The Backlash Against Smart Growth

Writing in Innovation Briefs, Ken Orski charges that the Smart Growth forces -- long basking in uncritical acclaim -- now find themselves on the defensive.

1 minute read

October 30, 2003, 7:00 AM PST

By Chris Steins @planetizen

"In the end, the verbal skirmishes fought over "smart growth" are of little practical consequence, for the "smart growth" movement has no power to reshape America's urban landscape in any significant way. The demographic and economic forces driving metropolitan expansion are too powerful to be reined in or influenced by a planning ideology. As the noted urban analyst, Anthony Downs, points out, the biggest factor influencing future land use decisions is the nation's need to accommodate a 23 percent gain in population by 2020."

Thanks to Chris Steins

FULL STORY: The Backlash Against "Smart Growth"

Thursday, October 30, 2003 in Innovation Briefs

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