Goals

Explanation

Mix land uses.

Mixing land uses � commercial, residential, recreational, educational, and others � in neighborhoods or places that are accessible by bike and foot can create vibrant and diverse communities.

Take advantage of compact building design.

Compact building helps create the convenient neighborhood center that people want and present opportunities to absorb growth and development in a way that uses land more efficiently.

Create a range of housing opportunities and choices.

Provide quality housing for people of all income levels.

Create walkable neighborhoods.

Located within an easy and safe walk of goods (such as housing, offices, and retail) and services (such as transportation, schools, libraries) that a community resident or employee needs on a regular basis.

Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place.

Encourages communities to craft a vision and set standards for development and construction which respond to community values of architectural beauty and distinctiveness.

Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas.

Preserve those areas in a community that people value and that provide valuable environmental functions.

Strengthen and direct development towards existing communities.

Directs development towards existing communities already served by infrastructure, seeking to use resources that existing neighborhoods offer, and conserve open space and irreplaceable natural resources on the urban fringe.

Provide a variety of transportation choices.

Communities are increasingly seeking a wider range of transportation options in an effort to improve beleaguered transportation systems. Communities are coupling a multi-modal approach to transportation with supportive development patterns to create a variety of transportation options.

Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective.

For a community to be successful in implementing smart growth, it must be embraced by the private sector. Government can help make smart growth attractive and profitable to private investors and developers.

Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions.

Community and stakeholder collaboration can lead to creative, speedy resolution of development issues and greater community understanding of the importance of good planning and investment. Involving the community early and often in the planning process vastly improves public support for smart growth and often leads to innovative strategies that fit the unique needs of each community.

(Smart Growth Network)