Smart Growth
SMART GROWTH
Introduction by George Wittenberg
I attended a professional conference for architects and urban planners in Boston in the Fall of 2006. One session on Smart Growth distributed the excellent report entitled “This is Smart Growth”, by The Smart Growth Network. It is such a good summary of the principles and objectives of Smart Growth planning that I decided to publish highlights from it for all to read. The entire report is in our Urban Studies & Design collection of periodicals in our office, Stabler Hall 603, and available for you to read in its entirety. The illustrations of examples of communities design by Smart Growth principles are also excellent to see
What is Smart Growth?
Smart Growth is a concept term used by those who seek to identify a set of policies governing transportation and land use planning policy for urban areas that benefits communities and preserves the natural environment. Smart Growth advocates land use patterns that are compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly, and include mixed-use development with a range of housing choices.
Proponents of Smart Growth advocate comprehensive planning to guide, design, develop, revitalize and build communities that: have a unique sense of community and place, preserve and enhance natural and cultural resources; equitable distribute the costs and benefits of development; expand the range of transportation, employment and housing choices; value long range, regional considerations of sustainability over a short term focus; and promote public health and communities.
Smart Growth gives us great communities, with more choices and personal freedom, good return on public investment, greater opportunity across the community, a thriving national environment, and a legacy we can be proud to leave our children and grandchildren.
Smart Growth Principles
- Mixed land uses
- Take advantage of compact building design
- Create a range of housing opportunities and choices
- Create walkable neighborhoods
- Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
- Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas
- Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities
- Provide a variety of transportation choices
- Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective
- Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions
1. A Shot at the American Dream of Opportunity for All
When development is based on Smart Growth principles, it increases opportunities and the chance to achieve the American dream.
Americans have a history of starting their own businesses at home. Many home owner’s associations rules and zoning laws often prohibit home-based business. As a solution to this problem, developments designed with Smart Growth principles are providing new opportunities with “live/work” units. Buyers benefit because their monthly mortgage payments cover their business rent, one of the biggest expenses for small-business owners.
By investing money for schools in communities where families already live and by creating neighborhoods that have a diversity of housing types and income levels, Smart Growth approaches can make good educational opportunities accessible to more children.
The American Dream can mean something different to everyone. Smart Growth is not a magic bullet, but communities can use it to create new choices and opportunities to help people achieve their goals.
2. Safe, Convenient Neighborhoods With Homes That People Can Afford
Finding a good home in a safe neighborhood, convenient to jobs, good schools and other daily needs, can be difficult. More often than not, neighborhoods with lots of amenities, such as public transit, shops, restaurants, parks, churches and schools, are expensive because more people want to live there. As a result, people who can’t afford to live in these neighborhoods often find themselves either moving far from their jobs or living in areas where they might not always feel safe. But no one should have to sacrifice safety or convenience for affordability. Communities should strive to provide decent homes in safe neighborhoods for people of all incomes.
When plans were being created to redevelop Denver’s old Stapleton Airport into a neighborhood with homes, offices, schools and shops, citizens wanted it to include housing in every price range. The neighborhood has a wide variety of houses at different process, so that everyone could live in the same neighborhood. Stapleton illustrates a range of choices that’s missing in a lot of new developments.
Places like Stapleton are still the exception rather than the rule. Making communities like Stapleton more common gives people the opportunity to live near jobs and amenities in neighborhoods that are safe and affordable.
3. Development Decisions That Are Fair To Everyone
Any new development brings change and everyone feels the effects. And all have rights and responsibilities that must be fairly balanced.
Citizens, developers and local governments should work together constructively on development proposals. Local officials should establish development policies and priorities that use tax dollars wisely, protect public health and welfare, balance the needs of residents and developers, include citizens in the decision-making process and plan for the long term.
