Smart Growth Publications

Disaster Resilient Design Concepts The designs showcased in this document can help communities reduce the impact of disasters, recover more quickly, strengthen local economies, and create safer, more equitable places to live, by reducing hazards, especially for those most vulnerable. 

2015 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2015 award winners were Jackson Walk in Jackson, TN; City of Hamilton and Historic Developers Public-Private Partnership in Hamilton, OH; and Riverfront Park in Newark, NJ.

New Jersey
Ohio
Tennessee

2013 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2013 award winners were Atlanta BeltLine Eastside Trail and Historic Fourth Ward Park in Atlanta, GA; Historic Millwork District and Washington Neighborhood in Dubuque, IA; GO TO 2040 in the Chicago region; La Valentina in Sacramento, CA; and Charles City Riverfront Park in Charles City, IA. Honorable mentions: Lower Eastside Action Plan in Detroit and Via Verde in New York City.

Awards

California
Georgia
Illinois
Iowa
New York
Michigan

2013

2012 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2012 award winners were the BLVD Transformation in Lancaster, CA; the Cooperative Building in Brattleboro, VT; Destination Portsmouth in Portsmouth, VA; and the Mariposa District in Denver, CO. Honorable mentions: Larkin District in Buffalo, NY; Bay Area Transit-Oriented Affordable Housing Fund in the San Francisco region; and Northwest Gardens in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-12-002.

Awards

California
Colorado
Florida
New York
Vermont
Virginia

2012

2011 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2011 award winners were Old North St. Louis Revitalization Initiative in St. Louis, MO; Silver Gardens Apartments in Albuquerque, NM; Plan El Paso 2010 in El Paso, TX; Maroney Commons in Howard, SD; and Uptown Normal Roundabout in Normal, IL.. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-11-002.

Awards

Illinois
Missouri
New Mexico
South Dakota
Texas

2010 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2010 award winners were Smart.Growth@NYC in New York City; Miller's Court in Baltimore, MD; Making the Greatest Place in the Portland, OR, region; Gateway 1 Corridor Action Plan in Maine; Mint Plaza in San Francisco, CA. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-10-001.

Awards

California
Maine
Maryland
New York
Oregon

2009 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2009 award winners were Envision Lancaster County, PA; Urban Street Design Guidelines in Charlotte, NC; Parkside of Old Town in Chicago, IL; and the Tempe Transportation Center in Tempe, AZ.

Awards

Arizona
Illinois
North Carolina
Pennsylvania

2008 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2008 award winners were Downtown Silver Spring Redevelopment Project in Silver Spring, MD; Livable Centers Initiative in the Atlanta region; Egleston Crossing in Roxbury, MA; and Mission Creek Senior Community in San Francisco, CA.

Awards

California
Georgia
Maryland
Massachusetts

2007 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2007 award winners were New Columbia in Portland, OR; High Point Redevelopment in Seattle, WA; Vermont Housing and Conservation Board; Balanced Growth Through Downtown Revitalization in Hyannis, MA; and the Abyssinian Neighborhood Project in New York City.

Awards

Massachusetts
New York
Oregon
Vermont
Washington

2007

2006 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2006 award winners were the Massachusetts Office of Commonwealth Development; Old Town Wichita, KS; the commonwealth of Pennsylvania's Fresh Food Financing Initiative; Winooski, VT, Downtown Redevelopment Project; and Bethel Center in Chicago, IL.

Awards

Illinois
Kansas
Massachusetts
Pennsylvania
Vermont

2005 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2005 award winners were Highlands' Garden Village in Denver, CO; Belmar in Lakewood, CO; Central District Specific Plan in Pasadena, CA; Gilbert & Bennett Wire Mill Redevelopment in Redding, CT; and Baldwin Park in Orlando, FL.

Awards

California
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida

2005

2004 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2004 award winners were the Town of Davidson, NC; Southside Neighborhood in Greensboro, NC; Accessory Dwelling Unit Program in Santa Cruz, CA; Sacramento Region Blueprint; and San Juan Pueblo Master Plan in San Juan Pueblo, NM.

