Answer:
Smart growth is a planning and development approach that emphasizes sustainable land use, transportation, and community design. It aims to promote long-term sustainable development by creating compact, walkable, and mixed-use communities that reduce the need for driving, conserve natural resources, and provide a high quality of life for residents.
Here are some ways in which smart growth promotes long-term sustainable development:
Compact development: Smart growth encourages compact development that concentrates development in already developed areas and discourages sprawling, low-density development. Compact development reduces the need for driving and makes it easier to provide public transportation and infrastructure to support sustainable living.
Mixed-use development: Smart growth emphasizes mixed-use development that combines commercial, residential, and retail uses in the same area. Mixed-use development reduces the need for driving by providing residents with access to shops, services, and amenities within walking or biking distance.
Transportation alternatives: Smart growth promotes transportation alternatives such as walking, biking, and public transportation. It supports the creation of bike lanes, sidewalks, and trails, and encourages the development of public transit systems. By providing transportation alternatives, smart growth reduces the amount of driving, which helps to reduce air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion.
Protection of natural resources: Smart growth advocates for the protection of natural resources such as forests, wetlands, and open spaces. By protecting these resources, smart growth ensures that they are available for future generations and supports the conservation of biodiversity.
Community involvement: Smart growth promotes community involvement in the planning and development process. It encourages public participation in decision-making and fosters collaboration between stakeholders, including residents, developers, and government officials. By involving the community, smart growth ensures that development is responsive to the needs of residents and is sustainable in the long term.
In summary, smart growth promotes long-term sustainable development by creating compact, mixed-use communities that reduce the need for driving, provide transportation alternatives, protect natural resources, and involve the community in the planning and development process.