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Issues: Smart Growth

Environmental Characteristics of Smart Growth Neighborhoods
Case Studies in Sacramento and Nashville

These studies, published in October 2000 and February 2003 for the Natural Resources Defense Council in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, show that the environmental benefits of smart growth are real and can be measured. The earlier study focuses on the Metro Square neighborhood in Sacramento, California, and is one of the first to examine a fully completed and occupied development. The more recent compares two neighborhoods in Nashville, Tennessee, and demonstrates that the combination of better transportation accessibility and a modest increase in land-use density can produce measurable benefits even when both sites are automobile-oriented and suburban in character.

TWO NASHVILLE NEIGHBORHOODS (February 2003)
Full report in PDF (Adobe Acrobat file, 2,197 k)
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Complete Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Site Selection
Chapter 3: Study Areas
Chapter 4: Results
Appendix: Study Area Photographs (Adobe Acrobat file, 350 k)

SACRAMENTO'S METRO SQUARE NEIGHBORHOOD (October 2000)

Complete Table of Contents:
Executive Summary
Chapter 1: Work Statement
Chapter 2: Case Study Method
Chapter 3: Evaluation of Built Environments
Chapter 4: Evaluation of Travel Demands
Chapter 5: Findings
Chapter 6: Recommendations for Future Studies
Appendix A: Case Study Maps and Photographs
Appendix B: Metro Square Travel Survey