Smart Growth

Smart Growth is an approach to urban planning that seeks to combat sprawl and manage development so that the built environment is used to its full capacity; it does not try to stop development. Smart Growth focuses on making the built environment more efficient by promoting walkablity, public transit, mixed use. and a range of housing. By focusing on the built environment, smart growth protects open space and landscapes from unnecessary development.

Origins of Smart Growth

 * Environmental Movement of the 1970s
 * 1970 proposed National Land Use Policy Act-introduced by Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson
 * Oregon's 1973 Urban Growth Boundry-introduced by Governor Tom McCall.

Basic Principals
Smart Growth is based on ten basic principals. These include


 * Mix land uses
 * Taking advantage of compact building design
 * Creating a range of housing opportunities and choices
 * Creating walkable neighborhoods
 * Fostering distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place
 * Preserving open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas
 * Strengthening and direct development towards existing communities
 * Providing a variety of transportation choices
 * Making development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective
 * Encouraging community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions

Smart Growth and Historic Preservation
Smart Growth and Historic Preservation go hand in hand. All of the principals listed above can be achieved by reinvesting in older buildngs and older communities and using appropriate infill. Walkablity, mixed use, and a range of housing opportunities are found in old sections of towns and cities. The corner grocery store for instance had inexpensive living space above it. Town homes were also located in older sections of cities, providing an opportunity to move up without moving out. The location of the grocery store on the corner also fostered walkablity. Public transit is also more efficient in these areas of the city because it does not have to venture to places that are cut off from everything else.

Smart Growth has also fostered New Urbanism, which is new construction modeled after the design and layout of older cities. Celebration, Seaside, both in Florida, and I'on in South Carolina are examples of new Urbanism