Awards

California
New Mexico
North Carolina

2004

2003 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2003 award winners were the Livable Communities Program in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region; The Village at NTC in San Diego, CA; Housing Enhancement Loan Program in Cuyahoga County, OH; the state of Georgia's Quality Growth Program in GA; and Moore Square Museums Magnet Middle School in Raleigh, NC.

Awards

California
Georgia
Minnesota
North Carolina
Ohio

2003

2002 National Award for Smart Growth Achievement Booklet
The 2002 award winners were the Rosslyn-Ballston Metro Corridor in Arlington County, VA; Wellington Neighborhood in Breckenridge, CO; Transit Oriented Development Incentive Program in San Mateo County, CA; and the commonwealth of Massachusetts' Community Preservation Initiative.

Awards

California
Colorado
Massachusetts
Virginia

2002

Attracting Infill Development in Distressed Communities
Helps distressed communities determine their readiness to pursue infill development and identify strategies to better position themselves to attract infill development.

Brownfields and Infill Development

Tool

2015

Managing Vacant and Abandoned Property in the Green Zone of Saginaw, Michigan
Report from the EPA technical assistance project with Saginaw to develop a land use and infrastructure strategy that stabilizes neighborhoods through the sustainable reuse of abandoned properties.

Brownfields and Infill Development

Michigan

Technical Assistance Report

2014

Equitable Redevelopment of Petroleum Brownfields for Zuni Pueblo and Other Tribal Communities Search EPA Archive
Step-by-step guide to help tribes overcome policy and other barriers to redevelopment of contaminated and vacant sites.

Brownfields and Infill Development

New Mexico

Tool

2013

Residential Construction Trends in America's Metropolitan Regions (2012, 2010, and 2009 editions) Search EPA Archive
Reports analyzing residential building trends to determine if there has been a shift toward redevelopment and in which regions the shift has been most significant. Demonstrates that infill has become a significant portion of the U.S. housing market and that significant opportunities remain for regions to use smart growth strategies to pursue infill development.

Brownfields and Infill Development

2012

From Vacancy to Vibrancy
Smart Growth America.
Outlines how to build financial and political support to reclaim and redevelop abandoned gas stations, auto body shops, and industrial facilities. Includes information about state and federal brownfield program requirements, brownfield redevelopment financing strategies, and multi-site planning techniques.

Brownfields and Infill Development

Grant Product

2012

Restructuring the Commercial Strip: A Practical Guide for Planning the Revitalization of Deteriorating Strip Corridors Search EPA Archive
ICF International and Freedman Tung & Sasaki.
Provides guidance on coordination of public and private investments and essential planning and design strategies to create a multimodal transportation system and thriving neighborhoods.

Brownfields and Infill Development

2010

Turning Bases Into Great Places: New Life for Closed Military Facilities
A look at the challenges facing communities following the closing of a military base and solutions for turning those facilities into valuable assets.

Brownfields and Infill Development

2006

Connecting Smart Growth and Brownfields Redevelopment (PDF)(24 pp, 715 K, About PDF)
Center for Environmental Policy and Management, University of Louisville.
Examines planning strategies, financing options, and institutional practices that can help promote brownfield redevelopment.

Brownfields and Infill Development

Kentucky

Grant Product

2006

Vacant Properties: The True Costs to Communities 
National Vacant Properties Campaign.
Summarizes research on the costs of vacant and abandoned properties and highlights local programs that recapture the value in these properties.

Brownfields and Infill Development

Grant Product

2005

Leveraging Opportunity Zones for Community Revitalization
Tools designed to assist communities with promoting equitable and sustainable development; understanding types of financing and attracting and engaging investors; and viewing the data behind environmental, health, and economic conditions in Opportunity Zones:

• Building a Community Prospectus
• Leveraging Development Finance Tools to Attract Opportunity Zone Investment
• Five Strategies for Engaging Opportunity Zone Investors
• Opportunity Zone (OZ) Mapper

Cool & Connected: Nine Actions for Success
Specific actions small towns could take to use broadband to revitalize downtowns, create economic opportunities, and protect the environment.

