Smart growth. Brief story of fashionable concept in North America

Abstract

All over the world we are observing the intensification of urban growth, accelerated by globalization and the use of the automobile. And just when the American way of life is expanding at rates never seen before, in the United States is emerging a movement favoring higher densities in residential areas, an increasing supply of affordable housing, the renewal of city centers, mixed land uses, and investment in public transportation systems. The idea of “smart growth” tries to fight the negative effects of suburbs of low density, and especially residential sprawl, the consumption of rural and natural lands, pollution, and the current types of housing supply that favor large suburban lots. “Smart growth” can be considered as the new phase of urban growth management, but this time a phase that requires for the first time a strong participation by the public and non-profit organizations, as well as the search for solutions that specifically local.