Smart Growth:
What Is Smart Growth?

There are various definitions for the term "smart growth," but it most often refers to development that serves the economy, the community, and the environment.

Smart growth is about asking how our communities' growth can be shaped. Talking about smart growth changes the nature of dialog from a reactionary growth/no growth debate to proactive discussion of "how and where new development should be accommodated."

Smart growth helps community leaders and everyday citizens envision "What kind of community do we want?" Smart growth seeks growth solutions that:

  1. emphasize predictable outcomes yet remain open to innovation,
  2. involve citizens in the decision-making process,
  3. emphasize long-term effectiveness over short-term gain, and
  4. balance the broader general public good with narrower private interests.
According to the U.S. EPA, smart growth can result in:
  • Healthy communities that provide families with a clean environment.
    Smart growth balances development and environmental protection; accommodating growth while preserving open space and critical habitat, reusing land, and protecting water supplies and air quality.
  • Economic development and jobs that create more business opportunities, improve the local tax base, provide neighborhood services and amenities, and create economically competitive communities.
  • Strong neighborhoods which provide a range of housing options giving people the opportunity to choose housing that best suits them.
    Smart growth provides the choice to walk, ride a bike, take transit, or drive. It maintains and enhances the value of existing neighborhoods and creates a sense of community.

Smart Growth Principles
  1. Mix Land Uses
  2. Take Advantage of Compact Building Design
  3. Create a Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices
  4. Create Walkable Neighborhoods
  5. Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place
  6. Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty, and Critical Environmental Areas
  7. Strengthen and Direct Development toward Existing Communities
  8. Provide a Variety of Transportation Choices
  9. Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair, and Cost Effective
  10. Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration in Development Decisions

Wisconsin law does not define smart growth, but it does focus community attention on the development and implementation of local comprehensive plans that foster local planning goals similar to the smart growth principles listed above. The statutes also stress the importance of citizen involvement, community visioning, and other types of public participation in the planning and plan adoption processes.

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Last Revised: Wednesday November 10 2004