Local Foods, Local Places Toolkit: A Guide to Help Communities Revitalize Using Local Food Systems
Toolkit to help communities use local foods to support downtown and neighborhood revitalization. Provides step-by-step instructions for planning and hosting a community workshop and creating an action plan.

Framework for Creating a Smart Growth Economic Development Strategy: A Tool for Small Cities and Towns
Step-by-step guide to building a place-based economic development strategy, intended for small and mid-sized cities, particularly those that have limited population growth, areas of disinvestment, and/or a struggling economy. 

How Small Towns and Cities Can Use Local Assets to Rebuild Their Economies
Report examining case studies of small towns and cities that used their existing assets and distinctive resources to pursue economic development.

Business and Economic Development

Oregon
Georgia
Iowa
Kansas
New York
Kentucky
Virginia

2015

Using Smart Growth Strategies to Foster Economic Development: A Kelso, Washington, Case Study
Report from the EPA technical assistance project to develop a smart growth economic development strategy for Kelso.

Business and Economic Development

Washington

Technical Assistance Report

2015

Smart Growth and Economic Success: Investing in Infill Development
Discusses how barriers to infill development that discourage developers are often surmountable and are diminishing as infill development becomes more common.

Business and Economic Development

2014

Smart Growth and Economic Success: Strategies for Local Governments
Discusses smart growth approaches local governments can use to lower costs and/or increase revenue.

Business and Economic Development

2014

Smart Growth and Economic Success: The Business Case
Discusses how locations with housing and transportation options, a mix of uses close together, and a high quality of life can improve environmental outcomes while providing economic advantages for businesses.

Business and Economic Development

2013

Smart Growth and Economic Success: Benefits for Real Estate Developers, Investors, Businesses, and Local Governments
Outlines the benefits of smart growth development for developers, businesses, local government, and other groups.

Business and Economic Development

2012

Market Acceptance of Smart Growth Search EPA Archive
Compares resale prices for single-family houses and townhouses in smart growth developments with units in conventional developments that are equivalent in terms of size, age, amenities, and location.

Business and Economic Development

2011

Smart Growth & Conventional Suburban Development: An infrastructure case study completed for the EPA Search EPA Archive
Jonathan Ford, P.E.
Discusses a study that found that infrastructure costs for traditional neighborhood development scenarios were consistently less than conventional suburban development.

Placemaking: Creating the Product Search EPA Archive
Victor Dover.
Discusses how features that make smart growth neighborhoods smart also make them desirable and command a premium from homebuyers.

Business and Economic Development

2009

The Market for Smart Growth Search EPA Archive
Gregg Logan, Stephanie Siejka, and Shyam Kannan.
Review of studies of consumer demand for smart growth that finds that about one-third of homebuyers would prefer a smart growth neighborhood.

Business and Economic Development

2009

The Market Acceptance of Single-Family Housing Units in Smart Growth Communities Search EPA Archive
Mark J. Eppli and Charles C. Tu.
Finds that people are willing to pay more money for a home in a smart growth project than a similar house in a typical suburban development.

Business and Economic Development

2009

Branding and Marketing Smart Growth Communities Search EPA Archive
Jackie Benson.
Discusses how to market the safety, convenience, and other benefits of smart growth communities.

Business and Economic Development

2009

Production-Built Homes: The Cost Advantages of Smart Growth Search EPA Archive
Jason Miller.
Compares the cost efficiencies of production-built, single-family, detached housing units in smart growth communities and conventional suburban development.

Business and Economic Development

2008

Economic Development and Smart Growth (PDF)(50 pp, 2.7 M, About PDF)
International Economic Development Council.
Highlights the connections between smart growth and economic outcomes such as job growth, occupancy rates, tax base, and private investment. Uses detailed case studies to illustrate economic outcomes in places that have incorporated smart growth development strategies.

Business and Economic Development

Grant Product

2006

Smart Growth is Smart Business(72 pp, 876 K, About PDF)
National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals and Smart Growth Leadership Institute.
Identifies successful companies that promote smart growth and bring vitality and prosperity to their communities.

Business and Economic Development

Grant Product

2004

Profiles of Business Leadership on Smart Growth: New Partnerships Demonstrate the Economic Benefits of Reducing Sprawl (PDF)(95 pp, 1.6 MB, About PDF)
National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals.
Examples of businesses that have taken the lead in improving the quality of development in their communities.