Envision Utah, a partnership of business and civic leaders and policy makers, engaged thousands of residents to discuss their vision for growth in the Salt Lake City region gave the people a fair chance to influence those decisions, ensuring everyone had a stake in the outcome. The resulting vision was a future that conserved more land, provided transportation and housing choices and invested public money wisely-all crucial components of Smart Growth.
Balancing interests fairly is important, and a clear, predictable, timely and participatory process helps to ensure fair results. One such process is a “charette,” a series of workshops in which community members discuss their concerns, ideas and goals for development; developers illustrate these ideas and suggest ways to fulfill the community’s vision. The collaboration gives residents a fair chance to express their concerns and goals. Developers benefit because the process is predictable and enables them to line up public support so that their projects can move forward smoothly.
Ultimately, “fair” does not mean that everyone will agree with the result. What it does mean, at a minimum, is that a community should engage the public in development decisions, in good faith. This means involving citizens early enough for their input to be effective, letting people air their concerns openly, assessing impacts, addressing undue hardships, and providing developers with a more predictable process.
4. Investing Taxpayer Money Wisely in our Communities
When our tax dollars are invested in growth and development, we expect that our
Lives and the community as a whole will improve. We want to get the most out of investments we’ve already made and use our current resources wisely, building where it makes sense to build and not duplicating or undermining previous expenditures.
It is up to state and municipal governments to direct public and private investment to areas whether they want growth or revitalization.
One way to make the most of public investment is to reuse an old structure in a new way. In 1985, Burlington, Iowa started a Main Street program, spawning local partnerships that created a start-up center for new businesses, expanded the local farmer’s market, and turned the Hotel Burlington (once one of the best hotels in the mid-west) into the Burlington Apartments, where senior citizens of varying incomes can live close to shops, parks and other downtown amenities.
Strategic public investments can deliver multiple benefits such as new amenities, an increased tax base, and a lively downtown to attract visitors and residents. Public investments in communities should be wise and endearing. Communities have to balance their limited resources between taking care of what they have and building new places. Thoughtful public investments based on Smart Growth principles can accomplish both of these goals.
5. Protecting and Preserving Our Natural Heritage and Working Lands
Natural landscapes help define the character of our nation and communities. People care about conserving recreational, scenic, working and environmentally valuable lands. Communities around the country are buying land or directing development toward areas better suited for building.
These natural landscapes also have a great economic value. Protected open space increases the properly value of nearby homes and attracts tourism and recreation. Working lands support local economies, strengthen the tax base and provide food.
Buying land or development rights is one way to protect our working and natural lands; another is to make it easy and attractive to live in more developed areas, reducing the demand for development on green space.
Preserving green space in urban areas is critical for residents’ quality of life. City parks and community gardens offer recreation and respite from the urban bustle.
The East Bay Regional Park District in the San Francisco-Oakland metropolitan area has preserved historic farms, woodlands and grasslands, and significant portions of the San Francisco Bay coastline. The park system comprises around 85,000 acres where, a short distance from their homes, residents can swim, fish, hike, picnic and enjoy natural beauty.
Local governments, developers and citizens re finding Smart ways to grow-bringing economic opportunity while preserving our landscapes for the future.
6. Freedom to Choose How We Get Around
Communities need to provide options for those who can’t or chose not to own a car, for children and seniors who want more independence, and for people who might want to drive to work one day and bike the next.
The key to efficient transportation is to have multiple routes and types of transportation. Streets should be designed not only to move cars but also to be safe and inviting for pedestrians, cyclists and transit users. Often, communities already have the basic infrastructure for people to get around without a car; they just need to make a few improvements so that it is easier and more comfortable.
Arlington County, Virginia gives its residents a wealth of options for getting around. Walking is easy because homes, offices, stores and civic buildings are grouped near subway stations and in close proximity to each other.
Subway or other rail systems may not work for smaller communities, but transit still plays an important role. Many communities use bus systems to supplement transportation choices.
Bikes are another option, especially for the roughly 60 percent of all daily trips in the U. S. that are under five miles. Using bicycles to get around requires safe streets, bike routes and trails and adequate bike parking.
