CRS Staff Profile: Elizabeth Reaves

What type of work do you typically do for CRS?
My current project with CRS and Smart Growth is to create an indicator system for Vermont’s Designated Downtown Organizations to use in order to measure the health of their downtown and better understand the growth issues and decisions that they are facing or will face in the future. One of Vermont’s strengths is its ability to preserve it downtowns as centers of economic vitality and culture, while preserving the working landscape. The strength, health, and density of our downtowns affects almost all other sectors of policy, including energy use, agriculture viability, environmental health, economic vitality, and human and community health, making this issue of critical importance to the future of Vermont.

What are some of your favorite past projects that you’ve worked on? Why?
My current work with Smart Growth Vermont is my first project with CRS. I enjoy working with Smart Growth Vermont because the smart growth planning is trans-disciplinary in nature and I believe this is the future of ‘smart’ policy making.

What is your favorite thing about Vermont?
I love that rather than six degrees of separation, in Vermont there are more like two degrees of separation between people. Vermont has this great quirky, Yankee independence streak, and at the same time very strong social and community ties. The people and the land are still very much connected. I hope that we Vermonters can continue to evolve this relationship, update, and adapt it to the global changes that we face.