Links and Additional Resources on Coastal Smart Growth

This page provides links to additional information on Smart Growth, organized into the following categories:

General Smart Growth
Smart Growth Models
Sprawl and Coastal Development Reports
Open Space Residential Design
Stormwater, Runoff, and Water Quality
Low Impact Development
Lawns and Landscaping
Green Roofs
Planning and Regulatory Tools
Other Tools
Education Resources
Contacts/Links/Publication Pages

See Partners in Coastal Smart Growth for direct links to organizations working with CZM on Smart Growth initiatives.

General Smart Growth

Introduction to Smart Growth from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Smart Growth Toolkit
Massachusetts Sustainable Development Principles
EEA Community Preservation Initiative Web Page
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Encouraging Smart Growth Web Page
EPA Region 1 Smart Growth Strategies in New England Web Page
Smart Growth Online: A Service of the Smart Growth Network
National Center for Smart Growth Research and Education Website
Smart Growth America Website
The Vermont Forum on Sprawl Website
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Smart Growth/Sprawl Web Page
Why Smart Growth: A Primer (PDF, 869 KB) by the International City/County Management Association
Local Government Environmental Assistance Network Smart Growth Web Page
The Urban Land Institute's SmartGrowth.net Website
Montomery County, Maryland, Department of Environmental Protection Website with links to natural landscaping, pollution prevention, stormwater control, and other programs related to Smart Growth
Land Choices - A national organization providing landowners with choices that conserve land

Smart Growth Models

Smart Growth Case Studies from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit
EPA's National Award for Smart Growth Achievement 2002 (PDF, 1.45 MB)
EPA's Developing for the Future: Innovative Community Projects Supported by EPA Grants (PDF, 11.7 MB)
The New Models Project (PDF, 715 KB) by the Vermont Forum on Sprawl

Sprawl and Coastal Development Reports

Coastal Sprawl: The Effects of Urban Design on Aquatic Ecosystems in the United States prepared for the Pew Oceans Commission
An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century: Final Report of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
EPA's Our Built and Natural Environments: A Technical Review of the Interactions between Land Use, Transportation, and Environmental Quality (PDF, 1.49 MB)
The Economic Benefits of Protecting Virginia's Streams, Lakes, and Wetlands and The Economic Benefits of Better Site Design in Virginia (PDF 268 KB) by the Center for Watershed Protection
Northeast Midwest Institute Smart Growth Reports

Open Space Residential Design (OSRD)

OSRD Web Page from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit
OSRD Case Studies from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit
OSRD Model Bylaw from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit (PDF, 284 KB), which includes a Low Impact Development component.
OSRD Model Site Plan Bylaw (PDF, 232 KB), which was developed by the Green Neighborhoods Alliance and allows the developer to use OSRD "by-right" but does not allow for the use of density bonuses.
Model Site Plan Rules and Regulations for OSRD Model Bylaw (PDF, 99 KB), which were developed by the Green Neighborhoods Alliance to be used with the OSRD Model Site Plan Bylaw.
OSRD or Conservation Subdivision Design Model Bylaw - Special Permit (PDF, 39 KB), which was developed by the Green Neighborhoods Alliance and allows the Planning Board to grant OSRD by special permit and includes a density bonus option.
OSRD or Conservation Subdivision Design Model Rules and Regulations - Special Permit (PDF, 14 KB), which were developed by the Green Neighborhoods Alliance to be used with the OSRD Model Bylaw - Special Permit.
Green Neighborhoods: Open Space Residential Design (PDF, 4.5 MB), a brochure explaining the benefits of OSRD.
Growing Greener: Putting Conservation into Local Codes (PDF, 898 KB) by the Natural Lands Trust, Inc.
EPA Open Space Development Model Ordinance Web Page
Natural Lands Trust Growing Greener: Conservation by Design Web Page
"A Look at Conservation Subdivisions" in The Land Use Tracker, Summer 2002
Conservation Subdivisions from LandChoices.org

