Smart Growth and Community Development

Actually smart growth is community development program aimed at revitalizing older suburbs and central cities, supporting and enhancing public transit, promoting bicycling and walking, preserving agricultural lands and open space for people. From definition it is apparent that smart growth can’t be negative and perception of smart growth is misinterpreted. Smart growth tends to revitalize “the already-built environment and, to the extent necessary, to foster efficient development at the edges of the region, in the process creating more livable communities”.

(Cox 2003)It is necessary to state that smart growth advocates planning in order to develop and to revitalize communities which preserve natural and cultural resources, distribute efficiently the benefits of development, promote public health, expand range of housing and employment opportunities, etc.  The main components of smart growth are: historic preservation, transit-oriented development, affordable housing, mixed-use development, walkable-friendly design, preserving open space and reusing land, protection of air quality and water suppliers, etc. Thus five main tools are: (Cox 2003)1.      Incentive programs aimed at encouraging development of land in eco-friendly manner.

Programs to be employed in Leesburg: tax incentives, revolving funds, grants and loans.2.      Open space protection aimed at developing policies of open space and agricultural protection. Programs to be implemented in my town are:  quality development of urban areas.3.      Growth rate tools. Leesburg could develop rate allocation systems, caps, capacity limits and finally phasing systems.4.      Growth management tools. It means that city should establish boundaries of urban development and design development zones.5.      Comprehensive Planning. Leesburg can guide growth management by involving zoning on all government levels to provide realistic view of planning.

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(Cox 2003)