Smart Growth America
- Members
We envision a country where no matter where you live, or who you are, you can enjoy living in a place that is healthy, prosperous, and resilient.
Details
Neighborhoods shape our lives. Where we live can influence our health, our economic potential, and our children’s futures. Everyone in America—no matter their age, ability, income, or race—deserves the option to live somewhere affordable, convenient, beautiful, and safe.
Smart growth means reinvesting in America’s downtowns and main streets, the economic engines of big cities and rural towns alike. Smart growth means creating homes for families of all income levels alongside one another in locations where daily needs are close by. Smart growth means diversifying our transportation system so Americans have a choice in how they get around. Smart growth means building streets that are safe for people walking, bicycling or using any sort of assistive device, as well as driving. Smart growth means protecting our open green spaces for generations to come.
Above all, it’s about helping every town and city become a more economically prosperous, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable place to live, helping everyone flourish.
- So what is smart growth?
Smart growth looks different from place to place—it’s an overall approach to development that encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and robust community engagement. The 10 principles below, developed several decades ago but unpacked in this guide from US EPA, are considered the foundation of a smart growth approach—click on each principle to expand and learn more.