Smart Growth

Smart growth is an approach to development that covers a range of development and conservation strategies that help protect our health and natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, and more socially diverse. It encourages a mix of building types and uses, diverse housing and transportation options, development within existing neighborhoods, and community engagement. On this page, you will find information about communities already implementing these practices and grants and other financial incentives to help you get started today! More resources for this category are located in the Smart Growth Blog category page:

LEED for Neighborhood Development – A Rating System from the US GBC that integrates the principles of smart growth, urbanism, and green building into the first national system for neighborhood design. LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a development’s location and design meet accepted high levels of environmentally responsible, sustainable development.

Sustainable Sites Initiative – The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction, and maintenance practices.

NRDC Smart Growth – Natural Resources Defense Council is working on Smart Growth solutions that can help curtail sprawl and build more sustainable communities.

Smart Growth America – A coalition of national, state, and local organizations working to improve the ways we plan and build the towns, cities, and metro areas we call home.

The National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education – Established in 2000, the center is a non-partisan center for research and leadership training on Smart Growth and related land use issues nationally and internationally.