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Mission:
(from website)
"Smart Growth
America is a coalition of national, state and local
organizations working to improve the ways we plan and build the towns, cities
and metro areas we call home. The coalition includes many of the best-known
national organizations advocating on behalf of historic preservation, the
environment, farmland and open space preservation, neighborhood revitalization
and more. Our state- and regional-level members are community-based
organizations working to save treasured landscapes while making our towns and
cities ever more livable and lovable.
"We
believe that the American people deserve healthy cities, towns and suburbs;
homes that are both affordable and close to jobs and activities; fewer hours in
traffic and more opportunities to enjoy recreation and natural areas; air and
water of the highest quality; and a landscape our children can be proud to
inherit. We believe that ordinary citizens deserve a much greater say, and
better options, in choosing their communities’ future.
"To that
end, our members work with citizens across the country to preserve our built and
natural heritage, promote fairness for people of all backgrounds, fight for
high-quality neighborhoods, expand choices in housing and transportation and
improve poorly conceived development projects. |
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Resources
to Share:
Choosing Our
Community’s Future (2005)
This guidebook is
designed for citizens interested in becoming more informed and involved in
planning their communities. The Guide outlines planning terms, approaches, and
procedures, and highlights ways citizens can get the most out of development
plans and proposals without eliminating smart growth goals.
Endangered By Sprawl
(2005)
This is the first study to quantify the effect of
sprawling development on wildlife nationally. The report chronicles how the
rapid conversion of once-natural areas and farmland into subdivisions, shopping
centers, roads, and parking lots has become a leading threat to America’s native
plants and animals.
 Smart Growth Shareware
(2005)
On a single CD-ROM, the Shareware compiles over
100 publications, fact sheets, presentations, images, weblinks, and suggested
reading. Resources are organized in a user-friendly format by various
cross-searchable topics.
2004 National Poll by the National Association of
Realtors and Smart Growth America
The 2004 national
survey of consumer preferences found that there is a growing, and largely unmet,
demand from for mixed use, walkable neighborhoods, convenient to schools and
offices. However, the demand for walkable communities, shorter commutes, and
broader choices in homes, neighborhoods and transportation.
Smart Growth is Smart Business
(2004)
The report profiles 17 businesses that are
improving the quality of life for customers and employees also bolsters their
bottom line by supporting smart growth policies and projects.
Measuring the Health Effects of Sprawl
(2003)
Using the sprawl measurement methodology and
results from Measuring Sprawl and its Impact, this is the first national study
to find that people who live in counties marked by sprawl-style development are
more likely to weigh more, be obese, and suffer from high blood pressure.
Measuring Sprawl and its
Impact (2002)
This rigorous, peer-reviewed study is the
first to develop a consistent method for defining and measuring the development
pattern referred to as “sprawl” and its impact on residents’ lives. The study
amassed an unprecedented database of measures of residential density, a mix of
jobs, shops, and housing, the street network, and the presence or absence of
strong centers of activity. Metropolitan areas across the country were scored
and ranked, and various lifestyle and transportation factors were related to
local sprawl levels.
Paving Our Way to Water Shortages
(2002)
American Rivers, the Natural Resources Defense
Council, and SGA collaborated to analyze the effects of sprawl on our water
supplies, especially in light of 2002’s drought conditions. Impervious surfaces
not only increase polluted runoff, but also impair aquifer and surface water
recharge. The report discusses sprawl’s impact on water quality and quantity
through an ever-increasing amount of paved surfaces.
Greetings
from Smart Growth America
Our introductory brochure. The
booklet discusses Americans’ desires and feelings about growth and development,
illustrates smart-growth principles, and presents real-life examples for
citizens and officials, in the private sector and at every level of government,
who wish to help their communities get better as the grow.
National Survey on Growth and Land Development (2000)
This presents results from a nationwide survey on attitudes
regarding transportation, land development, and smart growth policies, and
perceptions about the public officials in charge of implementation.
The Science of Smart Growth (2000)
Over the
past several years, citizens nationwide have passed hundreds of ballot
initiatives supporting land preservation, park improvements, community
reinvestment, public transit and other measures to curb sprawl. To obtain a copy
of this December 2000 Scientific American feature article, by Don Chen, please
contact sga@smartgrowthamerica.org
Smart
Growth Around America Newsletter (bi-monthly)
The SGA
e-newsletter covers the most recent and exciting news in smart growth around the
country. It is distributed to a large and growing audience of coalition members,
partners, funders, and other interested individuals or groups.
Smart Growth Implementation Kit
(forthcoming)
The Smart Growth Leadership Institute (SGLI) is
developing this tool for communities nationwide, to be based on SGLI’s
Implementation Assistance Program activities. The Program utilizes a scorecard
to examine proposed projects, identifies “smart” sites for future development,
and evaluates zoning codes, approval processes, and design protocols that help
advance smart growth strategies. For information on the Implementation
Assistance Program, please contact Benjie dela Pena at bdelapena@sgli.org
Vacant
Properties: the True Costs to Communities (2005)
This
upcoming report highlights the many costs that vacant lots and buildings pose,
including safety concerns, strain on public services (nuisance abatement, fire
and crime prevention), and the documented devaluing of adjacent properties.
Vacant properties represent lost tax revenue and potential blight but also
present potential opportunities for recapturing community vitality through
redevelopment.
More
Resources...
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