What is smart growth?
Smart growth is an approach to community design that connects housing, transportation, and land use to create healthy, prosperous, and resilient neighborhoods.
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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.
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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.
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Smart Growth America cultivates vibrant, sustainable communities with diverse living and transportation options, enhancing quality of life for all.
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Throughout the year, we host a number of in-person and virtual events covering topics related to public health, social equity, and climate resilience.
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We offer a library of case studies, videos, and reports to support policymakers, practitioners, and advocates interested in advancing smart growth.
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Video
ATL Rising: Building resilience in the face of extreme heat
About the Video
In 2023, Atlanta had its second-hottest year in almost a century. Largely driven by climate change, Atlanta and other cities across the country are experiencing extreme heat events that come more frequently, more intensely, and more dangerously. Heat-related deaths have been increasing year-over-year, with over 2,300 recorded in 2023—a 161% increase from 2010. It’s historically disinvested communities that feel the heat the most, thanks to the effects of redlining and residential segregation, institutional disinvestment, and widespread health disparities. In areas of southern Atlanta, where much of the city’s Black population is concentrated, that manifests as high asthma rates, unaffordable energy bills, and an unbearable heat island effect amplified by pavement and a lack of green space.
The Partnership for Southern Equity and Smart Growth America learned from community residents, advocates, thought leaders, and policy leaders about their lived experiences with extreme heat and their hopes for a safe, prosperous, and healthy Atlanta. This video highlights community voices on the need for policy and advocacy strategies that create safer and more accessible infrastructure.
This video was produced by @Ecodeo.
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