Members of the Home Builders Association of Midwest Georgia received a presentation on "smart growth" at the organization's recent meeting, held at WhiteWater Country Club.

Belinda M. Sward, vice president of Robert Charles Lesser & Co., a real estate advisory firm, defined smart growth, also known as sensible growth, as doing a better job of accommodating growth so negative impacts are diminished and utilizing land use strategies that integrate economic, community and environmental objectives.

To do this, she said, regional cooperation is needed, and she revealed that a smart growth task force encompassing the entire Metro Atlanta area has already been formed.

In the future, new developments must be economically viable while preserving open space, natural resources and sustainable habitats, noted Ms. Sward. The benefits of smart growth, she said, include enhancing the sense of community, protecting investments in existing neighborhoods, providing certainty and predictability in the development process, enhancing existing infrastructure, protecting the environment, and lessening congestion by providing alternative means of transportation.

She specifically mentioned Peachtree City's extensive system of cart paths as an example of smart growth because it provides transportation alternatives.

Pointing out that Atlanta currently has the worst case of urban sprawl in the country, she said that the metro area must get away from its current pattern of low density, automobile-reliant developments. As things are now, said Ms. Sward, life in the suburbs is "turning into a nightmare of traffic, air pollution, lost open space and higher taxes."

Acknowledging that "no growth" initiatives are being pushed in some suburban counties, Ms. Sward emphasized that "the strategies we implement have to be market feasible, have community support and be sustainable and financially viable. All areas need a sustainable economic base and adequate employment opportunities for citizens." She said that communities with inadequate business activity or a stagnant job base are inhibited in their ability to accomplish revitalization goals.