The Smart Growth Manual

by Andrés Duany, Jeff Speck, Mike Lydon

Everyone is calling for smart growth...but what exactly is it? In The Smart Growth Manual, two leading city planners provide a thorough answer. From the expanse of the metropolis to the detail of the window box, they address the pressing challenges of urban development with easy-to-follow advice and a broad array of best practices.

"With their landmark book Suburban Nation, Andres Duany and Jeff Speck set forth more clearly than anyone has done in our time the elements of good town planning" (The New Yorker). With this long-awaited companion volume, the authors have organized the latest contributions of new urbanism, green design, and healthy communities into a comprehensive handbook fully illustrated with the built work of the nation's leading practitioners.

The Smart Growth Manual is an indispensable guide to city planning. This kind of progressive development is the only way to fully restore our economic strength and create new jobs, new industries, and a renewed ability to compete in the first rank of world economies. -- Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco

Authors Andres Duany, Jeff Speck, and Mike Lydon have created The Smart Growth Manual, a resource that not only explains the overarching ideals of smart growth but a manual that takes the time to show smart growth principles at each geographic scale (region, neighborhood, street, building). I highly recommend [it] as a part of any community participant's or urban planner's desktop references. -- LocalPlan.org

Planetizen Top 10 Books in Urban Planning, Design, and Development - 2010
The goal of The Smart Growth Manual is clear from page 1: to create a guidebook for smart growth following the pattern of the Charter for New Urbanism. Duany, Speck, and Lydon have achieved that in spades (the Charter is included in the appendix, in case we missed the connection). It even clears up some of the architectural arguments that attach themselves to New Urbanists, such as this segment of Section 14.1, Regional Design; 'While new buildings should not be compelled to mimic their historic predecessors, designers should pay attention to local practices regarding materials and colors, roof pitches, eave lengths, window-to-wall ratios, and the socially significant relationship of buildings to their site and the street; these have usually evolved in intelligent response to local conditions.' In addition to making the old 'traditional vs. modern' argument irrelevant, Duany, Speck, and Lydon have truly managed to boil down the best parts of current practices into a highly readable, portable book.

Genres: Urban Planning, Urbanism, Architecture, Cities, Nonfiction, Urban Studies, Urban Design

241 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Derek Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

In speaking to the physical experience of reading this book... I must say I appreciate the physical size of the book, its organization, its rounded edges, and especially its page length.

In terms of the content, it is very direct in telling the reader what they really need to know in nearly all aspects of smart regional and local planning. I felt that there were not any sections that left you wondering. For instance, if a given section is talking about setbacks for row houses, it will tell you the setback should be 10-15', as opposed to telling you "ample space is needed for setback."

Overall, this is a book that everyone should read whether you're in planning or not. Since the number of people living in cities will continue to grow exponentially, the principles in this book should really act as a blueprint for the future, and it would be nice to get everyone on board.

[Jason · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick, easy read so I won't complain. I do wish there were more historic references or a better narrative or dialogue connecting the past, and also informing the reader as to why and how the concepts and ideas presented came into being. Though informative, the books read more like a research report or brief with images, which was unfortunate (for me, as I have no context). This could have been more inspiring in my opinion but, nonetheless, a manual for urban planners and community developers for sure!

[Margaret · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cool ideas- didn't agree with all of them but that's because I am an elitist.

[Whitney Stohr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommended pocket manual outlining the objectives of smart growth and urban development. Very useful for students and practitioners, as well as individuals seeking a short and sweet introduction to the world of local and regional planning.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good quick introduction to intelligent planning practices, but don't expect enlightenment or serious practicable knowledge.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Repeats itself. Making new growth "better" is all fine and dandy, but very short on how to get these policies in action, especially in sprawled-out communities.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastic resource on tools for building (and zoning and coding and supporting) better cities.

It's too specific to be useful for AICP prep and too specialized to casually read for fun.

[Simon Tan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is ideal for long-range planners looking for inspiration to change their local zoning ordinances. Chock-full of ideas that should bring walkability back into formerly car-dependent neighborhoods, including ideas that were truly revolutionary at the time this was first published (form-based codes, anyone?) Some elements are starting to become outdated (e.g., the leniency for street parking) and others need more clarity/details than the one-pager format allows in order to be understood, but this is still a great reference to have on your bookshelf for decades to come.

