The Cost of Sprawl and the Benefits of "Growing Smart"

Smart Growth will help California avoid air pollution-related illnesses, deaths and costs (American Lung Association in California, Sept. 16, 2010)



Key Quotes:

“data shows health benefits, including reduced asthma attacks and premature deaths linked to the Vision California “mixed growth” and “growing smart” scenarios in 2035 that include more compact, sustainable development patterns.

“compares a “Business as Usual” scenario, which assumes a continuation of dispersed, auto-oriented development patterns, with “Mixed Growth” and “Growing Smart” scenarios, which assume more balance in the housing mix and greater transportation options”

“If doctors and other health experts designed our cities, they would look quite different than the sprawling communities we see today,”

“Cities would provide more healthy choices, more opportunities for walking and biking, better access to transit, less congestion, more housing close to workplaces and more parks for kids and families to enjoy.”

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