A Regional Dialogue on Smart Growth

Originally published on October 21, 2002, in Banker & Tradesman. Reprinted with permission.

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"Sprawling" isn't the image typically associated with New England.

Even though "crawling" comes to mind when you're driving in or out of Boston, few of us connect sprawl with Vermont's verdant mountains or Maine's coastal villages.

However, the Vermont Forum on Sprawl reports that Vermont's rate of land development increased at about two and half times the rate of population growth between 1982 and 1992. And in Maine, land was developed at almost twice the rate of population growth during that same period.

The fact is that poorly planned growth is a serious cause for concern in each of the region's six states. And the rate at and manner in which the region is growing has large implications for all New Englanders' quality of life. The Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's recent "New England Smart Growth Symposium" focused on exactly what these implications are and how the region should address them.

Held in Boston, the symposium brought together leaders in land-use planning and finance to discuss current and proposed policies to manage growth. Over 100 people attended, including practitioners from each of the six New England states, to explore the critical issues and highlight the region's smart-growth activity and needs.

Senator James Jeffords (I-VT), cochairman of the bipartisan Smart Growth Task Force and chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee, began the conference by discussing the importance of regional cooperation in creating economically vibrant, culturally cohesive communities. He cited two pending bills — the Brownfield Site Redevelopment Assistance Act (S.1079) and the Community Character Act (S.975) — as signs that smart-growth issues are gaining attention in Congress.

The symposium then featured overviews of smart-growth activities in each New England state and presentations on six related policy issues: taxes, land use, transportation, housing, economic development, and conservation. Closing the symposium was Don Chen, founding director of Smart Growth America, who shared a national perspective on smart growth.

According to the Citizens' Housing and Planning Association, smart growth embodies the latest thinking about how to harness the positive aspects of growth while minimizing its negative impacts.

Smart growth actively promotes efficient land use through the development of higher-density communities that include housing, businesses, shops, and civic and open spaces. Such land use encourages walking, reduces the need for driving, supports public transportation, and minimizes the loss of open space. Smart growth also seeks to make use of existing infrastructure by rehabilitating existing structures, cleaning and reusing contaminated sites, and building on infill parcels.

What Is at Stake?
Unplanned and uncontained development has many adverse affects, many of which can already be seen throughout our region.

The need for more affordable homes drives families and individuals out of urban areas and traditional centers and into more remote areas. As homes are built further and further out into rural areas, residents must commute to jobs in other cities, shop in other towns, and drive their children to school. There is less opportunity for interaction with neighbors or participation in community services.

Valuable farmland and natural habitats are lost forever. Not only does this lead to the rapid demise of open space, but it also creates a physical separation in our society along socioeconomic lines.

Furthermore, as workers move out of urban areas and traditional centers, businesses suffer. Meanwhile, tax dollars must be expended on building new infrastructure and schools in outlying areas.

Although the stakes are high when it comes to New England's development, I'm happy to report that many community agencies, municipalities, and states are already implementing creative approaches to smart growth. The symposium's panel presented a variety of initiatives afoot in the region.

• Vermont retooled its tax policy so that property taxes no longer fund the cost of public schools. Many smart-growth advocates cite standard tax policy as a major engine behind sprawl, as it makes municipalities dependent on local property taxes and creates competition for high-tax-value land uses.
  
  
• Connecticut's transportation policy is evolving in the context of the state's importance as the gateway between New York and the rest of New England.
  
  
• Rhode Island's "Places" strategy links economic development and smart growth by capitalizing on the state's history, cultural centers, natural resources, and colleges to draw and retain the creative workers that are essential to the state's economic health.
  
  
• Maine's land-use policies acknowledge that people and businesses have the right to choose where to live or open a business. However, people and businesses are more responsible for the cost of their decisions. For example, owners of homes located away from the power grid must pay the cost of the line extension instead of having the hookup subsidized by ratepayers.

As I cannot convey the weight and depth of all the information shared in so brief a column, I encourage you to visit the symposium's Web site, www.fhlbboston.com/smartgrowth, to view many of the participants' presentations.

While much work for smart growth is already being done, it will take participation and cooperation on the local, state, and regional levels to preserve New England's most valued qualities. I am encouraged that we are learning how to preserve and even recreate the sense of place that has always been unique to New England.

I am proud that the symposium has served as a catalyst for discussion, and I hope it leads to partnerships that will help our cities and towns grow responsibly and attractively for years to come. Moreover, member institutions can use the Federal Home Loan Bank of Boston's Affordable Housing Program and Community Development advances to fund eligible infill development and other creative initiatives related to smart growth. Together, we can promote healthy, diverse communities throughout New England.