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- Info
Smart growth: Why local governments are taking a new approach to managing growth in their communities
| Author: |
Froehlich, Maryann |
| Date: |
1998 |
| Periodical: |
Public Management |
| Abstract: |
Competing demands are a daily fact of life for local governments. Simultaneously maintaining great schools and low taxes, good transportation and clean air, rising property values and affordable housing are just a few of the balancing acts that local governments are expected to perform. The field of development embodies these tensions. Development can create a better tax base, provide jobs and amenities for residents, and enhance a community's livability. It also can add to traffic problems, disrupt neighborhoods, and detract from the character of the community. To avoid the pitfalls and to capture development's benefits, local governments are increasingly turning to the policy of "smart growth." Smart growth invests time, attention, and resources in restoring community and vitality to center cities and older suburbs. New growth is more town-centered and transit and pedestrian-oriented; includes a greater mix of housing, commercial, and retail uses; and preserves open space and other environmental amenities. Examples are springing up in communities across the United States. |
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