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Smart Growth FAQ

Smart Growth is a national movement consisting of the application of a series of principles to planning and public space administration strategies in support of development that is environmentally sensitive, economically viable, community-oriented, and sustainable. Its origins are as an anti-sprawl movement in the 1970s.

Although every area must define what Smart Growth means to them at the local and regional levels, most proponents agree on 10 core principles:

1. Mix land uses
2. Take advantage of compact building design
3. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices
4. Create walk-able 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

Organizations promoting Smart Growth principles:
  Smart Growth Network  Smart Growth Online
  National Trust for Historic Preservation
  Environmental Protection Agency
  Smart Growth America
  Florida Department of Health: Smart Growth

Downloads:
   This is Smart Growth (PDF)
   Getting to Know Smart Growth II (PDF)
   APA Planning for Smart Growth (PDF)

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