Smart Growth Implementation Toolkit
To reduce sprawl, preserve natural lands, protect water and air quality, and reuse already-developed land, many U.S. cities and counties have implemented smart growth policies such as developing compact and walkable neighborhoods that have residential, commercial, civic, and office buildings in close proximity. Sustainability Officers seeking to incorporate smart growth principles in their municipality’s planning can refer to “The Smart Growth Implementation Toolkit” developed by the Smart Growth Leadership Institute. The toolkit consists of seven modules, downloadable in either PDF or Word formats, which municipalities can use separately or in conjunction.
According to the Smart Growth Leadership Institute, communities can use its Smart Growth Implementation Tools to:
- Understand which Smart Growth Implementation Tools can best help the community
- Assess whether current land use and development policies align with the community’s goals
- Determine whether the community’s zoning codes/regulations allow for the implementation of its smart growth goals
- Evaluate the extent to which a proposed development adheres to the community’s smart growth vision
- Identify and catalog available incentives to encourage specific smart growth policies
- Determine the most strategic smart growth implementation opportunities
- Identify necessary policy/regulation changes needed to help the community achieve its smart growth vision
