Examples of Smart Growth Communities and Projects

For decades, communities across the country have been implementing smart growth strategies in collaboration with EPA.  Some of the best examples of smart growth communities and projects are highlighted on this page.

On this page:

• Local Foods, Local Places
• Cool & Connected
• Transportation Electrification
• Smart Growth Award Winners
• Principles of Smart Growth Illustrated
• Publications

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Local Foods, Local Places 

Since its launch in 2014, the Local Foods, Local Places program has assisted more than 125 communities across the country to develop local food enterprises, such as farmers markets, community gardens, cooperative grocery stores, and food hubs that improve environmental, economic, and health outcomes. These case studies show communities using local foods to protect the environment, improve access to healthy food, revitalize neighborhoods, and boost local economic opportunities.

Case Studies

• Ajo, Arizona
• Duck Hill, Mississippi
• Gloucester, Massachusetts
• Huntington, West Virginia
• North Wilkesboro, North Carolina
• Passaic, New Jersey
• Walterboro, South Carolina

Podcasts and Videos

• Harlan, Kentucky: Listen to a podcast about how Harlan's participation in Local Foods, Local Places is helping the town grow its local food economy and revitalize downtown. 
• Corbin, Kentucky: Watch a video on how community members in Corbin used local foods to revitalize their downtown, helping to reduce the vacancy rate from 40 percent to 5 percent. 
• Peoria, Illinois: Watch a video on how community members in Peoria are developing a vision of using the local food system to support community revitalization in the Southside neighborhood. 
• Rainelle, West Virginia: Watch a video on how Rainelle is using Local Foods, Local Places assistance to build a robust local food economy, revitalize downtown, and bring hope and health to community members while recovering from floods that devastated the community in the summer of 2016. 
• Williamson, West Virginia: Watch a video on how community members in Williamson used a health care center and local foods to anchor their downtown redevelopment efforts. 

Photo Essays

• Clarksdale, Mississippi
• Flippin, Arkansas
• Itta Bena, Mississippi
• Youngstown, Ohio

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Cool & Connected 

Cool & Connected was a planning assistance program that helped community members develop strategies and an action plan for using broadband to create walkable, connected, economically vibrant main streets and small-town neighborhoods that improve human health and the environment. 

Case Studies

• Lakeville, Indiana
• Millinocket, Maine

Podcasts

• Erwin, Tennessee: Learn how Erwin is transitioning from a railroad-centered town to a 21st century, broadband-connected community by investing in reliable, high-speed internet and using that new broadband access to attract development to its walkable, historic downtown.
• Millinocket, Maine: Millinocket is recovering from losing a major employer that anchored the town for over a century by pairing improved broadband internet access with a focus on downtown revitalization.

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Transportation Electrification

To help communities plan for an increase in electric vehicles and develop strategies to fund and implement clean transportation, including EV-charging infrastructure, EPA is partnering with a range of federal and community-based organizations. 

The initial phase of this collaboration provided technical assistance to two communities – Gonzales, Louisiana and Brooklyn Park, Minnesota – to help them plan for transportation electrification in ways that meet multiple community needs.

The technical assistance entailed working with each community to evaluate their assets and needs, engage with local residents and decision-makers at a planning workshop, facilitate conversations about local needs and goals and develop a community-driven action plan supported by a network of partners who can help with implementation.

Case Studies

• Gonzales, Louisiana Explores Transportation Electrification Opportunities

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Smart Growth Award Winners

EPA's National Award for Smart Growth Achievement recognized communities that use smart growth principles to create better places.

The 64 projects in 28 states (2002-2015) that won awards and honorable mentions can offer useful lessons and models for other communities. Winning projects range from statewide initiatives to individual buildings, in communities large and small across the country. Click on the winning project's name or a year to see the booklet with descriptions of the winners for that year. Videos are included for the award winners from 2009 to 2015.

Though these activities took place in the past, they are still relevant today to inspire and guide efforts to create  stronger, resilient communities.