Then, there is walking…
People want more transportation choices. Large or small, every community can use Smart Growth techniques to give people the freedom to choose how they get around.
7. Healthy Communities for All Ages
The way we design, live in and get around our communities directly affects our health. Many of the techniques that make communities more attractive and affordable places to live also make them healthier places. When a community is designed to be easier to get around, people can more easily incorporate physical activity into their daily lives,
Places designed for people to be active are also places that enable people to stay in the same neighborhood, as they grow older. This allows them to remain active and continue to enjoy the companionship of their neighbors.
Another health-related goal that Smart development strategies can help us achieve is good water quality. Many communities around the county are protecting their water supplies by directing growth away from areas near drinking water sources or by preserving undeveloped land around those sources to protect them from pollution. The preserved land not only protects water quality, it also gives people valued places to play, relax and connect with nature.
Places designed with Smart Growth principles-such as making walking and bicycling safe and attractive, protecting natural resources vital to our health, and supporting communities where people of all ages can live comfortably-help everyone in the community lead healthier lives.
8. Places Designed for People
The physical design of a community affects our lives every time we step out our doors. Places that are designed with people in mind show careful attention to the experience each person will have with the street, the sidewalk, the buildings and the surrounding environment. Buildings ands routes are close together so that people can stroll from one place to another. Sidewalks have benches weary walkers can rest or just people-watch. The buildings along the street are eye-catching, and shop windows facing the street encourage browsers to look inside the stores.
In 1997, Traverse City, Michigan, following citizens’ wishes, rewrote its master plan to replace its downtown parking lots with homes, shops and businesses. Today, its historic buildings are interspersed with attractive new ones; a trout stream runs through the middle of downtown; and tree-lined sidewalks go past parks, restaurants, shops and offices. As in all successful town centers, the wide variety of activities piques visitors’ interest and brings residents back again and again.
Many people enjoy neighborhoods where they can get to know and chat with their neighbors. Places that are designed for people recognize the importance of this kind of personal interaction. Well-designed neighborhoods with attractive sidewalks, small parks and shops and restaurants that serve the community lend themselves to chance encounters with friends and neighbors.
Walkability, beauty, sociability and access to activities are critical ingredients in designing for people. When these elements are brought together through careful, Smart design, our communities become timeless places for people who want safety, convenience and choices in how they get around and where they go.
9. A Lasting Legacy in Our Communities
Every structure we build, every street we pave, every tree we plant, and every public square we shape contributes to the legacy we leave to those who will live in or visit our community after us. We all want to hand down strong, healthy, beautiful places where neighbors know one another; job opportunities are abundant; and people of all races, incomes and backgrounds are welcome.
Planning for 50 or even 100 years into the future helps a community articulate the legacy it wants, set goals to achieve it and create benchmarks it can use to check its progress and make necessary changes along the way.
Charleston, South Carolina, has taken this long-term view, preserving its legacy from years gone by, but also enriching that legacy for future residents and visitors. Its cobblestone streets, gardens tended for decades, moss-covered oak trees and elegant churches make Charleston the distinctive place it is today.
Many historic communities around the country have beautiful homes; historic churches, main streets and grand civic structures give them their identity. These structures enrich our lives and link us to history.
Newly established communities can also build on the past to create a lasting legacy. Southlake, Texas’, a growing suburb of Dallas-Fort Worth, town square revives the old-time courthouse square patter, the first time in a century that a Texas town has been built in this historic manner. Residents enjoy this new town square; as many as 20,000 people attend the annual Fourth of July celebration.
Sometimes our responsibility is simply to be good stewards of what we have inherited: rivers that provide clean water, forests with wildlife habitat and recreational space, scenic mountain views and other precious natural resources.
By preserving tangible links with history, we honor our past. By planning new development that we can be proud of, we honor our future. With thoughtful planning, we can pass on a legacy of beautiful and vibrant communities for generations to come.