Stormwater, Runoff, and Water Quality

University of Massachusetts Stormwater Technologies Clearinghouse Website
University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center Website
Water Resources Management Web Page from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit
Model Suburban Stormwater Management Bylaw and Regulations (PDF, 1 MB)
Best Development Practices Guidebook developed by the Town of Franklin to provide the preferred design and construction practices for stormwater management, site planning, erosion control, and landscape design
Collecting and Utilizing Rainfall Runoff: A Homeowners Manual of Ideas for Harvesting Rainwater (PDF, 3.85 MB) by the Thomas Jefferson Soil and Water Conservation District, Virginia
EEA Massachusetts Water Policy Web Page
EPA Urban Stormwater Links Web Page
EPA Smart Growth and Water Resource Protection Online Training Module
Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials Reducing Runoff Website
Local Government Environmental Assistance Network's Land Use Impacts on Water Quality Web Page with the Online Long-Term Hydrologic Impact Assessment Tool
Santa Clara Valley Urban Runoff Pollution Prevention Web Page
NRDC's Stormwater Strategies: Community Responses to Runoff Pollution

Low Impact Development (LID)

LID Web Page from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit
Model LID Bylaw from the EEA Smart Growth Toolkit (PDF, 1.72 MB)
EEA LID Web Page
Site Design Guidance - The Practice of Low Impact Development provides important details about effective site design. (PDF, 2 MB)
Case studies of LID initiatives and progress have been completed for the following Massachusetts communities:
- Tyngsborough (PDF, 7.4 MB)
- Boston (PDF, 2.2 MB)
- Cohasset (PDF, 1.5 MB)
- Franklin (PDF, 5 MB)
Buzzards Bay National Estuary Program LID Web Page
EPA LID Web Page
The Massachusetts LID Toolkit developed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Urban Stormwater Management Guidebook developed by the city of Salem (PDF, 6.35 MB)
"Chapter 12: Low Impact Development" from NRDC's Stormwater Strategies
LID Center Website
Puget Sound Stormwater & Low Impact Development Web Page
National Green Building Program from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and the NAHB Research Center

Lawns and Landscaping

CZM's Coastal Landscaping Website
EEA's More than Just a Yard: Ecological Landscaping Tools for Massachusetts Homeowners (PDF, 1.41 MB)
EPA's Healthy Lawn Healthy Environment (PDF, 5.37 MB)
Selection and Maintenance of Plant Materials for Coastal Landscapes available from the University of Massachusetts Extension (PDF, 128 KB)
EPA Mid-Atlantic Region Green Landscaping Web Site
Audubon Rethink Your Lawn Web Page
National Wildlife Federaion Cut Your Lawn in Half Web Page
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Landscaping for Energy Efficiency Web Page
CZM Vegetated Buffers Web Page
Rain Gardens: A household way to improve water quality in your community and Rain Gardens: A how-to manual for homeowners available from the University of Wisconsin Extension
Montgomery County, Maryland, Department of Environmental Protection RainScapes Web Page
Rain Gardens of West Michigan
Maplewood, Minnesota, Rainwater Gardens Website
Harvesting Rainwater for Landscape Use by the University of Arizona Cooperative
National Wildlife Federation Backyard Wildlife Habitat Web Page

Green Roofs

Planning and Regulatory Tools

EEA Smart Growth Toolkit
EPA Getting to Smart Growth Web Page
Getting to Smart Growth: 100 Policies for Implementation (PDF, 1.99 MB) by the Smart Growth Network
Getting to Smart Growth II: 100 More Policies for Implementation by the Smart Growth Network and the International City/County Management Association
EPA's Protecting Water Resources with Smart Growth (PDF, 1.39 MB)
Smart Growth for Clean Water: Helping Communities Address the Water Quality Impacts of Sprawl (PDF, 6.02 MB) by the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals, the Trust for Public Land, and ERG
Community Rules: A New England Guide to Smart Growth Strategies by the Vermont Forum on Sprawl and the Conservation Law Foundation
Growing Smarter: Making Smart Growth Work (PDF, 519 KB) by the Vermont Forum on Sprawl and the Conservation Law Foundation
Preserving the Future: A Guide for Creating a Municipal Open Space Inventory (PDF, 4.31 MB) by the Essex County Forum - Smart Growth for Livable Communities
Affordable Housing and Smart Growth (PDF, 2.27 MB) by the Smart Growth Network and the National Neighborhood Coalition
Georgia Quality Growth Partnership's Toolkit
Atlanta Regional Commission Community Choices Toolkit

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