Business and Economic Development

Grant Product

1999

Smart Growth Fixes for Climate Adaptation and Resilience: Changing Land Use and Building Codes and Policies to Prepare for Climate Change
Guide that describes specific changes communities could make to their land use and building policies to prepare for climate change while gaining other environmental, economic, health, and social benefits in the short and long terms.

Planning Framework for a Climate-Resilient Economy
Framework to help communities assess how climate change could affect their economy, improve their economic resilience, and take advantage of new opportunities.

Strategies for Sustainable Communities: A Guidebook Based on California Community Types 
Product from the EPA technical assistance project to help California's Strategic Growth Council create a framework to help local governments determine what combination of greenhouse gas reduction strategies, smart growth practices, and sustainability policies are best for their type of community.

Climate Change and Energy

California

Tool

2011

Location Efficiency and Housing Type - Boiling it Down to BTUs
Jonathan Rose Companies for EPA.
Finds that a home's location and access to transit are as important to reducing energy use as are energy-efficiency measures in homes and cars.

Climate Change and Energy

2011

Getting Smart About Climate Change
ICMA and Smart Growth Network.
Outlines nine strategies for applying smart growth principles to climate change concerns on the local and regional levels.

Climate Change and Energy

Grant Product

2010

Local Climate and Energy Strategy Guide — Smart Growth
Describes how smart growth strategies can help local governments reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve quality of life.

Climate Change and Energy

2010

Communities of Opportunity: Smart Growth Strategies for Colleges and Universities (PDF)  (48 pp, 39 MB, About PDF)
National Association of College and University Business Officers and Ayers Saint Gross.
Discusses how colleges and universities can use smart growth strategies to improve their campuses and the communities in which they are located.

Colleges and Universities

2007

Partnerships for Smart Growth: University-Community Collaboration for Better Public Spaces Search EPA Archive
Association for Collegiate Schools of Planning.
Includes 13 case studies of university-community collaborations on smart growth initiatives, including examples of smart growth in curricula, at research centers, by collaboration, and in the community.

Colleges and Universities

Grant Product

2005

Regional Resilience Toolkit: 5 Steps to Build Large-Scale Resilience to Natural Disasters
Toolkit, created through a partnership among FEMA, EPA, and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments (MTC/ABAG), that helps regions plan for disasters by working across multiple jurisdictions and with nongovernmental partners.

Creating Safe Growth Strategies for the San Francisco Bay Area
Report from a technical assistance project with the Association of Bay Area Governments to incorporate resilience to natural hazards and climate change into regional and local land use planning.

Disaster Resilience and Recovery

Building Resilient States: A Framework for Agencies
Smart Growth America. Report, based on a Governors' Institute on Community Design summit, on how state agencies can plan for long-term resilience to natural disasters and adapt to a changing environment.

Planning for Flood Recovery and Long-Term Resilience in Vermont: Smart Growth Approaches for Disaster-Resilient Communities
Report from the EPA technical assistance project with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the state of Vermont, and the Mad River Valley Planning District on how communities in Vermont can recover from flood impacts from Tropical Storm Irene and become more resilient to future disasters. See also the Flood Resilience Checklist.

Disaster Resilience and Recovery

Vermont

Technical Assistance Report

2014

Flood Resilience Checklist
A checklist to help communities determine whether they are prepared for a flood, developed through the EPA technical assistance project with the state of Vermont.

Disaster Resilience and Recovery

2014

Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Five Years of Learning from Communities and Coordinating Federal Investments Search EPA Archive
Report commemorating the fifth anniversary of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities that shows how the three agencies are changing their policies and removing barriers to help communities provide more housing choices, make transportation systems more efficient and reliable, and create vibrant neighborhoods while protecting the environment.

HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

2014

Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Three Years of Helping Communities Achieve Their Visions for Growth and Prosperity Search EPA Archive
Overview of EPA, HUD, and DOT support to communities seeking to protect the environment, provide more housing choices, and make transportation systems more efficient and reliable. Details successes in seven communities.

HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

Alabama
Colorado
Connecticut
Illinois
Ohio
West Virginia
Washington

2012

Federal Resources for Sustainable Rural Communities Search EPA Archive
A guide to programs from the Partnership for Sustainable Communities and the U.S. Department of Agriculture that rural communities can use to promote economic competitiveness, protect healthy environments, and enhance quality of life.

HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

2012

Partnership for Sustainable Communities: A Year of Progress for American Communities Search EPA Archive
Report on the first year of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities.

HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

2010

Partnership for Sustainable Communities: Supporting Environmental Justice and Equitable Development Search EPA Archive
Describes how the Partnership for Sustainable Communities is working to help communities become more equitable and more sustainable for all residents.

HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for Sustainable Communities

2010

Old North St. Louis: Sustainably Developing a Historic District
Report from a technical assistance project to help the Old North St. Louis neighborhood develop a vision that would guide new growth and development in a manner that protects, preserves, and rehabilitates its historic character while incorporating environmentally sustainable features that enhance the quality of life for residents and visitors.

Sustainable Design and Green Building Toolkit for Local Governments
Addresses the local codes of ordinances that affect the design, construction, renovation, and operation and maintenance of a building and its immediate site to help local governments, the development community, and other building professionals identify and remove barriers to sustainable design and green building in their permitting processes.

Public Involvement Plan and Toolkit for Las Cruces
Product from the EPA technical assistance project to help Las Cruces, New Mexico, develop strategies that invite and maintain the participation of all residents, especially ethnically diverse, low-income populations and others that have had little or no involvement in community planning and design.

Plans, Visioning, and Development Codes

New Mexico

Tool

2011

Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Urban and Suburban Zoning Codes
Offers 11 essential fixes to help local governments amend their codes and ordinances to promote more sustainable growth. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-09-003.

Smart Growth Guidelines for Sustainable Design and Development
Guidelines that can serve as a checklist to ensure programs, plans, and proposed developments incorporate the elements needed at the location, site, and building levels to result in more sustainable, affordable housing. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-09-004.

Plans, Visioning, and Development Codes

2009

Moving the Needle: Regional Coalitions as Catalysts for Sustainable Development (PDF)(45 pp, 1.2 MB, About PDF)
Urban Land Institute.
Describes the experiences of eight regional coalitions from around the country and how they work with diverse partners to promote more sustainable communities.

Regional Planning and Visioning

Arizona
California
Florida
Maryland
Minnesota
Texas
Washington
Washington, D.C.

Grant Product

2010

Institutionalizing Smart Growth Principles into the Metropolitan Planning Process (PDF)(16 pp, 18.8 M, About PDF)
Association of Metropolitan Planning Organizations.
Describes how four metropolitan planning organizations worked with EPA to incorporate smart growth principles into their planning processes.

Regional Planning and Visioning

Grant Product

2003

Smart Growth Self-Assessment for Rural Communities
Tool, designed specifically for rural communities, that helps villages, towns, and small cities evaluate their policies to create healthy, environmentally resilient, and economically robust places.

Smart Growth Self-Assessment for Rural Communities: Madison County, New York
Report from the EPA-led technical assistance project with Madison County to a smart growth self-assessment tool for rural communities that helps local governments evaluate how well their policies and regulations support the type of development they want and identify strategies for improvement. See also the Smart Growth Self-Assessment for Rural Communities.

Essential Smart Growth Fixes for Rural Planning, Zoning, and Development Codes
Offers 10 essential fixes to help rural communities amend their codes, ordinances, and development requirements to promote more sustainable growth. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-12-001.

Rural Smart Growth

2012

Supporting Sustainable Rural Communities Search EPA Archive
Discusses federal programs that help rural America, presents sample funding and technical assistance opportunities and performance measures rural communities can use, and includes case studies showcasing rural accomplishments.

Rural Smart Growth

2011

Putting Smart Growth to Work in Rural Communities
ICMA and Smart Growth Network.
Focuses on smart growth strategies that can help guide growth in rural areas while protecting natural and working lands and preserving the rural character of existing communities. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-10-003.

