Take A Smart Growth Quiz

Take A Smart Growth Quiz - August 21, 2004

Here’s a little quiz to test your knowledge of Smart Growth. All questions are True or False.

Questions 1 - Smart Growth just means planning your growth in a smart way?

Answer: False – Smart growth is a movement that has many principles aimed at guiding a community’s growth into high density developments. Smart Growth also seeks to remove individual property rights in various ways, such as purchasing development rights and urban growth boundaries. Smart Growth is much more then just planning your community’s growth in a smart way.

Question 2 - The state requires that we submit a Smart Growth plan?

Answer: False – The state asks that we submit a Comprehensive Growth Plan, which has nothing to do with Smart Growth. Although the Smart Growth advocates were instrumental in getting the law into the books, and they would love to call it the “Smart Growth Law”, its real name is “The Comprehensive Planning Law”. It does not require us to follow the principles of Smart Growth. In actuality it does not require us to submit any plan at all, it’s completely voluntary. However, if we submit a plan, that plan then becomes law and we must abide by it.

Question 3 - Comprehensive planning and Smart Growth are the same thing?

Answer: False - Comprehensive planning means just that, creating an all inclusive plan for a community’s growth. To be truly comprehensive it needs to cover items other then just where to build houses and retail buildings. While comprehensive planning is one of the principles of Smart Growth, it’s just one of many. Smart Growth includes many more principles, some good, and some bad.

Question 4 - Smart Growth seeks to remove individual property rights?

Answer: True - While Smart Growth advocates talk about community planning, balancing property rights, public participation, and making local officials more accountable, it’s all about removing individual and community property rights. All the talk in the world does not change the fact that once a plan is submitted it becomes law and only the state can approve changes. This alone will make it much more difficult, if not impossible, to do as you please with your property. What Smart Growthers don’t seem to want to talk about are subjects like Urban Growth Boundaries, eminent domain, down zoning, and all the other measures that will remove individual property rights.

Question 5 - Smart Growth gives the state the authority to control the content of local comprehensive plans?

Answer: True - Even though the state can not write or edit a communities plan, they do have the right to approve or disapprove the plan. In other words they can’t edit it, but they can make you edit it until it meets their approval. What’s the difference? Also, your plan must contain a Traditional Neighborhood Design which meets certain requirements. Again, what’s the difference?

Question 6 - Smart Growth is a "one-size-fits-all" approach to planning?

Answer: True - While Smart Growth does not tell you where to plant that tree, or how big your open spaces must be, its guidelines are so defined and restrictive that all communities will end up being basically the same. If someone tells you that you must plant roses in your flower garden, will you be happy that they gave you the choice of what color roses to plant. I prefer daffodils, and yards big enough to have a swing set.

Question 7 - Smart Growth was created by the United Nations?

Answer: False - This is really a trick question. Smart Growth was not created by the United Nations, however it is a direct result of a United Nations accord called “Sustainable Development Agenda 21” which was signed by the United States in 1992. This caused President Clinton to create the President’s Council for Sustainable Development, which in turn gave legitimacy, and lots of money, to the Smart Growth movement.

Question 8 - Smart Growth type planning will eliminate congestion on our roads, and pollution?

Answer: False - One of the leading principles of Smart Growth is density. However, density increases both congestion and pollution. Since Portland, Oregon began its radical Smart Growth laws the city has become much more congested and polluted. The area’s congestion is almost as bad as Atlanta, which renowned for its congestion, and almost as polluted as Los Angeles.

Question 9 - In Smart Growth communities I will be able to walk to most of my destinations?

Answer: False - Although one of the Smart Growth principles is “create walkable neighborhoods”, and their Traditional Neighborhood Design, or TND, is suppose to allow walking to your destinations, this is not the case. Even the best TNDs in the country allow you to walk to less then 10% of your destinations, most are less then 5%. Which means you will still need to drive to over 90% of your destinations, through the tiny, narrow streets.

Question 10 - Smart Growth will cause house prices to dramatically increase?

Answer: True - Through the use of urban growth boundaries Smart Growth causes house prices to increase and housing affordability to decrease. This can be proven by looking at places where UGB’s have been enacted, such as Portland, Oregon. Even without UGB’s the land restrictions and development fees associated with Smart Growth will drive land prices, and therefore house prices, dramatically higher.

So how did you do? Give yourself 10 points for every correct answer and see where you fit in the scale below.

90 to 100 points – Please call us, we would like your advice as a Smart Growth expert.

60 to 80 points – You could give Smart Growth lectures, maybe make a few extra bucks.

30 to 50 points – Your knowledge of Smart Growth is better then the average citizen.

0 to 20 points – You’re right where the Smart Growthers want everyone to be.

References and further research areas:

Q1 & Q3 - http://www.takebackwisconsin.com/Legislation/Quotes_Legis.htm

http://www.takebackwisconsin.com/Smart_Growth/Articles/Fatally%20Flawed.htm

Q2 & Q5 - http://www.takebackwisconsin.com/Smart_Growth/Legal/66_1001/66.1001.htm

Q4 - http://www.takebackwisconsin.com/Smart_Growth/Articles/Editorial_Swank.htm

http://www.propertyrightsresearch.org/smart_growthfrms.htm

http://www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=479