NACo readies Smart Growth initiative

What attributes make communities a desirable place to live and work? What are the significant challenges facing county officials in maintaining a quality of life valued by the residents? Questions concerning the impact of accelerated growth are becoming increasingly important to our counties throughout the nation.

For that reason, NACo is in the formative stage of a Smart Growth Initiative.

To understand more about the issues, 112 county officials were polled at the NACo 62nd Annual Conference. The respondents were asked to rate a series of characteristics from one to four, with one being the most significant and four being the least significant. The results of the survey are a snapshot of growth related priorities from counties nationwide.

Results
What attributes are valued most? A total of 18 attributes were presented, and included economic, environmental and social characteristics. According to those who answered the survey, these are the key reasons that make their counties a desirable place to live and work:

• good public schools
• open space and farmland
• natural resources
• strong sense of community
• clean air

What are the challenges that face county officials? A total of 17 characteristics were presented which are commonly found to be impacts associated with growth and change. Once again, the top five are listed:

• infrastructure capacity
• crime
• over-crowded schools
• traffic congestion
• preserving natural resources

The results indicate that county officials recognize the importance of good public schools for both retaining and attracting residents to their community. Second to that, they value the unique characteristics intrinsic to their sense of place. This includes open space and farmland, access to parks and recreation, natural resources, and a strong sense of community. These key components also prove to be most challenging to preserve and protect.

County officials identified an adequate infrastructure as the most significant challenge, followed by obvious concerns arising from crime. The fundamental need to protect the quality of drinking water is identified as the third significant challenge. While traffic congestion and overcrowded schools reflect the concern with infrastructure capacity, county officials also believe they face a significant challenge preserving natural resources and maintaining a sense of community.

How could NACo best assist counties in their smart growth efforts? NACo convened an initial meeting with county planners, environmental specialists and engineers on June 5-6, to begin to clarify the challenges, and to discuss various approaches which may strengthen the understanding and priority of smart growth. The assistance tools listed in the survey were initially developed at that meeting. County officials were asked to rate each of them, and the top four were:

1. case studies of successful "smart growth" initiatives
2. "smart growth" primer for elected officials
3. self-evaluation checklists to identify opportunities for "smart growth" tied with workshops/training programs; and
4. Internet/ GIS and other information technology for "smart growth."

While the survey does not provide a comprehensive list of options, the "cost-benefit" makes it worthwhile. For an investment of five minutes to complete the questions, the results are a good indicator of general trends. How does your county compare? NACo staff are very interested in hearing from you.

(If you would like a copy of the survey to review with your county officials or to present to your constituents, please call Nelsona Waugh at 202/ 942-4259.)