Smart growth is a movement that aspires to create a different future for land use.
Smart growth aims to continue to provide the jobs, tax revenues and amenities that growth and development provide without degrading the environment, raising local taxes, increasing traffic congestion or breaking local government budgets. Smart growth shares many similar goals with New Urbanism. Their differences lie mainly in approach. Where New Urbanism takes a predominately design approach, smart growth addresses these issues through strategically directing financial resources to support programs and policies that support these goals. The smart growth movement first gained widespread attention in 1997 when the state of Maryland passed legislation that directed spending of all state monies for roads, schools, water, sewer, buildings, housing and other new construction to places where development has already occurred.