, transportation, and the economic vitality of the Lehigh Valley. RenewLV is excited to take charge of the community engagement piece! Read the Morning Call article here www.mcall.com/business/mc-allentown-planning-grant-20111121,0,3134341.story and the HUD announcement here portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD.

YEAR END MESSAGE 2010. Read RenewLV's end-of-year message.