A Guide to Smart Growth

This is an important and helpful work that provides a compelling, exceedingly well-written guide to the facts about "sprawl." It is a carefully written and documented analysis that explodes the myths put forth by the fringe of the environmental movement. There is much common sense here -- and much that all people of good will who are concerned about the environment will embrace. It's a must read and long overdue.

I live in the suburbs. And frankly, I love the suburbs. But that's not a politically correct sentiment these days, when we suburbanites are accused of needing cars to go to the bathroom, never mind the tacky strip mall. That's certainly the view that Al Gore and his elite friends have, and why they are for "Smart Growth" usually translated "No Growth." And that's why "A Guide to Smart Growth" is so important. As the different writers of this provocative book point out, Al Gore may not like to hear it, but most folks love the suburbs. Big "useless" lawns and all. And, the various authors argue,suburbs do pay for themselves when it comes to the tax base versus public services, they don't consume nearly as much land or resources as their detractors would like us to believe, nor are they even the entity most responsible for increasing traffic congestion around the country (High-density cities are.) So the question is, instead of how to squelch the suburubs how do we make them even more livable for all the people who, it turns out, actually want to live there? From managing new development and traffic flow to giving people a sense of community, this book provides answers that are both private-sector oriented and don't come with the sneering condescension of so many "smart-growth" advocates that the suburbs are simply a louzy place to live.

There is an enormous literature on urban planning, "sprawl," and now "smart growth." Most of it is anecdotal and driven by the authors' agendas: anti-car, anti-middle class, anti-population growth, anti-capitalism, etc. The best report I found before seeing this book was "The Costs of Sprawl-Revisited," published by the National Academy Press in 1998 (and available on their web site!).Even "The Costs of Sprawl-Revisited" pales by comparison to "A Guide to Smart Growth." This book is written by some of the most informed and provocative voices in the debate over "sprawl" and smart growth. Wendell Cox is simply devastating in his comments on mass transit and how to manage congestion. John Charles demolishes the "Portland Model." Sam Staley shows how land use problems can be solved without the centralization of power that lies at the heart of all smart growth proposals.Best of all, every chapter is filled with data and source citations, not just opinions and speculation. This is public policy research the way it should be: informed, factual, and rigorous. It is an urban policy researcher's dream come true. "A Guide to Smart Growth" should be required reading by every student in an urban planning or public policy program in the country. Environmentalists who believe "sprawl" is a major threat to farmland also owe it to themselves to read it. It really is that good.

I found this book very informative and appropriate, considering the relevancy of the urban sprawl/suburban growth debate in this year's presidential election. As a resident of a community that is currently experiencing surburban growth and traffic problems, I found Mr. Utt's and Ms. Shaw's findings both informative and at times, alarming.