Eric Panzer Smart Growth Attitudes May 8 2006 Attitudes Regarding Smart Growth of Local Leaders and Officials in Contra Costa County California Eric Panzer Abstract The ecological impact and sustainability of land use patterns and urban development are increasingly coming under scrutiny The term smart growth has been introduced to describe alternative development patterns characterized by land conservation transit options and thoughtful regional integration It is important to consider what impediments exist to its implementation most notably at the local to sub regional level where stakeholders most directly influence development This research examines attitudes regarding smart growth held by leaders within Contra Costa County California which contains a variety of environments and development types Officials and leaders were individually interviewed to determine their personal attitudes regarding smart growth and their experience with it in their community Informants were well informed and generally supportive of smart growth principles but also expressed concerned with homogenous imposition of smart growth restricted community involvement and smart growth s suitability for certain settings and demographics This implies that smart growth may gain support by encouraging community input allowing flexibility in its application and by providing lifestyle choices more comparable to citizen s current circumstances p 1 Eric Panzer Smart Growth Attitudes May 8 2006 Introduction Smart Growth broadly defined is any growth that is more efficient more ecologically sound and provides for a higher quality of life than prevailing forms of residential commercial development Figures 1 and 2 illustrate smart growth and suburban sprawl respectively with private lands shaded yellow open space shaded green and mixed uses shaded orange Figure 2 Typical suburban development features large and irregular lots curvilinear streets unincorporated open space and the exclusion of higher density or non residential uses Travis County TX Tax Appraiser Figure 1 Smart growth development features a block structure compact lots integrated park space and accessible higher density and commercial uses Envision Central Texas This research will use a hybrid set of criteria to define smart growth developed from characteristics of smart growth provided by the Urban Land Institute O Neill 1999 and the National Neighborhood Coalition 2000 Development is economically viable and preserves open space and natural resources Redevelopment of infill housing brownfield sites and obsolete buildings is actively pursued Urban centers and neighborhoods are integral components of a healthy regional economy Mix land uses Take advantage of compact building design Provide a variety of transportation choices Create walkable neighborhoods p 2 Eric Panzer Smart Growth Attitudes May 8 2006 These strategies serve to decrease land use as well as consumption of energy and material resources This stands in sharp contrast to typical suburban development which not only increases land and resource use but has been also shown to have negative social consequences A wealth of data are available showcasing the effects of typical suburban development ranging from most notably those concerning environmental impact and health to those concerned with societal ills An examination of Bakersfield California suggests that its air pollution problems were directly linked with its sprawl as greater distance between workplaces and residences resulted in more frequent and longer car trips Weiser 2004 In the 30 years from the mid 1960 s to 1990 s driving rose significantly while walking and mass transit ridership fell proportional to population Federal Highway Administration 1999 U S Census Bureau 1993 These behavioral changes have been largely attributed to the advent and proliferation of suburban sprawl and a recently released report confirms that commute times continue to grow with associated increases in gasoline expenditure and lost time Texas Transportation Institute 2005 Additionally sprawl has been identified as an instigator of major public health problems not just limited to those relating to air pollution American obesity trends have also been closely linked with degrees of sprawl with cities featuring higher sprawl indices also suffering from higher obesity rates McCann and Ewing 2003 Sprawl has been further blamed for socioeconomic injustice as productivity and jobs are transferred from urban neighborhoods to more affluent suburban edge cities Duany 2000 Development styles associated with sprawl have also been correlated with proportionally higher crime rates especially during daytime hours and increased social isolation resulting in lost senses of place and community Duany 2000 Regional surveys have indicated high levels of public support for smart growth projects signifying that impediments to smart growth likely arise from other sources such as unfavorable transportation policy or reluctant developers One particularly inclusive survey of 12 000 central Texas residents demonstrated that residents found smart growth scenarios to be the most attractive options for a variety of given facets Envision Central Texas 2003 Residents found the scenario which corresponded to smart growth development patterns to be most desirable for the objectives of wise land use high quality of life and transportation choice Fregonese Calthorpe Associates 2003 Evidence shows that certain groups are not only expressing these preferences but following through with them with many couples without children living at home now choosing to settle in urban areas ULI 2003 There is also evidence to support the p 3 Eric Panzer Smart Growth Attitudes May 8 2006 notion that state and local elected officials are in cases also supportive of smart growth For instance the state legislature of West Virginia in 2004 enacted new planning regulations more permissive of smart growth Andrews 2004 James McGreevey Governor of New Jersey even went so far as to declare war on sprawl in 2003 although business leaders were swift to denounce his comments Riordan 2003 This study provides an opportunity to more broadly examine the knowledge and sentiments of community leaders and public officials beyond these specific cases Faced with physical and financial limitations on typical suburban development as well as mounting evidence of its observable disadvantages many citizens and planners view smart growth as
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