Smart Growth for Coastal and Waterfront Communities

NOAA, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the International City/County Management Association, and Rhode Island Sea Grant, developed the new guide and a companion Web site to respond to a need cited by local decision makers for more coastal-specific smart growth approaches. This partnership unites NOAA’s experience working with coastal communities and EPA’s expertise in Smart Growth.

Living near the water has historically been, and is expected to remain, desirable. The water, beaches, cliffs, rocky shores, and other natural features attract people and spur development. But many coastal and waterfront communities have found that conventional development patterns threaten the assets they treasure most. Smart growth approaches—guided by a set of principles that help communities grow in ways that expand economic opportunity, protect public health and the environment, and enhance places that people care about—can help these communities accommodate development while protecting their traditional sense of place.