Rural Smart Growth

Grant Product

2010

Smart School Siting Tool
Tool that can help communities align school site selection with planning policies and capital investments, understand how well school siting and other community planning processes are coordinated, and compare school siting alternatives.

Youth Travel to School: Community Design Relationships with Mode Choice, Vehicle Emissions, and Healthy Body Weight Search EPA Archive
Lawrence Frank and Company, Inc., for EPA.
Study that examines how factors including neighborhood design and perception of neighborhood safety affect travel to school.

School Siting

2008

Local Governments and Schools: A Community-Oriented Approach (PDF)(40 pp, 855 K, About PDF)
ICMA and Smart Growth Network.
Helps local government managers understand the connections between school facility planning and local government management issues, and offers strategies for local governments and schools to bring their planning efforts together for a more community-oriented approach to schools.

School Siting

Grant Product

2008

Schools for Successful Communities: An Element of Smart Growth
Council of Educational Facility Planners International and EPA.
Explains why and how communities can employ smart growth planning principles to build schools that better serve and support students, staff, parents, and the entire community.

School Siting

Grant Product

2004

Travel and Environmental Implications of School Siting
Provides information about how the location of a school affects how its students get to it, showing that school siting and design can influence traffic congestion, air pollution, school transportation budgets, and children's health and obesity.

School Siting

2003

Free Smart Growth Publications from EPA and Smart Growth Network Partners
Lists the most popular publications and tools. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-F-06-008.

Smart Growth Essentials

Brochure

2016

Creating Equitable, Healthy, and Sustainable Communities: Strategies for Advancing Smart Growth, Environmental Justice, and Equitable Development
Provides land use and community design strategies that bring together smart growth, environmental justice, and equitable development principles and that community-based organizations, local and regional decision-makers, developers, and others can use to revitalize their communities. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-10-005.

Smart Growth Essentials

2013

Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions Between Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality (2nd edition)
Examines how development patterns affect the environment and human health and provides evidence that certain kinds of land use and transportation strategies can reduce development impacts. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-13-001.

Smart Growth Essentials

2013

Smart Growth Illustrated
Shows how smart growth techniques look in communities around the country.

California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Kentucky
Maryland
Oregon
Texas
Washington

This Is Smart Growth
ICMA and Smart Growth Network.
Features 40 places around the country, from cities to suburbs to small towns to rural areas, that have found success by implementing smart growth principles. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-06-002.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2006

Así es el desarrollo inteligente
"This Is Smart Growth" translated into Spanish.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2006

Creating Great Neighborhoods: Density in Your Community
Local Government Commission, EPA, and National Association of Realtors.
Highlights nine community-led efforts to create vibrant neighborhoods through density, discusses the connections between smart growth and density, and introduces design principles to ensure that density becomes a community asset.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2003

Getting to Smart Growth II: 100 More Policies for Implementation
ICMA and Smart Growth Network.
Volume 2 of this series describes the concrete techniques of putting the 10 smart growth principles into practice. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-R-05-002.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2003

Cómo Alcanzar el Desarrollo Inteligente, II: 100 Políticas Adicionales Para Su Implementación
"Getting to Smart Growth, Volume II" translated into Spanish.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2003

Getting to Smart Growth: 100 Policies for Implementation
ICMA and Smart Growth Network.
Provides 100 policy ideas, along with additional resources and brief case studies of communities that have applied these approaches to achieve better development. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-R-05-001.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2002

Cómo Alcanzar el Desarrollo Inteligente
"Getting to Smart Growth" translated into Spanish.

Smart Growth Essentials

Grant Product

2002

Environmental Characteristics of Smart Growth Neighborhoods: Phase II
Natural Resources Defense Council.
Case studies of neighborhoods in Sacramento, CA, and Nashville, TN, that show the environmental benefits of smart growth are real and can be measured.

Smart Growth Essentials

California
Tennessee

Grant Product

2000 2003

Developing for the Future: Hometown USA: Innovative Community Projects Supported by EPA Grants (PDF) (44 pp, 2 M, About PDF)
Profiles of communities around the country that have protected and enhanced the environment through smart growth strategies.

