Smart growth promotes long-term sustainable development by intentionally directing growth to create compact, walkable, and transit-oriented communities that balance environmental, social, and economic needs. Key ways smart growth fosters sustainability include:
- Concentrating development in existing urban areas to reduce urban sprawl, preserving open space, farmland, and natural resources outside development zones
. This limits environmental degradation and conserves critical ecosystems.
- Mixing land uses and creating walkable neighborhoods that provide diverse housing, jobs, schools, and amenities nearby. This reduces reliance on automobiles, lowers traffic congestion, and cuts greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution
- Offering a variety of transportation choices such as walking, biking, and public transit, which promote healthier lifestyles and reduce pollution
- Using compact building design and encouraging infill development to make efficient use of land and infrastructure, minimizing energy consumption and environmental footprint
- Fostering distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place that enhance quality of life and social equity by providing housing options for all income levels and encouraging community collaboration in development decisions
- Improving resilience to climate change and natural disasters through smarter land use and infrastructure planning that reduces vulnerability and supports adaptation
- Reducing subsidies and hidden costs associated with sprawl by aligning infrastructure investments with growth boundaries and encouraging developers to bear the true costs of extending utilities and services
Together, these principles help create communities that are economically vibrant, socially inclusive, and environmentally responsible, ensuring that development meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to thrive
