ULI Going After the Numbers for Smart Growth

ATLANTA-If there is one point of agreement among proponents of “smart growth,” it is that there is no one definition of the concept. Speaking at a plenary session at the conference, F. Gary Garczynski, vice president and secretary of the National Association of Home Builders, summarized, “It is more of a process than a definition.”

Part of that process is having solid numbers to back issues and to develop a framework for assessing land-use and transportation policies. Enter SMARTRAQ–Strategies for Metro Atlanta’s Regional Transportation and Air Quality. SMARTRAQ is a partnership of diverse organizations, including the Georgia Dept. of Transportation, the Georgia Regional Transportation Authority, the Environmental Protection Agency, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Turner Foundation.

In a $4.1 million program, the group is developing an information system to support regional, corridor and local land-use and transportation decision-making. In doing so, it is developing a model that can be applied to other areas of the country.