SMART GROWTH

by: Eleanor Marie V. Santos

definition:
• Also called New Community Design
• A general term for policies that integrate transportation and land use decisions,
for example by encouraging more compact, mixed-use development within
existing urban areas, and discouraging dispersed, automobile dependent
development at the urban fringe. (vtpi.org)
• An urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in the
center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-
oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood
schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a range of housing
choices. Its goals are to achieve a unique sense of community and place;
expand the range of transportation, employment, and housing choices;
equitably distribute the costs and benefits of development; preserve and
enhance natural and cultural resources; and promote public health. (wikipedia.org)
history:
• Transportation and community planners began to promote the idea of compact
cities and communities in the early 1970s
• Archt. Peter Calthorpe promoted and popularized the idea of urban villages
that relied on public transportation, bicycling, and walking instead of automobile
use.
• Archt. Andres Duany promoted changing design codes to promote a sense of
community, and to discourage driving.
• In response to increasing community concerns about the need for new ways to
grow that boost the economy, protect the environment, and enhance community
vitality, the US Environmental Agency joined with several non-profit and
government organizations to form the Smart Growth Network (SGN) in 1996.
The SGN’s partners include environmental groups, historic preservation
organizations, professional organizations, and local and state government
entities. They work to encourage development that serves the economy,
community and the environment.
main features:
Growth is considered “smart growth” if it includes these features:
• Compact neighborhoods and mixed-use
development: This reduces sprawl and
protects the climate. Includes adopting
redevelopment strategies and zoning policies
that channel housing and job growth into urban
centers and neighborhood business districts, to
create compact, walkable, bike- and transit-
friendly hubs by incorporating mixed-use
development with homes, offices, galleries, and
shops, inclusion of affordable housing, restriction
on suburban design forms, and inclusion of parks and recreation areas.
• Transit-oriented development (TOD):
TODs are residential or commercial areas
designed to maximize access to public transport.

source: www.smartgrowth.org
 • Pedestrian- and bicycle-friendly design: Biking and walking instead of driving
can reduce emissions, save money on fuel and maintenance, and foster a healthier
population.
• Revitalization of run-down areas: Cleaning up and redevelopment run-down
areas or brownfields/infill (abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial
facilities where redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental
contamination) can remove blight and environmental contamination, catalyze
neighborhood revitalization, lessen development pressure at urban edge.
• Open space preservation: Preserving natural lands and encouraging growth in
existing communities protects farmland, wildlife habitat, and outdoor recreation.

10 basic principles:

PRINCIPLE DESCRIPTION BENEFITS

1. Create range of housing - Integrating different housing - mitigation of
opportunities and types like single- and multi- environmental costs
family structures in new of auto dependent
housing developments can development
support a more diverse - better jobs-housing
population and allow more balance
distribution of households of - generate a strong
all income levels across the foundation of
region. support for transit
stops, commercial
choices centers and other
services
2. Create walkable - Done by building places with - lower transportation
multiple destinations within costs
close proximity, where streets - greater social
and sidewalks balance all interaction
forms of transportation. They - increased physical
locate within an easy and activity thereby
safe walk of goods and improving personal
services that a community and environmental
resident or employee needs health
on a regular basis, which - expanded consumer
neighborhoods makes pedestrian activity choice
possible, thus expanding
transportation options, and
creating streetscapes that
better serve a range of users.
3 Encourage community - Since different communities - improves public
. and stakeholder have different needs, support
programs addressing them - leads to innovative
are best defined by the strategies that fit
people who live and work unique needs of
there. Encouraging each community
community and stakeholder
collaboration can lead to
creative, speedy resolution of
development issues and
collaboration greater community
understanding of the
importance of good planning

source: www.smartgrowth.org
 and investment.