10. Growth and Development That Improves Our Communities
In many places, developers, environmental organizations, and Smart Growth groups are working together to support development projects that meet economic, environmental and community goals. In fact, across the country, communities are using development to solve a variety of local problems. In the process, they are revitalizing vacant buildings and properties, creating housing choices and bringing new amenities to neighborhoods.
All around us, we see places that have been improved by new development. Old factories, industrial areas and parking lots are being cleaned of pollution and turned into vibrant neighborhoods where people can live, shop and work. Orlando, Florida, met the challenge of losing a military base by transforming the property into a new community, Baldwin Park. The neighborhood has hundreds of acres of parks; several different housing types, from apartments to townhouses to high-end homes; shops; offices and more than 50 miles of walking trails and sidewalks.
It makes sense that each new development project should improve the entire community. We have to work with local governments and developers to achieve this standard and use our power as citizens to ensure that as our communities grow, they grow Smarter.
A Better Future for Everyone
Development touches every part of our lives, so we should make sure we get the development we want. Sometimes people worry that development might degrade the quality of life in their community. It doesn’t have to be that way. What if, rather than traffic problems, a new development near you meant new walking and biking paths? What if, rather than more pollution, development meant a new neighborhood park? In short, what if development created great new places that made your community a better place to live?
As you have seen from the examples here, it can be done. Communities around the nation are developing in ways that offer more choices, protect natural resources, honor shared culture and heritage, use resources wisely and improve the economy. They’re building safe and affordable homes, making it easier to get around, protecting health and creating more opportunities for everyone. And a growing number of developers are responding to consumers’ desire for places like these.
Smart Growth strategies are helping these communities create a better future. They can help your community, too.
Smart Growth Resources
Smart Growth online. www.smartgrowth.org
Provides comprehensive information about Smart Growth and lists publications produced by Smart Growth Network partners. You can also become a member of the Smart Growth Network at this site.
EPA’s Smart Growth Program. www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
Resources for Chapter 1
Beaumont, Constances, et al. Why Johnny Can’t Walk to School: Historic Neighborhood Schools in the Age of Sprawl. National Trust for Historic Preservation. 2002. www.nationaltrust.org.
Beyard, Michael D., Michael Pawlukiewicz, and Alex Bond. Ten Principles for Rebuilding Neighborhood Retail. Washington, D.C.: Urban Land Institute, 2003
Fox, Radhika. Shared Prosperity, Stronger Regions: An Agenda for Rebuilding America’s Older Core Cities. PolicyLink, 2005.
Council of Education Facility Planning International and EPA. Schools for Successful Communities: An Element of Smart Growth. 2004. www.cefpi.org
National Association of Realtors. On Common Ground: Smart Growth for Better Schools. Winter 2005. www.realtors.org
Resources for Chapter 2
Local Government Commission. Creating Great Neighborhoods: Density in Your Community. 2003. www.smartgrowth.org
Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) www.lisc.org
Smart Growth Network and the national Neighborhood Coalition. Affordable Housing and Smart Growth: Making the Connection. 2001. www.smartgrowth.org
Urban Land Institute, National Multi Housing Council, and Sierra Club. Higher-Density Development: Myth and Fact. 2005. www.nmhc.org
U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Why Not in Our Community? Removing Barriers to Affordable Housing. 2005. www.huduser.org/publications/affhsg/whynotourcomm.html
Resources for Chapter 3
American Farmland Trust. Fact Sheet: transfer of Development Rights. 2001. www.farmlandinfo.org
Enterprise Foundation. Enterprise Resources Database. 2001. www.practitionerresources.org
Fannie Mae Foundation. Building Blocks. Volume 4 Issue 1. Summer 2003. www.fanniemaefoundation.org
Goldberg, David. Choosing Our Community’s Future: A citizen’s Guide to Getting the Most Out of New Development. Smart Growth America. 2005. www.smartgrowthamerica.org
Resources for Chapter 4
Burchell, Robert, et al. Sprawl Costs: Economic Impacts of Unchecked Development. Washington, D.C. Island Press. 2005.
