Goals 1 and 2 of the Growth Management Act are to reduce the inappropriate conversion of undeveloped land into sprawling, low-density development, and instead encourage development where adequate public facilities and services exist or can be provided in an efficient manner.

Urban sprawl is scattered, poorly planned urban development that occurs particularly in urban fringe and rural

Areas and frequently invades land important for environmental and natural resource protection.  Urban sprawl typically manifests itself in one or more of the following patterns:

1. Leapfrog development (when new development is sited away from an existing urban area, bypassing vacant parcels located in or closer to the urban area that are suitable for development)
2. Strip development (when large amounts of commercial, retail, and often multifamily residential development are located along a major arterial)
3. Large expanses of low-density, single-family dwelling development.

The Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board concludes that there are at least eight major negative consequences of sprawl:

1. it needlessly destroys the economic, environmental and aesthetic value of resource lands
2. it creates an inefficient land use pattern that is very expensive to serve with public funds
3. it blurs local government roles, fueling competition, redundancy and conflict among those governments
4. it threatens economic viability by diffusing rather than focusing needed public infrastructure investments
5. it abandons established urban areas where substantial past investments, both public and private, have been made
6. it encourages insular and parochial local policies that thwart the siting of needed regional facilities and the equitable accommodation of locally unpopular land uses;
7. it destroys the intrinsic visual character of the landscape
8. it erodes a sense of community, which, in turn, has dire social consequences

Smart Growth is a movement to counteract sprawl.  The goals of Washington’s Growth Management Act align closely with Smart Growth strategies.  Strategies include:

• The preservation of open space, farmland, natural beauty, and critical environmental areas.
• Compact, attractive communities that provide a range of housing and transportation choices.
• Distinctive communities with a strong sense of place, and strong public participation.

Resources:

• June 2007 - A Regional Design Strategy: In support of VISION 2040 for the Central Puget Sound Region
• CTED’s Smart Growth Web site includes a collection of 12 issue papers written by CTED staff on a range of smart growth topics.
• Growth Management Services guidance paper - a review of current information on Urban Densities and Sprawl - Central Puget Sound Edition, Sept 2004 - GMS
• Bremerton, et al v. Kitsap County, No. 95-3-0039c,  Central Puget Sound Growth Management Hearings Board,  Final Decision and Order, October 6, 1995 
• Infill Development Strategies for Shaping Livable Neighborhoods, June 1997 – Report No. 38, Municipal Research and Services Center of Washington, includes a number of tools to encourage infill development.
• Information and links to sites dealing with the issue of urban sprawl and consequences of sprawl.
• Smart Growth Network, was formed by a number of partners including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and many non-profit partners.  The Web site offers a number of resources including the Getting to Smart Growth I and II, two free booklets of 100 policies and strategies for implementing Smart Growth.
• The Brookings Institute has a wealth of resources on urban topics at its Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy.

Photo:  Compact urban development in Olympia, Wash