Smart Growth Essentials

2000

Smart Growth at Work: Project Highlights from EPA's Ten Regions (PDF) (26 pp, 278 K, About PDF)
Highlights smart growth innovations, particularly in program implementation, in EPA’s 10 regions.

Smart Growth Essentials

2000

Smart Mobility 2010: A Call to Action for the New Decade 
Product from the EPA technical assistance project to help the California Department of Transportation create a planning framework to help guide and assess how well plans, programs, and projects meet a definition of "smart mobility."

State Policies

California

Tool

2010

Policies that Work: A Governors' Guide to Growth and Development
Governors' Institute on Community Design.
Provides state policy-makers with samples of policies, administrative actions, and spending decisions that have helped states grow smarter.

State Policies

Grant Product

2009

National Walkability Index User Guide and Methodology
Nationwide geographic data resource that ranks block groups according to their relative walkability. 

Smart Location Database
A nationwide geospatial database characterizing the built environment for use in travel demand studies and scenario planning. Version 3.0 updated in 2021.

Transportation and Air Quality

2021

Access to Jobs and Workers Via Transit Tool
A geospatial data resource and web mapping tool for comparing the accessibility of neighborhoods via public transit service.

Transportation and Air Quality

2013

Infrastructure Financing Options for Transit-Oriented Development
Provides local governments with a comprehensive overview of tools and implementation strategies for transit-oriented development, and explores emerging, innovative models for financing.

Transportation and Air Quality

2012

Guide to Sustainable Transportation Performance Measures
Guide to help transportation agencies incorporate environmental, economic, and social sustainability into decision-making through the use of performance measures.

Transportation and Air Quality

2011

Mixed-Use Trip Generation Model
Spreadsheet tool that makes it easy to estimate trips generated by a new mixed-use development to more fairly assess these projects in development review processes.

Transportation and Air Quality

2011

Travel and the Built Environment: A Meta-Analysis
Reid Ewing and Robert Cervero.
Meta-analysis of built environment-travel literature that found driving is most strongly related to measures of accessibility to destinations and street network design variables, while walking is most strongly related to measures of land use diversity, intersection density, and the number of destinations within walking distance.

Transportation and Air Quality

Grant Product

2010

Designing Walkable Urban Thoroughfares: A Context Sensitive Approach
Institute of Transportation Engineers and Congress for the New Urbanism.
Provides guidance on applying context-sensitive principles in communities that support compact development, mixed land uses, walking, and bicycling.

Transportation and Air Quality

Grant Product

2010

Smart Mobility 2010: A Call to Action for the New Decade 
Product from the EPA technical assistance project to help the California Department of Transportation create a planning framework to help guide and assess how well plans, programs, and projects meet a definition of "smart mobility."

Transportation and Air Quality

California

Tool

2010

Measuring the Air Quality and Transportation Impacts of Infill Development
Illustrates how regions can calculate the transportation and air quality benefits of infill, based on standard transportation forecasting models used by metropolitan planning organizations across the country. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-R-07-001.

Transportation and Air Quality

2007

Parking Spaces/ Community Places: Finding the Balance Through Smart Growth Solutions
Highlights proven approaches that balance parking with broader community goals. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-06-001.

Transportation and Air Quality

2006

EPA Guidance: Improving Air Quality Through Land Use Activities (PDF) (110 pp, 283 K, About PDF)
Helps air quality and transportation planners account for the air quality impacts of land use policies and projects that state and local governments voluntarily adopt.

Transportation and Air Quality

2001

Smart Growth and the Clean Air Act 
Northeast Midwest Institute.
Examines how the Clean Air Act is applied in several major metropolitan areas and suggests that the Act does not necessarily divert growth from urban centers and can complement efforts to promote growth in areas with existing infrastructure.

Transportation and Air Quality

Grant Product

2001

Comparing Methodologies to Assess Transportation and Air Quality Impacts of Brownfields and Infill Development (PDF) (49 pp, 1.3 M, About PDF)
Compares methodologies to evaluate the benefits of infill development when preparing State Implementation Plans and transportation conformity determinations.

