The Smart Growth and Urban Environments Approach
The Smart Growth and Urban Environments Team seeks to advance environmental equity and, through enhanced local land use plans and regulations, achieve development that is consistent with the Executive Office of Environmental Affair's (EOEA) smart conservation and smart growth goals. Better regulations will ultimately result in land conservation and development that protects natural resources while constructing needed homes and businesses. Land conservation as well as the density, type, and location of future development have significant implications for the environmental mission of EOEA. Water and air quality as well as energy and land consumption are profoundly affected by choices made, predominantly by municipalities, about where, what, and how growth occurs.

Pedestrian-friendly businesses in downtown Dartmouth

Massachusetts is known across the country for its pedestrian-friendly cities, visually attractive historic downtowns, and quaint New England villages. These vital community centers are characterized by dense settlement, narrow streets, public parks and mixed uses that allow citizens to live within easy strolling distance of shops, restaurants, commercial services and places of work. These communities have typically blended well with a healthy, natural environment and have provided a high qualify of life.

Increases in low density residential land use and loss of forest land characterize land use trends over the past 30 years

Smart growth cannot be realized via state actions alone. In fact, it is municipalities that have the greatest influence on where and how growth occurs. Therefore, achieving sustainable development requires encouraging changes on the local level to conserve natural resources and develop more wisely. And because no community exists in isolation, our approach encourages cities and towns to look beyond their municipal borders --to a regional level-- to plan for growth while preserving a region's most important assets.

Sprawl development pattern

The policies and programs of the Smart Growth and Urban Environments Team attempt to proactively address, through better development and redevelopment, the negative effects of sprawl. Poorly planned growth results in a decentralized and incoherent pattern of development - often referred to as "sprawl"- that consumes large amounts of open space and farmland, overburdens existing infrastructure, exacerbates tight municipal budgets, and damages natural resources and our environment. The negative impacts of sprawl on our communities are alarming and often irreversible.

Furthermore, sprawl jeopardizes our long-term economic well-being by squandering natural resources needed to support economic development and increasing energy demand, the cost of infrastructure, and community services. As housing subdivisions and strip malls replace open spaces and critical wildlife habitats, resource-based businesses, such as farming, forestry, fishing, tourism, and recreation also suffer. Ironically, as the impacts of sprawl development accumulate, communities may begin to react negatively to growth proposals and foster "anti-growth" sentiments in which innovative economically beneficial developments on appropriate sites, including much needed housing, are steadfastly opposed.

Over three million in funding provided to municipalities to implement smart growth

Many communities find themselves in a corner; they desire economic development, but are concerned that the financial, environmental and social costs of sprawl will outweigh the benefits of that growth. With careful planning, however, economic growth can occur consistent with the character of our communities. EOEA does not have a "no growth" policy. Instead, the agency promotes pro-active and careful decision-making to direct future development to the most suitable locations. The goal is to encourage communities to develop a unique vision and action plan for future development that compliments rather than conflicts with their environment, history, culture, and quality of life. To that end, the Smart Growth and Urban Environments Team provides incentives and resources to produce Master and other plans and to alter zoning and other development regulations.

New techniques to be added to the original eleven released in 2005

Achieving smart growth requires forming partnerships on the local, regional, and state level and inviting partners to participate in the planning process. Comprehensive planning involves a variety of issues and a diversity of interests and people. At the state level, Environmental Affairs has partnered with the Housing, Economic Development, and Transportation agencies to encourage smart growth. This innovative, interagency partnership is crucial since environmental, housing, transportation and economic development issues are inextricably linked.

Instead of using a purely top-down approach, the Smart Growth and Urban Environments Team encourages communities to define their own futures and promotes environmental planning from the local level up. The Team seeks to empower communities by providing them with tools and programs that enable them to recognize the fiscal, environmental and social impacts of different development options. Through a full understanding of the implications of land use decisions, communities will be able to make more informed choices regarding the legacy they leave for future generations.