Smart growth

Definition

Smart growth is an urban planning approach that promotes sustainable, environmentally-friendly development while managing urban sprawl. This concept emphasizes compact, walkable neighborhoods, mixed land uses, and efficient public transportation to create vibrant communities. By focusing on smart growth, cities can improve quality of life, reduce traffic congestion, and protect natural resources.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Smart growth strategies encourage higher density housing and mixed-use developments to create vibrant communities with diverse options for living, working, and playing.
2. This approach promotes public transportation, biking, and walking over car dependency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
3. Smart growth aims to preserve open spaces, parks, and natural resources by discouraging sprawling developments that consume farmland and forests.
4. Engaging the community in planning processes is a key principle of smart growth, ensuring that development reflects the needs and desires of residents.
5. Zoning laws can be adjusted to support smart growth initiatives by allowing for more flexible land use and promoting infill development in existing urban areas.

Review Questions

• How does smart growth address the challenges associated with urban sprawl?
  • Smart growth directly tackles urban sprawl by promoting compact, mixed-use developments that encourage higher density living. By creating walkable neighborhoods and enhancing public transportation options, it reduces the need for cars, thereby minimizing traffic congestion and environmental impacts. This approach also preserves green spaces and encourages the development of underutilized areas within existing urban boundaries.
• Discuss how transit-oriented development fits into the framework of smart growth.
  • Transit-oriented development is a crucial element of smart growth as it focuses on creating communities around public transportation hubs. This strategy encourages residents to use public transit rather than personal vehicles, which aligns with smart growth's goal of reducing urban sprawl and traffic congestion. By fostering higher density living near transit options, it enhances accessibility and promotes sustainable lifestyles.
• Evaluate the long-term impacts of implementing smart growth principles on urban environments and communities.
  • Implementing smart growth principles has significant long-term impacts on urban environments by fostering sustainable development patterns that enhance livability. Communities benefit from improved air quality due to reduced car emissions, as well as enhanced economic vitality through diverse local businesses in walkable areas. Additionally, by preserving green spaces and minimizing resource consumption, smart growth ensures that future generations inherit healthier, more resilient urban environments.

Related terms

Urban sprawl: The uncontrolled expansion of urban areas into surrounding rural land, often leading to increased traffic, loss of agricultural land, and environmental degradation.

Transit-oriented development: A type of urban development that maximizes access to public transport, encouraging the creation of dense, walkable communities around transit hubs.

Sustainable development: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, often involving a balance between economic growth and environmental stewardship.