In a post from September, we posed the question, “And just what does ‘smart growth’ mean, and how does it apply to Newton?”

Yesterday, on Switchboard, the staff blog of the Natural Resources Defense Council, Kaid Benfield suggests the definition of “smart growth” needs updating. The original definition, he says, crafted more than a decade ago, falls short in these areas: [Read more →]

Recent stories, letters, and op-eds in the Newton Tab use the term “smart growth” when referring to ideas for redevelopment of city-owned land in Newton Center and Newtonville.

But these dispatches use “smart growth” as if everyone knows what that means. Most of us don’t, and I’m still learning myself.

Smart growth is an urban planning theory that suggests compact development is, among other things, more financially and environmentally sustainable than suburban sprawl. The term is being applied to both new development and redevelopment, such as this project in Marblehead.

But how does smart growth apply to a city like Newton? [Read more →]