Smart growth is a term that describes the idea of building communities and cities in which people can live, work, play and learn. It means creating vibrant neighborhoods where families want to raise their children. Smart growth also means making sure our urban areas are sustainable so they can be affordable for all generations says Nima Bendavood.
Some Environmental Benefits of Smart Growth Strategies
The benefits of smart growth strategies are numerous. For one, they can help reduce traffic congestion, which is a major issue in many cities today. They also make it easier for people to get around without having to drive their cars every day. In addition, smart growth strategies have the potential to create more walkable and bikeable communities that promote healthy lifestyles and discourage obesity. In many areas of the country, there are not enough public transportation options available for people living in rural areas who need to commute to urban centers daily. Smart growth strategies can help let’s discuss some environmental benefits with Nima Bendavood.
Reducing Congestion and Air Pollution
Reducing traffic congestion by encouraging people to live closer to work or other destinations (and providing transit options) can reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with driving alone by an estimated 10 percent in a city’s central business district (CBD). This is because fewer vehicles on the road mean less fuel consumption per vehicle.
Improving Public Health, Safety, and Housing Conditions
It reduces sprawl by encouraging compact development; it improves public health by reducing air pollution and traffic congestion; it increases local tax revenues; and it creates jobs in the construction industry as well as in retail, services, and manufacturing industries.
Increasing Access to Jobs and Services For Low-Income Residents
Smart Growth is a set of principles and strategies that promote the creation of walkable, mixed-use communities with good access to jobs and services for low-income residents. These communities are designed around people, not cars; they have high residential densities and a variety of housing types; they are pedestrian-friendly; they provide safe places to play, work, learn and gather; and they offer convenient access to public transportation.
Reduced Energy Consumption
Smart growth strategies promote compact development patterns that reduce the need for new roads and highways, which consumes a lot of energy. This in turn reduces greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution. Reduced water use. Smart growth strategies encourage the construction of walkable neighborhoods with mixed-use buildings that require less water than single-family homes do. This is because many people will be able to take shorter showers, wash their clothes at community laundromats instead of using individual washers and dryers at home, or go to public parks instead of private yards to play sports or exercise.
Wrapping Up
Nima Bendavood says Smart Growth is a set of principles and policies that seek to promote the development of communities through sustainable land use patterns. Smart Growth seeks to create walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with high-quality public transit, bicycle infrastructure, and neighborhood parks. Smart Growth also promotes the preservation of historic buildings and places while encouraging new construction in areas where it can be economically justified. The idea is to encourage growth in existing urban centers rather than sprawl into the countryside or other undeveloped areas.