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About
the Redevelopment Roundtable
Recognizing
that many interests need to be coordinated to promote Smart Growth, in September
2000 the Center for Watershed Protection convened the Redevelopment
Roundtable, a group of national and local stakeholders who participated
in a process to develop Smart Site Practices specifically for redevelopment
and infill sites. This year-long process produced 11 practices to help reduce
pollutants and improve the environmental quality of development sites in highly
urban watersheds. The basic premise behind the Smart Site Practices is that
redevelopment and infill sites can provide renewed opportunities to mitigate
stormwater runoff and reduce environmental impacts. The challenge is to provide
incentives for developers while getting local governments to encourage the
application of such practices.
The result of this project is the momentous Smart Sites Consensus Agreement (download document). The Agreement represents the first step of a continued effort to provide practical techniques and tools to encourage the use of more environmentally-friendly practices on redevelopment and infill sites. While the Smart Site Practices were developed primarily as a tool for designers, they can be used by developers, local government officials, planners, and environmentalists alike. For example, developers who are concerned about larger community environmental issues can refer to the Smart Site Practices for guidance on how their projects might be better designed to address watershed impacts. Local governments can utilize the Smart Site Practices to develop better criteria on which to gauge the potential impact of a development site. Lastly, communities can utilize the Smart Site Practices to gain insights on redevelopment and infill from a watershed protection perspective.