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Question 12
S.M.A.R.T.
EPA National Community Recognition Program
QUESTION 12
Background
After establishing smart growth priorities and goals for your community and assessing their feasibility, it is important to establish the framework to ensure their successful implementation. Support must be provided to local priorities by allocating resources to projects and plans that will best help you reach community goals of expanding smart growth activities. Consider budget needs, staffing requirements and infrastructure improvements. Allocation of resources to improve existing infrastructure, rather than building new infrastructure, is an important aspect of smart growth. Such policies are typically referred to as "fix-it-first." More information regarding this strategy, and processes for smart growth capacity building, can be found in the links below.
Getting Started
Begin the process with a clear sense of your community’s priorities in expanding smart growth activities. An inclusive process of planning should precede this exercise, and the needs for capacity building to reach the community’s smart growth goals should subsequently be identified. The product of the process should be a written budget plan that is specific in the allocation of resources to staffing requirements, infrastructure improvements, and other program needs to ensure adequate support is provided for implementation of strategies to expand smart growth activities within your community.
Internet Resources on Increasing Capacity for Smart Growth
Coalition for Smarter Growth
Steps to Managing Growth 
National Governor’s Association Center for Best Practices
Fixing It First
The Brookings Institute
Investing in a Better Future
Omni Associates
Developing a Capital Improvements Program and Budget
Northeast Midwest Institute
Governor’s Smart Growth Strategies (21 pp, 64.2K, About PDF)