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What is smart growth?

Smart growth is an approach to community design that connects housing, transportation, and land use to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods.

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Key principles Smart growth in action

About us

Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.

Welcome to Smart Growth America How we work Mission, vision, and values Our history Our team Our Board

Our work

Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.

Focus areas

Programs & coalitions

Advocacy Direct community support Current projects Our impact

Impact

Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.

Stories of impact

Events

Throughout the year, we host a number of in-person and virtual events covering topics related to public health, social equity, and climate resilience.

All Equity Summit

Knowledge hub

We offer a library of case studies, videos, and reports to support policymakers, practitioners, and advocates interested in advancing smart growth.

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Program

Center for Zoning Solutions

The Center for Zoning Solutions is our home for the zoning reform movement. We share research and reports, lead federal advocacy efforts, and support communities across the country to tackle barriers to smart growth and advance policies to encourage mixed-use development and diverse housing options.

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Our work

The Center for Zoning Solutions’ work empowers people to create livable places, community health, and shared prosperity through zoning solutions, including form-based codes and other innovations.

We believe the built environment of our cities and towns must allow all people — regardless of age, ability, income, race, or ethnicity — to safely, comfortably, and conveniently access homes, employment, schools, shops, health facilities, and other destinations by foot, bicycle, public transportation, car, or truck.

To fulfill our mission, we work with communities and lead a national conversation and movement to expand the number of communities that have adopted smart growth and equitable development through zoning reform. We work to advance the zoning reform movement by providing technical assistance to local governments and communities, releasing research and reports, webinar series, and continuing to advocate for zoning reform at the state, local, and federal levels.

Direct community support

Providing technical assistance to local and state governments and community-based organizations to develop and implement zoning solutions that improve the quality of life of residents in their communities.
Host forums and via in-person convenings.
Work with communities to adopt and implement smart growth regulatory tools such as Form-Based Codes and other smart growth regulations.

Research and analysis

Offerings will include signature reports, articles, and research on the local impacts of zoning barriers and the solutions to these barriers.
Virtual education sessions will be offered, including a webinar series focusing on how diversity strengthens local economies.
CZS will continue to administer the Form-Based Codes award to uplift community examples that can be leveraged by municipalities looking to implement a form-based code in their local context.