Smart Growth Toolkit
http://www.smartgrowthtoolkit.net/
In 2007 the national Smart Growth Leadership Institute, a project of Smart Growth America, released a suite of seven free tools to help communities identify and overcome barriers to smarter growth and more sustainable development. Its Smart Growth Implementation Toolkit will help communities across the nation to guide development that:
- Creates safer, healthier, more livable neighborhoods.
- Protects the environment and reduces energy consumption.
- Expands housing options for an aging and mobile workforce.
- Lowers monthly household expenses.
- Maximizes returns from existing and planned infrastructure investments.
The seven tools are downloadable PDFs or Word documents that lead the user through questions and checkboxes as a way to help community leaders review and revise their land use policies, zoning and development codes and project design standards. The tools are:
- Quick Diagnostic: a simple 7-page flowchart to help you to understand which of the other tools can best help your community.
- Policy Audit: 33 pages to help you assess whether existing land use and development policies align with your community's vision for smarter growth.
- Code and Zoning Audit: 46 pages to check if your zoning codes and regulations implement your vision for smarter growth.
- Audit Summary: 15 pages that summarize the findings from the Policy and Zoning Audits and begin to prioritize the opportunities that are ripe for action.
- Project Scorecard: 49 pages to evaluate how closely a proposed development project adheres to your community's vision for smarter growth.
- Incentives Matrix: a 2-page form for surveying and summarizing the various local, state and federal incentive programs that encourage redevelopment of brownfields, adaptive reuse of historic buildings, infill development and compact, mixed-use development.
- Strategy Builder: 19 pages to map the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges facing smart growth implementation in your community.
The U.S. EPA funded development of the tools, which were tested in the field with communities. The individual tools are available as free downloads, after registering yourself, at the web site above.
