by Stephen Wade, Guest Author

Smart growth is building our communities compactly with a mix of uses (housing, retail, schools, etc.), reinvesting in areas that already have infrastructure, protecting open space, and providing housing opportunities. Transportation investments benefit our economy and communities when they are coordinated with and leveraged by land use decisions. The infamous example of not coordinating land use and transportation decisions is “the bridge to nowhere”. In contrast, the Arlington County, VA public transit corridor only accounts for about 15% of the land in the county but it produces nearly 90% of the tax revenue. This is one part of smart growth.

An on the ground example of sustainable development in action is the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC) new LEED for affordable housing program. This program encourages affordable housing that is near existing infrastructure and jobs, and that is healthy for the residents and the environment.

Sustainable development is near a tipping point. Whether you are a consumer, developer, employer, or employee, making the sustainable choice will soon be analogous to making the smart economic choice.

- From our 1st guest author, Stephen Wade, an urban planner in the Northern Virginia/DC area