Smart Growth is term applied to land use policies that focus growth and preserve open space. Smart Growth developments are often concentrated around high quality public transportation nodes such as Light Rail, Commuter Rail and Bus Rapid Transit, and feature a mix of uses (residential, commercial and retail) connected to walkable neighborhoods. Smart Growth planning can be applied across a wide range of community contexts from rural villages where it could be used to preserve agricultural land to megaregions where it is used to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
The CSS process and Smart Growth based planning are compatible and mutually supportive. A comprehensive understanding of context is a central principle of CSS; local land use policies and plans are an important part of context. In a Smart Growth context a CSS process would likely result in designs that feature wider sidewalks, narrowed/calmed streets, integrated transit facilities, and buildings oriented towards the sidewalks to enhance pedestrian access. In a Smart Growth context pedestrians receive priority for access and connectivity.
Smart Growth plans can be complex and involve multiple stakeholders including state DOTs, MPOs, regional transit, local transit, local planning and economic development. The CSS process, and its emphasis on developing a shared vision amongst stakeholders, can be useful for navigating these complex relationships and competing priorities.
Transportation investments must be coordinated with land use policy. Where there is a mismatch between transportation and land use the result can be congestion or overbuilt roadways. Neither scenario is desirable as the former requires costly capacity projects to fix and the latter represents overspending and is a potential safety issue.
FHWA has resources for transportation agencies that wish to align their mission with Smart Growth. The US Environmental Protection Agency maintains an extensive library of Smart Growth resources and tools. EPA offers tools for Smart Growth planning in rural areas.
