Alternatives to Conventional Development

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There is always another way to do something. Often we don’t think about the other choices because we are comfortable with the way we’ve always done it; a way that someone else we know does it…and these seem to work. Yes, most ways work, but some ways can work better; can produce better results—they might even surprise us by costing less, getting us recognized for trying different things and succeeding. Well, here we are offering you some different ways to do things, ways that produce better results:

  • walkable communities
  • environmentally friendly practices
  • fiscally sound governments
  • safer and healthier citizens

Why not give it a try? It always pays to consider the alternatives.

All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man - Henry David Thoreau

 

As a result of receiving the 2003 EPA's National Award for Smart Growth Achievement in Community Outreach and Education, the Office of Planning and Quality Growth was awarded a contract with EPA to develop “Alternatives to Conventional Development.”  In order to get the information out to you, we’ve created this website.

Select an alternative from the menu on your left and you will find an overview that:

  • illustrates examples of successful implementation of each alternative
  • outlines the benefits of the alternative and the drawbacks of the conventional
  • links you to implementation “best practices” with real world examples both in Georgia and outside of our state.     

The list of alternatives currently posted is just the beginning.  As we learn new alternatives to conventional patterns, we will post them.  Our work never stops, so always check back to see what new information has been added to this site.