Smart Growth Success Stories of 2008

"Herewith, readers, some of my very favorite smart, livable places that are contributing positively to the environment, as I've written about them over the past year.

"When NRDC's Ian Wilker first approached me about blogging, I'm sure that neither he nor I anticipated that it would lead to so much writing on my part. My favorites are the neighborhood success stories, the ones where I'm privileged to observe something and, say, "look - THIS is what it can be like, if we follow these great examples."

"We environmentalists, as a breed, are still way too negative, in my opinion. I fully understand why, but if more of us don't take the next step and present the positive alternative, we won't make the progress we need to make. It's been an honor to tell you about some of these great places, and here is my top 10 (OK, eleven) from this space in 2008 . . ."

Thanks to Kaid Benfield