Smart Growth Policy Statement: Building Better Places to Live, Work and Play

Resolved that NAHB endorse the concept of Smart Growth as outlined in this statement, including the key elements of Smart Growth which include:

1. Anticipating and planning for economic development and population growth in a timely, orderly and predictable manner.
2. Establishing a long-term comprehensive plan in each local jurisdiction that makes available an ample supply of land for residential, commercial, recreational and industrial uses and sets aside meaningful open space. These plans should also protect environmentally sensitive areas and maintain a balance between the environment and growth. Jurisdictions should plan for population change by adequately planning for enough housing, at various price points and of varying size and design, to meet the needs of a growing and diverse population.
3. Developments that comply with the policies and regulations established by the community should be allowed to proceed without unreasonable oversight from relevant agencies.
4. Removing and avoiding the creation of policy barriers and avoiding creating new barriers that impede innovative land-use planning techniques to be used.
5. Ensuring that the actions of all levels of government address the affordability of all housing.
6. Ensuring that policies enhance rather than limit consumer choice and that these policies provide solutions that meet the needs of consumers and the concerns of neighborhoods.
7. Planning and constructing new schools, roads, transit systems, water and sewer treatment facilities and other public infrastructure in a timely manner to anticipate and keep pace with the demand for jobs and housing and finding fair and broad-based ways to underwrite the costs of infrastructure investment that benefit the entire community.
8. Ensuring that the process for reviewing site-specific land development applications is reasonable, predictable and fair for applicants.
9. Ensuring that policies enacted to achieve sound growth and environmental principles are supported by sound science, including field-tested, empirical and peer-reviewed data.

Further resolved, when used appropriately and in concert with market forces, Smart Growth can serve as a blueprint for planning and building an even better America in the years ahead. To assist local communities in developing Smart Growth plans, NAHB support and encourage the implementation of the four Smart Growth Principles.

Resolution originally adopted: 2022.2, Resolution No. 2

Committee with primary jurisdiction: Land Development Committee