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Smart Growth's Misunderstood Message
Washington Post ^ | 16 October 2004 | Roger K. Lewis

Posted on 12/01/2004 4:11:17 PM PST by Lorianne

In the rancorous political environment of this year's presidential election campaign, American voters seem to be polarized as never before. In the environment of real estate development and land-use planning, opinions about "smart growth" are becoming just as polarized.

Smart growth proponents and opponents are drawing ever sharper lines, honing ever narrower definitions and more assertively taking sides. "Either with me or against me" attitudes seem to prevail among both advocates and critics.

Unfortunately, overly polarized discourse is inherently obstructive and misleading. It distorts and oversimplifies, obscuring rather than illuminating complex realities that are variable with time, place and resources.

Sharp division into factions inevitably occurs when people resist dealing with complexity. Unwilling or unable to analyze the multiple, substantive aspects of a complex issue, some people are naturally drawn to boiled-down versions. Never mind the facts -- just a few, succinct black-or-white highlights.

Regrettably, smart growth is suffering this fate. The term is being used more and more as a defining label, as if it were a code word for a specific cause or movement zealously espoused by faithful adherents.

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: landuse; planning; propertyrights; smartgrowth
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Comment #41 Removed by Moderator

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To: FrankWild

That may be true, but it's no different telling others what they can do with their property than what "smart growth" proposes. It's still anti-property rights and anti-free market, whether the outcome is good or bad.


45 posted on 12/02/2004 3:10:48 PM PST by Lorianne
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To: NYpeanut
Ha! Exactly.

I was on my city's Parks a Recreation Committee for a while. The city was going to build a park on and old unused piece of property outside the city proper. At the meeting, people who lived around the property showed up, some to complain. One guy who lived across the river from the property stated in on a rant about how he wanted the property returned to nature, (It was a small farm). Another guy piped up "You mean like it was before YOUR house was built". That stopped his rant cold. He sat down a shut up.

Classic.

46 posted on 12/02/2004 8:20:07 PM PST by Jotmo ("Voon", said the mattress.)
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To: fhillary2
I can't stand all these @ssholes who move to Loudoun County and then want to close the gates

Loudoun's fate is sealed. Rt 15 is already gridlocked. Loudoun shuts down when there's an accident on that two lane road.

I fled Fairfax 75 miles south to the mountains some 25 years ago and never regretted my decision.

But growth is catching up and unless the housing market soon crashes, I may be forced to relocate another 75 miles SW.


BUMP

49 posted on 12/03/2004 6:17:10 AM PST by tm22721 (In fac they)
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To: Lorianne

I don't want to step on anyone's toes, but I would like to see new towns built as opposed to new developments. Right here in Alexandria, we see a glaring example in Kingstowne off Van Dorn Street. Across the street from a shopping plaza (bix box stores in the strip mall variety- not attractive but useful) is a new subdivision development of townhouses. But the residents have to get in their cars to cross the street to go to TJ Maxx or Walmart. You are taking your life in your hands by attempting to cross the heavy traffic to get to the stores. It's innane.

Also, the majority of these subdivisions are built with no sidewalks in them. That paired with all traffic being vehicular, it is a daunting task to take your baby out for a stroll in the carriage.


50 posted on 12/03/2004 6:27:58 AM PST by clarissaexplainsitall (stewed tomatoes are just plain gross)
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To: NYpeanut
My favorite: "view shed"

Don't laugh. This "restriction" is getting into comprehensive plans all over the country.

51 posted on 12/03/2004 8:03:12 AM PST by 1Old Pro
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To: csmusaret

The reason people make that argument is that developers will build new housing, retail, and office space in response to increases in road lanes, thereby soaking up any new traffic capacity.

If you closed down those roads, Charlotte would still have the same development patterns it had when the roads were still open, so the analogy fails.


52 posted on 12/03/2004 8:30:45 AM PST by HostileTerritory
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To: clarissaexplainsitall

I don't know why people are threatened by smart growth. The market is 98% geared to people like them and 2% geared to people like us. Personally, I live in a 100-year-old 2-family house in the most densely populated city in New England and I love it.

I grew up in exurban New Jersey where property rights were fully respected. Developers did very well, they moved on after they built, the rest of us were stuck with their vision of life because all players in the market went with the shortest-sighted, highest-paying model of development. The driving age in NJ is 17 which meant my parents had to drive me everywhere I wanted to go to not sit on my ass in front of the t.v. We had 1/3 of an acre which was good for playing in the backyard but me and my friends took our lives in our hands if we tried to get to each other's homes by bicycle.

A little common sense and market diversity is hardly the second coming of Stalin.


53 posted on 12/03/2004 8:39:15 AM PST by HostileTerritory
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To: FrankWild

I wish you well and support your efforts.

That said, I'm afraid that Wallace T. is right, even as much as I disagree with him about the virtues of untrammeled sprawl. If you live within shouting distance of a growing metropolitan area, the market is going to change your way of life. Nothing can be done. You can choose to become an overdeveloped suburb, or you can keep your current housing patterns and gentrify with property values shooting through the roof, driving out the normal people who make the community unique and practice local jobs like fishing. Paradise never endures once they build that bridge that brings in commuters.


54 posted on 12/03/2004 8:43:18 AM PST by HostileTerritory
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To: Lorianne

Russell Kirk is the intellectual father of American conservatism.


55 posted on 12/03/2004 11:29:58 AM PST by Edmund Burke
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Comment #56 Removed by Moderator


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