Most people dont know what Smart Growth is. What they see is an increase in high density living, higher taxes, more congestion, displacement, less parking, and more. There are many unintended and intended consequences to this planning ideology. Smart Growth is similar to New Urbanism and is related to the Sustainable Development agenda. In February 2011, I attended the New Partners for Smart Growth Conference that was held in San Diego. You can read the report on what I learned there here: exurbiachronicles/?page_id=112. Following that conference, my colleague and I compiled a report to counter the claims made by smart growth proponents. You can download Dimensions of Sustainability here: exurbiachronicles/?page_id=771. This report has now been included in a larger report published by the American Coalition for Sustainable Communities and is available on Amazon. Last year I attended a breakfast put on by the Urban Land Institute that introduced Mr. Fulton to the community of planners, builders, and architects. During his interview Mr. Fulton said: People love crowded spaces. to which the host said: Yes. My wife and I have gotten used to hearing what our neighbors are having for breakfast. The uprising at these community meetings does not surprise me. The people who have chosen to live in those communities live there because of the way it is designed. To march in with a new vision of increased density and taller buildings and expect buy in is naive and to me, a testament that many planners and visionaries suffer from an elitist complex that might resonate something like this: I am the expert and I know what you want and need better than you do. I fully agree with the gentlemans comment below. Progress and change should be a grassroots effort, not a top down imposition. Get the citizens involved in a meaningful discussion that will result in solutions that are derived from reasoned judgement and civil discourse and not from false consensus and manipulated and pre-determined outcomes.
Posted on: Thu, 07 Aug 2014 17:30:47 +0000
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