Why Smart Growth?

Central Virginians enjoy a wealth of cultural and natural benefits.  The counties that surround the state’s capital city are blessed with beautiful rolling hills, lush forests, and a quality of life that is cherished by many.  Recently however, development patterns that have traditionally been seen as benign, are beginning to dismantle and even destroy the fabric of our communities across the region. 

In recent years our region has consumed more land at a faster rate than any major metropolitan area in the state.  Our region “developed more land in the five years between 1992 and 1997 than it had in the previous ten, converting an average of 11,760 acres each year. This means that the region is developing an average of 32 acres per day or 1.3 acres every hour. If land continues to be developed at this rate, approximately 294,000 acres will be developed over the next 20 years, an area over seven times the size of the City of Richmond. This would mean that the region would develop more land in 20 years than it had in the previous 400." (2003 Southern Environmental Law Center)

Land consumed for suburban sprawl also creates a landscape that is entirely dependent upon automobile use. Traffic congestion, higher taxes to pay for schools, utilities, and services, and a diminished public realm are the consequences for allowing growth to continue unchecked.  Without appropriate and thoughtful planning of our natural and built environments, our quality of life will continue to be diminished. Smarter Growth is needed to ensure and protectthe quality of life our region holds so dear.

Contribute to PSG!

We invite you to join in our mission to improve the quality of life for citizens through the promotion of transportation and land use patterns that create a sense of place, help preserve natural and historic resources, and enhance economic vitality.