EPA. Growing Toward More Effective Water Use: Linking Development, Infrastructure and Drinking Water Policies. 2006. www.epa.gov
Resources for Chapter 5
American Farmland Trust and the U. S. Conference of Mayors. Town Meets Country: Farm-City Forums on Land and Community. 2002. www.farmland.org
Conservation Fund. www.conservationfund.org
EPA. Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth. 2004. www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
National Association of Local Government environmental Professionals.
Smart Growth for Clean Water. 2003 www.nalgep.org
Trust for Public Land. Local Greenprinting for Growth. 2003. www.tpl.org
Resources for Chapter 6
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations. www.ampo.org
Context Sensitive Solutions. www.contextsensitivesolutions.org
Dittmar, Hank and Gloria Ohland. The New Transit Town: Best Practices in Transit-Oriented Development. Washington, D. C. Island Press, 2004.
Ewing, reid. Pedestrian and Transit-Friendly Design: A Primer for Smart Growth. Smart Growth Network. 1999.
Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the Congress for the New Urbanism. Context Sensitive Solutions in Desinging Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities. 2006. www.ite.org
ITE. Guidelines for Neighborhood Street Design. 2001.
National Center for Biking and Walking. www.bikewalk.org
Reconnecting America. www.reconnectingamerica.org
Transportation Research Board. Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in the United States: Experiences, Challenges, and Prospects. 2004. www.trb.org
Walkable Communities, Inc. www.walkable.org
Resources for Chapter 7
AARP. www.aarp.org.
Bailey, Linda. Aging Americans: Stranded Without Options. Surface Transportation Policy Project. 2004. www.transact.org
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Designing and Building Healthy Places. www.cdc.gov
McCann, Barbara, and Reid Ewing. Measuring the Health Effects of Sprawl. Smart Growth America and Surface Transportation Policy Project. 2003. www.smartgrowthamerica.org
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. www.pedbikeinfo.org
Resources for Chapter 8
American Institute of Architects. Livability 101 for Communities. 2005. www.aia.org
Bohl, Charles. Place Making: Developing Town Centers, Main Streets and Urban Villages. Washington, D. C.: Urban Land Institute, 2002.
Congress for New Urbanism. www.cnu.org
Gindroz, Ray. The Urban Design Handbook: techniques and Working Methods. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2003.
New Urban News. New Urbanism: Comprehensive Report & Best Practices Guide, 3rd Edition. New York: New Urban News, 2003.
Project for Public Spaces. www.pps.org
The Town Paper. List of Traditional Neighborhood Developments. www.tndtownpaper.com
Resources for Chapter 9
American Planning Association. www.planning.org
Morrish, William and Catherine R. Brown. Planning to Stay. Minneapolis: Milkweed Editions, 1994.
National Trust for Historic Preservation. www.nationaltrust.org
Parzen, Julia. Foundations and Real Estate: A Guide for Funders Interested in Building Better Communities. The Funders’ Network for Smart Growth. 2004. www.fundersnetwork.org
Scenic America. www.scenic.org
Resources for Chapter 10
Benfield, Kaid, et al. Solving Sprawl: Models of Smart Growth in Communities Across America. Washington, D. C.: Island Press, 2001.
Booth, Geoffrey, et al. Ten Principles for Reinventing Suburban Business Districts. Washington, D. C.: Urban Land Institute, 2002. www.smartgrowth.org/pdf/uli Ten Principles.pdf
National Vacant Properties Campaign. www.vacantproperties.org
Oregon Department of Transportation. Main Street…When a Highway Runs Through It: A Handbook for Oregon Communities. 1999. www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/BIKEPED/docs/mainstreethandbook.pdf
Sobel, Lee. Greyfields into Goldfields: Dead Malls Become Living Neighborhoods. San Francisco: Congress for the New Urbanism, 2002.