What Is Smart Growth?

Smart Growth describes a collaborative approach to town and city design and restoration. Its principles emphasize issues of transportation and public health, environmental and historic preservation, sustainable development, and long-range planning.

Smart Growth focuses on

• areas with problematic infrastructure already in place (e.g., "urban blight")
• reducing suburban sprawl
• planning for urban growth
• careful considerations of rural areas, farmlands, and environmentally sensitive areas

^{SOURCE: "Policy Guide on Smart Growth," American Planning Association (APA), adopted April 2002. PDF}

Ten Smart Growth Principles

Development should be planned according to Smart Growth principles:

1. Mix land uses
2. Take advantage of compact building design
3. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices
4. Create walkable neighborhoods
5. Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
6. Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas
7. Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities
8. Provide a variety of transportation choices
9. Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective
10. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions

"Growth is smart when it gives us great communities, with more choices and personal freedom, good return on public investment, greater opportunity across the community, a thriving natural environment, and a legacy we can be proud to leave our children and grandchildren."

^{SOURCE: "This is Smart Growth," International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), September 2006, p. 1. Publication number 231-K-06-002. (PDF online)}

Some Organizations Involved With Smart Growth

• U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
• International City / County Management Association (ICMA)
• Smart Growth America
• Smart Growth Online
• New Partners for Smart Growth
• Partnership for Sustainable Communities
• Victoria Transport Policy Institute

Smart Growth Network (SGN)

The SGN consists of private and public partners, from for-profit real estate and land developers to environmental groups and historic preservationists to state, federal, and local governments. Partners promote development with these factors in mind: the economy, the community, public health, and the environment. Activities include:

• Raising public awareness
• Promoting Smart Growth best practices
• Developing and sharing information
• Solving problems that create barriers to Smart Growth.

^{SOURCE: "This is Smart Growth," International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), September 2006. Publication number 231-K-06-002. (PDF online)}

Criticism

Smart Growth planning principles have been called unfair, ineffective, and unjustified. Todd Litman of the Victoria Transport Policy Institute, an independent research organization, has examined criticism by the following people:

• Alex Anas, Buffalo State University
• Wendell Cox, The Public Purpose
• Edward Glaeser, Harvard University
• Matthew Kahn, UCLA
• Peter Gordon and Harry W. Richardson, University of Southern California
• Edwin S. Mills, emeritus professor Northwestern University, the Independent Institute
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
• Randal O'Toole, CATO Institute

Mr. Litman acknowledges these legitimate criticisms:

• exaggerated benefits
• exaggerated harm from sprawl
• unintended impacts and consequences
• potential of increasing traffic congestion and air pollution
• regulations reduce consumer options
• consumer choice for suburban, auto-dependent lifestyle
• strategies are interdependent and balanced
• preserving greenspace is not economically justifiable

^{SOURCE: "Evaluating Criticism of Smart Growth," Todd Litman, Victoria Transport Policy Institute, March 12, 2012, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada (PDF online)}