TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

INSIGHT 3: TEN PRINCIPLES FOR SMART GROWTH ON THE SUBURBAN FRINGE
1. Create a Shared Vision for the Future…and Stick to it: Make sure the vision is inclusive and reflects the
desires of those who live and work in the community.
2. Create and Sustain Green Infrastructure: Designate open space to be saved in perpetuity.
3. Realize that the Right Design in the Wrong Place is not Smart Growth: Determine the appropriate
location based on infrastructure investment, proximity of jobs to housing and transit options.
4. Protect Environmental Systems and Conserve Resources: Minimize disturbance to nature and use
climate as a major factor in design.
5. Provide Diverse Housing Types and Opportunities: Offer a mix that appeals to different demographic
groups and households, resulting in greater neighborhood diversity.
6. Build Centers of Concentrated Mixed Use: Offer a blend of commercial, retail, entertainment and
recreational space.
7. Use Multiple Connections to Enhance Mobility and Circulation: Provide a network of vehicular,
pedestrian, cycling, park and open space connections.
8. Create Sustainable Transportation Choices: Stage development of real estate and transportation
facilities to ensure availability of a variety of alternatives to driving alone – walking, cycling, transit,
car pooling, and telecommuting.
9. Preserve Community Character: Draw on local culture, heritage and history to create a unique sense
of place.
10. Make It Easy to Do the Right Thing: Make local regulations more flexible to encourage mixed-use,
compact development and other smart growth practices.
ULI 10 principles adapted to an Irish (EU) context:
1. Achieve consensus by collaborating on solutions with a broad spectrum of interest
groups;
2. Ensure environmental elements form an integral element of all new and existing
development;
3. Conduct pre development place audits to identify barriers and opportunities for smart
growth;
4. Opt for brownfield and infill development in advance of greenfield conversion;
5. Ensure development caters for a wide range of incomes;
6. Design developments to reduce the spatial mismatch of where people work, live and
shop;
7. Where possible, direct development towards existing infrastructure;
8. Try to achieve/attract critical mass needed to provide multi-modal transit options;
9. Use place making strategies and branding to enhance community identity;
10. Reward developments that manage to accommodate growth in a manner that is
economically viable, friendly to the environment and is socially responsible.
64