Dumb Growth

Washington CEO ^ | October 21, 2008 | George Kresovich

[Lorianne]

The smart-development movement has made sprawl worse, not better

[Lorianne]

Nearly 20 years after its inception, Washington's Growth Management Act (GMA) is a dismal failure. Instead of reducing sprawl by limiting development to designated urban areas, as the Legislature intended, we have subdivisions from Arlington to Tumwater housing people who work in King County. Instead of affordable housing resulting from a more intensive use of land, a median-income family cannot afford a median-priced home anywhere in King County. In Seattle, GMAbased growth regulations have added 45 percent -- about $200,000 -- to the cost of a median-priced home.

Despite these and other unintended consequences, we have yet to recognize the problems created by the GMA. Rather than change course, our planners and politicians -- at the behest of the organized environmental community -- are ordering more of the same. How did we get here?

[xcamel]

Go figure.

It’s worse in some other parts of the country

[Da Coyote]

How is it that we expect good results from folks that do not have any education in anything that matters? Political science, history, social science, education? About as good as a non-functional Yugo.

There is a reason that capitalism works - it operates in a random- seek all possible solutions - strongest only survive fashion. The trend is toward improvement.

[familyop]

That’s right. “Sustainable development” and “smart growth” policy has supported big developers in building more “urban sprawl” around cities while preventing development by homeowners in remote rural areas. I’ve seen firsthand, the corporate false environmentalist front women opposing small house and business projects in commissioners’ meetings in remote areas. When building committees approve such small projects, those women scream, yell, videotape and threaten to sue everyone present.

[familyop]

What’s worse, BTW, is when corporate employees who work as false environmentalists are elected to boards of commissioners.

[Pining_4_TX]

You are so right. Government could screw up a 2 car funeral. Why do people think government officials are so wise and all-knowing that they can mastermind society?

It infuriates me that every little city and town in the US now feels they must have an “economic development” board, council, or grand poobah. Economic development is just a gussied up Soviet 5 year plan and fails just as miserably. What a waste of money and resources! Why can’t the busybodies ever just mind their own business and leave the rest of us alone?