So much of what makes a community inviting is its aesthetic appeal. Unfortunately, it seems that as a society we are putting less and less stock in the design of our communities as we focus instead on creating structures that are quick and inexpensive to build. In addition, much of the development we've witnessed in the past 40 years does not make intuitive sense. Why do we continue to build the places we live far away from the places we work and play – forcing many of us to spend more time than we'd like in our cars and away from our families?"Smart growth" takes into consideration both the look and function of our communities.In the following pages, you will see examples of how communities throughout the country are trying to achieve smart growth. They have not said "no" to growth – they have said, "we want our growth to fit us; we want to control its impact on our environment, our economy and our cultural heritage."