Smart Growth

Understanding Smart Growth Savings

Land use patterns affect the costs of providing public infrastructure and services such as roads, water, sewage, garbage collection, school transport and mail delivery. Various studies show that these costs tend to increase with sprawl (dispersed development outside existing urban boundaries), and can be reduced with Smart Growth (compact, planned development within existing urban boundaries). ...

Building Smart-Growth Communities

prawl, the dominant land-use pattern since World War 11, has bloated S the boundaries of metropolitan areas with its high per capita rate of land consumption. In the past year alone, a score of states have identified runaway suburban development as one of their most pressing environmental problems. “Imagine a city where neighborhoods are pedestrian-friendly, and residents can walk to shops and ...

Smart growth for community development.

Evaluating Criticism of Smart Growth

This paper evaluates various criticisms of Smart Growth. It defines the concept of Smart Growth, contrasts it with sprawl, and describes common Smart Growth strategies. It examines various criticisms of Smart Growth, including the claim that it does not reflect consumer preferences, infringes on freedom, increases traffic congestion and air pollution, reduces housing affordability, results in s...

Urban-growth Boundaries, Smart Growth, and Housing Affordability

Executive Summary ore than 100 cities and counties have adopted some form of a growth boundary—a limit on land development beyond a politically designated area—to curb sprawl, protect open space, or encourage the redevelopment of inner-city neighborhoods. Statewide mandates for growth boundaries exist in Oregon, Tennessee, and Washington. Urban-growth boundaries, however, have potentially negat...