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The Solution:
Smart Growth
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The battle against sprawl is not a battle against economic growth -- it's a fight for
growth that's done right. "Smart growth" that bolsters a community's economy and overall quality of life happens in
real-world cities and towns all over the nation. All it takes is a commitment to figure out what your community values in its
physical environment, where you'd like to go, and what development plans would reflect these values. At its root, smart growth is
about process -- your town will need to wrestle with many issues related to balancing development with enhancing quality of life:
Where should growth occur? How should it take place? Which places should be off-limits, and how should they be preserved? Above all,
what does smart growth look like?
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Cities can bring people back downtown and promote development where infrastructure
already exists. Suburban towns have cut traffic, reduced ugly strip development, and created a sense of place -- many towns have
resuscitated abandoned shopping malls, preserved historical sites, and worked greenbelts and other open spaces into their blueprints
for the future. And by reducing development pressure on open space, smart growth in cities and suburbs works hand-in-glove with
direct efforts to protect our farmlands, forests, and coastlines. And it helps to conserve our landscapes.
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The challenges smart growth responds to are as varied as the solutions it offers. But
smart growth is not only possible, it is ardently desired. Smart growth areas are rousing successes, attracting new residents,
businesses, or recreational visitors -- and often, all three. Sprawl is not inevitable. Not only is it possible to reclaim the future
of our communities, but it's already being done. The vision of the townsfolk and local officials utilizing smart growth techniques has
made their communities more appealing places to live, work and play.
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TALC’s Smart Growth
vision includes:
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More quality affordable housing, especially for people of low and very-low incomes
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Alternatives to driving alone, including cost-effective, available, affordable public transit service
and neighborhoods where residents can safely walk and bike
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Revitalization of under-utilized city and suburban centers, especially in transit-rich areas, without
displacement of existing residents
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Ensuring social equity, environmental protection, and economic viability
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Promoting compact, infill, transit-oriented, mixed-use and mixed-income development
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Locating quality jobs in areas of existing work force housing, and along major transportation lines
and hubs
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Update:
09/17/03
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Copyright ©2002
Transportation and Land Use Coalition
510.740.3150
info@transcoalition.org
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