Name	Location	State	Year	Category
Jackson Walk	Jackson	Tennessee	2015	Corridor or Neighborhood Revitalization
City of Hamilton and Historic Developers, LLC, Public-Private Partnership	Hamilton	Ohio	2015	Built Projects
Riverfront Park	Newark	New Jersey	2015	Plazas, Parks, and Public Places
Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail and Historic Fourth Ward Park	Atlanta	Georgia	2013	Overall Excellence
Historic Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood	Dubuque	Iowa	2013	Corridor or Neighborhood Revitalization
GO TO 2040	Chicago region	Illinois	2013	Policies, Programs, and Plans
Lower Eastside Action Plan	Detroit	Michigan	2013	Policies, Programs, and Plans – Honorable Mention
La Valentina	Sacramento	California	2013	Built Projects
Via Verde	New York City	New York	2013	Built Projects - Honorable Mention
Charles City Riverfront Park	Charles City	Iowa	2013	Plazas, Parks, and Public Places
The BLVD Transformation	Lancaster	California	2012	Overall Excellence
Cooperative Building	Brattleboro	Vermont	2012	Main Street or Corridor Revitalization
Larkin District	Buffalo	New York	2012	Main Street or Corridor Revitalization - Honorable Mention
Destination Portsmouth	Portsmouth	Virginia	2012	Programs and Policies
Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Fund	San Francisco Bay Area	California	2012	Programs and Policies - Honorable Mention
Mariposa District	Denver	Colorado	2012	Equitable Development
Northwest Gardens	Fort Lauderdale	Florida	2012	Equitable Development - Honorable Mention
Old North St. Louis Revitalization Initiative	St. Louis	Missouri	2011	Overall Excellence
Silver Gardens Apartments	Albuquerque	New Mexico	2011	Smart Growth and Green Building
Plan El Paso 2010	El Paso	Texas	2011	Programs, Policies, and Regulations
Maroney Commons	Howard	South Dakota	2011	Rural Smart Growth
Uptown Normal Roundabout	Normal	Illinois	2011	Civic Places
Smart.Growth@NYC	New York City	New York	2010	Overall Excellence
Miller's Court	Baltimore	Maryland	2010	Smart Growth and Green Building
Making the Greatest Place	Portland	Oregon	2010	Programs, Policies, and Regulations
Gateway 1 Corridor Action Plan		Maine	2010	Rural Smart Growth
Mint Plaza	San Francisco	California	2010	Civic Places
Envision Lancaster County	Lancaster County	Pennsylvania	2009	Overall Excellence
Urban Street Design Guidelines	Charlotte	North Carolina	2009	Policies and Regulations
Parkside of Old Town	Chicago	Illinois	2009	Built Projects
Tempe Transportation Center	Tempe	Arizona	2009	Smart Growth and Green Building
Downtown Silver Spring Redevelopment Project	Silver Spring	Maryland	2008	Overall Excellence
Livable Centers Initiative	Atlanta	Georgia	2008	Policies and Regulations
Egleston Crossing	Roxbury	Massachusetts	2008	Built Projects
Mission Creek Senior Community	San Francisco	California	2008	Equitable Development
New Columbia	Portland	Oregon	2007	Overall Excellence
High Point Redevelopment	Seattle	Washington	2007	Built Projects
Vermont Housing and Conservation Board		Vermont	2007	Policies and Regulations
Balanced Growth Through Downtown Revitalization	Hyannis	Massachusetts	2007	Waterfront and Coastal Communities
Abyssinian Neighborhood Project	New York City	New York	2007	Equitable Development
Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development		Massachusetts	2006	Overall Excellence
Old Town Wichita	Wichita	Kansas	2006	Built Projects
Pennsylvania Fresh Food Financing Initiative		Pennsylvania	2006	Policies and Regulations
Winooski Downtown Redevelopment Project	Winooski	Vermont	2006	Small Communities
Bethel Center	Chicago	Illinois	2006	Equitable Development
Highlands' Garden Village	Denver	Colorado	2005	Overall Excellence
Belmar	Lakewood	Colorado	2005	Built Projects
Central District Specific Plan	Pasadena	California	2005	Policies and Regulations
Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill Redevelopment	Redding	Connecticut	2005	Small Communities
Baldwin Park	Orlando	Florida	2005	Military Base Redevelopment
Town of Davidson	Davidson	North Carolina	2004	Overall Excellence
Southside Neighborhood	Greensboro	North Carolina	2004	Built Projects
Accessory Dwelling Unit Program	Santa Cruz	California	2004	Policies and Regulations
Sacramento Region Blueprint	Sacramento	California	2004	Community Outreach and Education
San Juan Pueblo Master Plan	San Juan Pueblo	New Mexico	2004	Small Communities
Livable Communities Program	Minneapolis-St. Paul	Minnesota	2003	Overall Excellence
The Village at NTC	San Diego	California	2003	Built Projects
Housing Enhancement Loan Program	Cuyahoga County	Ohio	2003	Policies and Regulations
Georgia Quality Growth Program		Georgia	2003	Community Outreach and Education
Moore Square Museums Magnet Middle School	Raleigh	North Carolina	2003	Public Schools
Rosslyn-Ballston Metro Corridor	Arlington County	Virginia	2002	Overall Excellence
Wellington Neighborhood	Breckenridge	Colorado	2002	Built Projects
Transit Oriented Development Incentive Program	San Mateo County	California	2002	Policies and Regulations
Community Preservation Initiative		Massachusetts	2002	Community Outreach and Education

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Smart Growth Illustrated

Smart growth is generally defined by 10 principles developed in 1996 by the Smart Growth Network, a partnership of real estate and development, environmental, historic preservation, affordable housing, public health, government, and other organizations. The list below provides visual examples of smart growth techniques brought to life.

While every example illustrates several smart growth principles, each one was chosen to highlight one specific principle. Together, these case studies show how the 10 smart growth principles have helped 20 communities around the country build and support healthy, prosperous neighborhoods with a high quality of life for people of all income levels.

Smart Growth Principle	Case Study
Mix land uses	Eighth and Pearl, Boulder, Colorado Legacy Town Center, Plano, Texas
Take advantage of compact building design	Belmont Dairy, Portland, Oregon Highlands' Garden Village, Denver, Colorado
Create a range of housing opportunities and choices	Hismen Hin-Nu Terrace, Oakland, California Benedict Commons, Aspen, Colorado
Create walkable neighborhoods	Northwest Landing, DuPont, Washington Bethesda Row, Bethesda, Maryland
Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place	The Can Company, Baltimore, Maryland Downtown Brea, Brea, California
Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas	Abacoa, Jupiter, Florida East Lake Commons, Decatur, Georgia
Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities	Mizner Park, Boca Raton, Florida Uptown District, San Diego, California
Provide a variety of transportation choices	King Farm, Rockville, Maryland The Crossings, Mountain View, California
Make development decisions predictable, fair, and cost effective	Green Tape Program, Silver Spring, Maryland Compact Development Endorsement Program, San Francisco, California
Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions	Barrio Logan, San Diego, California East Russell, Louisville, Kentucky

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Publications

These publications provide further place-based examples of how smart growth concepts have been put into action.

• Old North St. Louis: Sustainably Developing a Historic District
• Creating Safe Growth Strategies for the San Francisco Bay Area
• Atlantic Station (Atlantic Steel Site Redevelopment Project)