Smart Growth

{
  "id": "MLC-T-ENV-025845",
  "term": "Smart Growth",
  "field": "Environment",
  "definition": "1. Development, transportation and conservation strategies that help protect the natural environment and make communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse.\n\n2. Smart growth covers a range of development, land use planning and conservation strategies that help protect our natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. Smart growth development is town-centered, transit and pedestrian oriented, and has a greater mix of housing, commercial and retail uses. It also preserves open space and many other environmental amenities.\n\n3. A range of development and conservation strategies intended to protect our natural environment while simultaneously making our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. Smart Growth encourages development that serves the economy, the community, and the environment. In direct response to the effects of urban sprawl, towns and cities across the country are using creative strategies to develop in ways that preserve natural lands and critical environmental areas, protect water and air quality, and reuse already-developed land. Smart Growth communities conserve resources by reinvesting in existing infrastructure, reclaiming historic buildings, and by designing neighborhoods that have shops, offices, schools, churches, parks, and other amenities within walking or biking-distance of residential areas. Through Smart Growth approaches that enhance neighborhoods and involve local residents in development decisions, these communities are creating vibrant places to live, work, and play. Green Infrastructure practices can play a role in Smart Growth development by providing communities with a variety of environmental and aesthetic benefits that are in line with Smart Growth principals.",
  "subject": "Sustainability and green living",
  "references": [
    "Top Green Home Terms",
    "State and Local Climate and Energy Program Glossary of Terms; State and Local Climate and Energy Glossary",
    "Green Infrastructure Glossary; Green Infrastructure: Glossary of Commonly Used Terms"
  ],
  "url": "https://mlchart.com/terminology/environment/smart-growth/"
}