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Home Resource Center In the News Home Greenbelt Alliance in the News |
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Greenbelt Alliance In the News
December 14, 2002 WHAT 'SMART GROWTH' IS
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR BylineEditor -- Joseph Perkins' column (" 'Smart growth' unwise for minorities," Dec. 11) demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of the concept of smart growth. Smart growth is not about restricting home construction, as Perkins claims. Smart-growth advocates recognize that we need new house, condo and apartment construction to meet our growing population, but we believe that this construction must include affordable housing units and be placed near jobs, shopping and public transit. Rather than hurt minorities, smart-growth policies can help minority neighborhoods, and we need look no further than the revitalization of San Leandro around the BART station to see the benefits smart growth can bring to minority communities.
Editor -- Joseph Perkins seemed to confuse smart growth with slow or no growth policies in his column of Dec. 11. As I understand it, smart growth balances preservation of open space and agricultural land with increased development of already urbanized areas nearer to jobs and public transportation. While it will always be easier for the "haves" to purchase new homes, favoring inner-city projects to those on the periphery, or "infill," would certainly not add to these inequities.
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