[Gabriella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick and easy guide to Smart Growth for those interested in its various forms and functions. There's a strong mix of policies and strategies for all contexts and regions, and it even focuses on some of the implementation (which most design-aspiring texts don't.)

Really useful for planning students who are, like myself, trying to get a better sense of the field's intersections with Smart Growth.

[John Oster · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great ideas with real-life examples. Should be required reading for any city or town politician so that they can influence better urban planning.
The Smart Growth Manual

[Samuel Dominguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Did not agree with all the points but found them generally helpful. The book should have included more international examples and examples from older cities to supports its claim of these design ideals as being universally successful and time tested.

[Miriam Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent summary, but nothing new.

[Noah Schumerth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short read. Very informative. Easy to understand for planning practitioners.

[Nathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, simple read that supplements Suburban Nation well with specific recommendations and plenty of pictures of what good urbanism should look like. City planning and smart growth in a single book.

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great breakdown of concepts essential for urban planners.

[Peter Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great coverage of basics, just don’t look to it for specifics.

[Malcolm Little · Rating 4 out of 5]

The principles of Smart Growth are needed now more than ever. The mechanical march towards unsustainable growth is a mindset that has poisoned the well we all live in for several decades. But just stating that the old ways need to die, without providing a viable alternative, is akin to shouting in a windstorm.

Renowned city planners – Duany and Speck chief among them – do have practical solutions to the problem of soulless, sprawling, cookie-cutter development. The Smart Growth Manual is the executive summary of those practical solutions. The manual is taut yet informative. The chosen pictures for each factor of smart growth are largely apropos. While some of the explanatory synopses are lofty, most describe exacting solutions to existing blights. The sections of the manual are logically arranged, moving from the largest to the smallest scale with ease.

Nonetheless, as a sit-down kind of read, the manual can be a bit dry for some. As a brief, the manual in print seems pointless: city planning officials would probably use a tablet to access smart growth principles, so that they could instantly research each factor in greater detail. The manual lacks consistency in rare parts. Some of the examples that were good in one aspect of smart growth were simultaneously violating a couple others. Duany and Speck did not elaborate on which aspects should be prioritized – that was a big shortcoming, especially considering how urban development is a game of compromise amongst multiple parties.

I still came away learning aspects of smart growth I was either fuzzy on (cut & fill, xeriscaping) or completely in the dark about (TDR programs, vista terminations). Since Smart Growth Manual is a taut read, it was certainly time well spent. I would recommend it mostly to those unfamiliar with the differing views behind their local zoning squabbles. With this manual you would have a leg-up, and be able to discern who is thinking about the long-term health of the community, who is entrenched in an irrational NIMBY attitude, and who is out for short-term economic gain.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Definitely lacking in context or narrative that might bring 'smart growth' principals into clearer focus for the uninitiated, this book is still a great reference handbook for those already somewhat familiar with the philosophy. You'd definitely need to dig deeper into each giving topic covered here to actually apply it in practice, but it's certainly nice to have all the regional, street-level, and building specific concepts here in one place.

[Du · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought I had read this, but it didn't seem to be the case, in 2009. I picked it up and flipped through it and nothing seemed familiar. That said it is a fun visual dictionary about how to promote efficient layouts and clear urban patterns. Quick read, and fun at the same time, which isn't always the case for a book titled a manual.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Are we asking the right question? We already know which forms of development are sustainable. What we don't know is how we can get people to move out of their suburban houses into urban homes a quarter the size.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An invaluable resource for fixing sprawl and guiding new development. Working from the level of the region down through town, neighborhood, street, and building, the manual provides the tools for creating attractive, sustainable, human-scaled communities.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great primer on smart growth implementations.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting overview on how to make smart zoning benefit everyone, with an urban to rural plan, using neighborhoods that have walkable destinations, and green elements.

[Brandon Whyte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Introduction to Smart Growth and New Urbanist ideas.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short, concise, easy to read urban planning. Most points made sense, a few made me think, and a couple seemed more utopian on paper than in practice. Definitely worth a read.