Smart Growth: More Choices for Our Families

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Smart Growth More Choices for Our Families

• Name
• Organization
• Date

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Environmental Challenges of the 21st Century

• In the past, pollution addressed through
  regulation mandates
• New challenges (urban runoff, brownfields, mobile
  sources, habitat loss) need new tools
• multimedia approach
• strong partnerships
• market-based incentives

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Current Patterns of Growth

• Low Density
• Dispersed
• Auto dependent
• Separate Uses
• Disinvestment in Brownfields and Older
  Communities

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Current Patterns of Growth

• Strip development
• Traffic congestion
• Growth does not reflect values of community

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Current Patterns of Growth
America is growing fastest outside central
cities, and consuming land more rapidly than ever
before
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Current Patterns of Growth

• Open space and farmland losses
• Between 1982-1992, the U.S. lost an average
  of45.7 acresof farmland per hour, every
  day--4,000,000 acres in total!
• Metropolitan Phoenix now covers an area the size
  of Delaware

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Environmental Impacts of Growth Patterns

• AIR
• 40 of emissions that pose greatest threat to
  health in urban areas are from mobile sources
• Transportation sector is fastest growing
  contributor to CO2 emissions

• WATER
• 70,000-90,000 acres of wetlands lost annually,
  most due to increases in development
• Urban runoff responsible for impaired waterways

• BROWNFIELDS
• 400,000 abandoned brownfields sites

Source Our Built and Natural Environments, EPA
Doc. No. 231-R-01-002
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Social Impacts from Development

• Traffic congestion
• Average driver spends 443 hours per year behind
  the wheel -- equal to 55 eight-hour workdays
• Price tag of congestion 34 billion
• Suburban mothers spend 17 full days a year
  driving, more than the average parent spends
  dressing, bathing and feeding a child

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No Single Cause of Sprawl

• Land Use, Regional Growth and Development
  Affected By
• Federal Policies
• State and Regional Policies
• Local Laws and Practices
• Action of Developers, Real Estate Investors
• Lending Practices

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The Development Playing Field is Tilted . . .

• AWAY from center cities and older suburbs
• TOWARD the ex-urban greenfield fringe

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Communities Know That We Can Improve

• More communities want change
• 553 state and local ballot measures in 2000
  related to growth -- 72 passed
• 24 Governors engaged in smart growth activities
  in 2001 State of the State analysis
• GAO Report
• 84 of cities/counties support federal incentives
  for smart growth
• 70 support increased federal technical assistance

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Communities Seek Smart Growth
Smart Growth is growth that serves the economy,
community, and environment

• Smart Growth
• Built on partnerships
• Provides more choices
• Protects the environment
• Supports economic development
• Uses tax dollars wisely
• Means less time in traffic

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Smart Growth Principles

• Mix land uses.
• Take advantage of compact building design.
• Create a range of housing opportunities and
  choices.
• Create walkable neighborhoods.
• Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a
  strong sense of place.
• Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty,
  and critical environmental areas.
• Strengthen and direct development towards
  existing communities.

• Provide a variety of transportation choices.
• Make development decisions predictable, fair, and
  cost-effective.
• Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration
  in development decisions.

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What Smart Growth Is and Is Not
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Current Pattern
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Compact, Mixed Use, Walkable
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Transforming A Street
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Smart Growth not just an urban issue

• Its about building better places in existing
  suburbs, cities, and rural areas.
• Protects investments in areas where people,
  communities, and governments have already made a
  commitment.

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What is EPAs Role?
Smart Growth is EPAs effort to help the
development industry, states, cities and towns
create healthy, sustainable communities

• EPA helps communities by
• removing federal barriers and supporting
  innovation
• providing information on model programs
  resources
• developing analytical tools and providing
  technical assistance

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EPA and Smart Growth The Smart Growth Network
A loose affiliation of organizations and
individuals that believe where and how we grow
matters

• Raise awareness
• Conferences, speaking, articles
• Educate
• Primers, workshops, reports, factsheets
• Assist
• Models, tools, technical assistance, peer matching

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Partnerships

• American Farmland Trust
• American Planning Association
• Assn. Of Metro Planning Organizations
• Center for Neighborhood Technology
• Congress for the New Urbanism
• Conservation Fund
• Environmental Law Institute
• Fannie Mae
• International City/County Management Association
• Institute For Transportation Engineers
• Local Government Commission
• NACo/USCM Joint Center for Sustainable
  Communities
• State of Maryland
• National Association of Counties
• National Association of Realtors
• National Wildlife Federation

• National Growth Management Leadership Project
• National Association of Local Government
  Environmental Professionals
• National Conference of State Legislatures
• National Neighborhood Coalition
• NOAA
• National Trust For Historic Preservation
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• Northeast-Midwest Institute
• Scenic America
• Surface Transportation Policy Project
• Sustainable Communities Network
• Trust for Public Land
• Urban Land Institute
• US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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What the White House says...

• Smart Growth and Brownfields
• Creates jobs
• Saves open space
• Redevelops blighted areas
• Revitalizes communities
• ALL SMART GROWTH!!!!

• There has been a lot of talk about urban sprawl.
  Well, one of the best ways to arrest urban
  sprawl is to develop brownfields and make them
  productive pieces of land, where people can find
  work and employment. By one estimate, for every
  acre of redeveloped brownfields, we save four and
  a half acres of open space.
• Source President George W. Bush--Speech at
  signing of the Brownfields Redevelopment Act on
  January 11, 2002

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Gov. Whitman on Smart Growth

• Smart Growth makes sense for our environment,
  our communities, and everyone who lives in them.
  It is critical to economic growth, the
  development of healthy communities, and the
  protection of our environment.
• Governor Whitman, keynote address, Partners for
  Smart Growth Conference, San Diego, CA -- January
  2002

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Whats in your city?

• What do you want in your city?
• Whats important to you?
• How do you want to live?
• What choices do you want?
• What are your priorities?

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For More Information...

• My information
• your e-mail address
• 202-260-9211
• Good web sites
• www.epa.gov/smartgrowth
• www.smartgrowth.org
• www.cnu.org
• www.planning.org
• www.smartgrowthamerica.org