Smart growth refers to a combination of land use, transportation and environmental policies that support alternatives to single uses for properties and automobile-oriented design. Pedestrian-friendly communities where residents can live, work, shop, enjoy recreation and other activities and have convenient access to mass transit are the goals.

The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments has adopted ten smart growth principles to guide area land use, transportation and environmental policies. http://www.mwcog.org

1. Create a range of housing opportunities and choices.
2. Create walkable neighborhoods.
3. Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration.
4. Foster distinctive, attractive places with a strong sense of place.
5. Make development decisions predictable, fair and cost effective.
6. Mix land uses.
7. Preserve open spaces, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas.
8. Provide a variety of transportation choices.
9. Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities.
10. Take advantage of compact building design.

The council is a lead sponsor of the Smart Commute Initiative, which recognizes that homeowners who spend less on commuting expenses can have more disposable income for housing expenses. It rewards you for choosing a home located one-quarter mile from a public bus stop or one-half mile from a public rail station. For loan qualification purposes, participating lenders will add a portion of the potential transportation savings to borrowers' qualifying income - an addition of $200 per month for one wage-earner households and $250 per month for two wage-earner households - which could increase the home-buying power of a typical purchaser of a median-priced home by approximately $10,000 and reduce the down payment to only three percent of the purchase price.

Five organizations are joined together as the Smart Growth Alliance in the Greater Washington region. http://www.washington.uli.org/sga

• The Chesapeake Bay Foundation http://www.cbf.org
• Greater Washington Board of Trade http://www.bot.org
• Coalition for Smarter Growth http://www.smartergrowth.net
• Metropolitan Washington Builders’ Council http://www.nahb.org
• ULI Washington (District Council of the Urban Land Institute) http://www.washington.uli.org

In July 2003 the Smart Growth Alliance recognized Metro West redevelopment plans as contributing land use, transportation and environmental advantages to Fairfax County and the Washington region.