Three Out of Four Americans Support Land Use Planning To Manage Sprawl

NEWS RELEASE 10/16/2000

Washington, D.C. -- A national poll released today by the American Planning Association (APA) and other members of a new national coalition, Smart Growth America, found than 78 percent of the persons surveyed agreed that land-use planning should guide development where they live instead of allowing people and industry to build wherever they want.

 "This survey confirms that most Americans recognize the role effective land use planning can play in solving urban sprawl, traffic congestion and other growth management issues facing American communities from Florida to Alaska," said APA Policy Director Jeff Soule, AICP. "Equally important, the survey found most Americans think more needs to be done to manage growth and development at the state level."

Seventy-eight percent of those surveyed said they favored so-called "smart growth" measures that give priority to improving schools, roads, public transportation and increasing affordable housing in existing communities instead of encouraging new housing and development in the countryside.

The survey also found that more than 60 percent of those surveyed had more confidence in neighborhood associations, civic groups, and city, town and county governments making the best decisions about land use issues where they lived compared to 35 percent having confidence in private developers making those decisions.

The poll was conducted in September for the 24-member organization Smart Growth America by the opinion research firm Belden, Russonello & Stewart in Washington, D.C. The geographically-balanced telephone poll involved 1,007 adults aged 18 or older. The results were then weighted by gender, age, region and race to achieve a representative sample.

Approximately half of the states in the country have planning laws that have not been updated since the 1920s, according to "Planning Communities for the 21st Century," a special APA report released last December. The report highlighted examples from six states -- Maryland, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Washington -- that have enacted state laws that enable local governments to adopt innovative land use planning techniques that encourage compact urban development, walkable communities, public transit and affordable housing, among other things.

APA is working on a special guide, to be completed next year, that will help states and communities modernize their planning laws. Known as Growing Smart^SM, the project has been underway since 1994 and is supported by grants from six federal agencies led by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and several funders including The Henry M. Jackson Foundation, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and the Siemens Corporation.

For more information about the poll, visit www.smartgrowthamerica.com   for further information about Growing Smart^SM  and state planning law reform, visit APA's website at www.planning.org. or call  (312) 431-9100.

The 30,000-plus member American Planning Association (APA) and its professional institute, the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), are dedicated to advancing the art and science of urban, rural and regional planning. APA encourages planning that contributes to public well being by developing communities and environments that more effectively meet the needs of all people. APA has offices in Washington, D.C., and Chicago, Ill.