The 180-page guide begins by defining smart growth and showing how the concept relates to sustainable development and traditional planning. The guide then launches into a detailed discussion of leadership models that communities can choose to direct their planning processes. The guide also discusses how computer-based tools can be used as aids to a planning process. These computer-based programs simultaneously organize and graphically display data representing multiple dimensions of sustainability such as job growth rates, illiteracy rates, and lead content in soils. Beyond that, Peretz says, it is important to consider cost, data requirements, and ease of use.
Indicators allow communities to see where they stand in relation to their goals.
She stresses the importance of allowing planners to find the tools and establish the processes that work for their communities. Rural towns and counties may not succeed if they imitate Atlanta's planning process, for example, because their issues are different and they have different resources. English and Peretz note how slanted the existing literature is toward the planning experiences of richer, more urban communities. They have political and social contexts vastly different from those of larger areas, which affects their planning needs. In addition to providing a single volume aimed at meeting the needs of rural communities, their planning guide fills another gap in the literature.