4. - Encourages communities to - community

Foster distinctive, craft a vision and set cohesion
attractive communities standards and construction - strong sense of
with a strong sense of which respond to community belongingness of the
place values of architectural beauty people
and distinctiveness as well as
expanded choices in housing
and transportation thereby
creating unique and
interesting communities
which reflects the values and
culture of the people who
reside there and foster a
more cohesive community
fabric
5. Make development - Since the private sector has - private sector
decisions predictable, the needed capital in support
fair and cost effective developing our communities,
governments should help
make smart growth profitable
to private investors and
developers by making the
right infrastructure and
regulatory decisions.
PRINCIPLE DESCRIPTION BENEFITS
6. Mix land uses - Putting uses in close - economies of
proximity to one another agglomeration
provides a more diverse and - increase in social
sizable population and interaction
commercial base to support - revitalization of
services. community life
- enhance vitality and
perceived security
towards the streets

source: www.smartgrowth.org
7. Preserve open space, - “Open space” – natural areas - greenspace and
farmland, natural both in and surrounding the wildlife habitat
beauty and critical locality that provide preservation
important community space; - reduced water
habitat for plants and pollution
animals; farms; places of - help in reducing air
natural beauty and critical pollution
environmental areas (e.g. - reduced heat island
wetlands) effect

environmental areas
8. Provide a variety of - Multi-modal approach to - improved
transportation choices
transportation with transportation
supportive development options
patterns by increasing high - more efficient
quality transit service; transportation
creating connectivity within - reduced air pollution
road networks; and ensuring
connectivity between
pedestrian, bike, transit, and
road facilities.

9. Strengthen and direct - Direction of development - reduced

development towards towards existing communities development and
existing communities already served by service costs
infrastructure and utilizing - reduced greenfield
resources that existing development and
neighborhoods offer can agricultural land
conserve open space and conversion
irreplaceable natural
resources at the urban fringe.
1 Take advantage of - Suggests that communities be - reduction of
0. compact building design designed in a way which footprint of new
permits more open space to construction
be preserved, and that - preservation of
buildings can be constructed greenspaces
which make more efficient - cheaper to provide
use of land and resources by and maintain
encouraging buildings to grow services and
vertically rather than utilities (water,
horizontally, and by sewer, electricity,
incorporating structured etc.)
rather than surface parking

source: www.smartgrowth.org
Comparing Smart Growth and Sprawl
SPRAWL SMART GROWTH

Density Lower-density, dispersed activities. Compact development.

Urban periphery (greenfield)

Growth pattern Infill (brownfield) development.
development.
Homogeneous (single-use,
Land use mix Mixed land use.
segregated) land uses.
Large scale. Larger buildings, Human scale. Smaller buildings,
blocks, wide roads. Less detail, blocks and roads. More detail,
Scale since people experience the since people experience the
landscape at a distance, as landscape up close, as
motorists. pedestrians.

Public services
Regional, consolidated, larger. Local, distributed, smaller.
(shops, schools,
Requires automobile access. Accommodates walking access.
parks)

Automobile-oriented transportation
and land use patterns, poorly
Transport
suited for walking, cycling and
transit.
Hierarchical road network with
numerous loops and dead-end
Connectivity streets, and unconnected
sidewalks and paths, with many
barriers to nonmotorized travel.
Multi-modal transportation and
land use patterns that support
walking, cycling and public transit.
Highly connected roads,
sidewalks and paths, allowing
relatively direct travel by
motorized and nonmotorized
modes.

Streets designed to maximize Streets designed to

Street design motor vehicle traffic volume and accommodate a variety of
speed. activities. Traffic calming.

Unplanned, with little coordination Planned and coordinated

Planning
between jurisdictions and between jurisdictions and
process
stakeholders. stakeholders.
Emphasis on the public realm
Emphasis on the private realm
(streetscapes, pedestrian
Public space (yards, shopping malls, gated
environment, public parks, public
communities, private clubs).
facilities).

source: Victoria Transport Policy Institute. “Smart Growth: More Efficient Land Use Management.” Available from
http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm38.htm. Internet; accessed 24 January 2010.