Smart Growth

**About Smart Growth** Development decisions affect many aspects of people's everyday lives - their homes, their health, the schools their children attend, the taxes they pay, their daily commute, the natural environmental around them, and economic opportunity in their community. **Smart growth** is an overall approach of development and conservation strategies that can help protect our health and natural environment and make our communities more attractive, economically stronger, socially diverse, and resilient to climate change. Based on the experience of communities around the nation, the [Smart Growth Network](https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/smart-growth-network) developed a set of ten (10) basic principles to guide smart growth strategies: 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 towards 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.