Transportation and Air Quality

2001

The Transportation and Environmental Impacts of Infill Versus Greenfield Development: A Comparative Case Study Analysis (PDF) (35 pp, 382 K, About PDF)
Models the transportation and environmental impacts of locating the same development on two sites, one infill and one suburban edge/ greenfield, and compares the results. This analysis was conducted in three regions: San Diego, CA; Montgomery County, MD; and West Palm Beach, FL.

Transportation and Air Quality

California
Florida
Maryland

1999

Emergency Response and Narrow Streets
Local Government Commission (now CivicWell).
Includes fact sheets on traffic calming and emergency response and street design and emergency response.

Transportation and Air Quality

Grant Product

Undated

City Green: Innovative Green Infrastructure Solutions for Downtowns and Infill Locations
Case studies of projects around the country that illustrate how green infrastructure techniques can be used on sites that have limited space and other constraints to bring environmental and community benefits.

Enhancing Sustainable Communities With Green Infrastructure: A Guide to Help Communities Better Manage Stormwater While Achieving Other Environmental, Public Health, Social, and Economic Benefits
Aims to help local governments, water utilities, nonprofits, neighborhood groups, and other stakeholders integrate green infrastructure strategies into plans that can transform their communities. 

Water and Green Infrastructure

2014

Lessons From Greening America's Capitals Projects: Five Helpful Hints for Communities Wanting to Be Greener Search EPA Archive
Five lessons from the first two rounds of projects that can help all communities incorporate green design strategies into their planning and development.

Opportunities to Advance Sustainability in California's Clean Water State Revolving Fund Program Search EPA Archive
Describes a pilot project to help the state direct resources to projects that support sustainable communities.

Water and Green Infrastructure

California

2012

Maryland Clean Water State Revolving Fund Sustainable Communities Pilot Project Report Search EPA Archive
Describes how EPA worked with Maryland's Clean Water State Revolving Fund program to consider ways to focus resources in existing communities and infrastructure systems to leverage past investments and support sustainable communities.

Water and Green Infrastructure

Maryland

2012

Water Quality Scorecard: Incorporating Green Infrastructure Practices at the Municipal, Neighborhood, and Site Scale
Offers policy options for protecting and improving water quality across different scales of land use and across multiple municipal departments. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-B-09-001.

Water and Green Infrastructure

2009

Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities
Builds on existing smart growth principles to offer 10 specific development guidelines for coastal and waterfront communities, along with tools, techniques, and examples. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-K-09-001.

Water and Green Infrastructure

2009

Stormwater Management Handbook: Implementing Green Infrastructure in Northern Kentucky Communities
Report from the EPA technical assistance project to help Sanitation District No. 1 of Northern Kentucky find options for development that protect water quality and improve communities.

Water and Green Infrastructure

Kentucky

Technical Assistance Report

2009

Protecting Water Resources with Higher-Density Development
Helps communities better understand the impacts of higher and lower density development on water resources. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-R-06-001.

Water and Green Infrastructure

2006

Growing Toward More Efficient Water Use: Linking Development, Infrastructure, and Drinking Water Policies
Focuses on the relationships among development patterns, water use, and the cost of water delivery, and includes policy options for states, localities, and utilities that reduce the cost and demand for water while indirectly promoting smarter growth. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 230-R-06-001.

Water and Green Infrastructure

2006

Using Smart Growth Techniques as Stormwater Best Management Practices
Reviews nine common smart growth techniques and how they can help prevent or manage stormwater runoff.

Water and Green Infrastructure

2005

Sewage Facilities and Land Development
10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania.
Examines growth trends to determine what effect land use and sewage-facility policies have on these trends.

Water and Green Infrastructure

Pennsylvania

Grant Product

2005

Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth
Includes 75 policies that communities can use to grow in the way that they want while protecting their water quality. To order hard copies, email nscep@lmsolas.com or call (800) 490-9198 and request EPA 231-R-04-002.

Water and Green Infrastructure

2004

Smart Growth for Clean Water (PDF)(66 pp, 6 M, About PDF)
National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, Trust for Public Land, ERG.
Offers ideas for using smart growth to advance clean water goals based on the experiences of communities across the nation.

Water and Green Infrastructure

Grant Product

2003