If you crave convenience or savor the thought of strolling to a neighborhood restaurant after a busy day, then you might want to consider the benefits of living in a Smart Neighborhood. If you want your children learn about life from positive role models in the community rather than from a television set, choosing a home in a Smart Neighborhood might also make sense.

Smart Neighborhoods are places new and old with a mix of shops, offices, restaurants, and houses, arranged in a seemingly haphazard but ultimately very functional layout. Central Annapolis, Frederick, Charles Village, Cumberland, Easton, Berlin, Chestertown, and Kentlands (Montgomery County) are all Smart Neighborhoods.

For decades, regulations that governed land uses precluded this type of development. Even today in many jurisdictions, it is illegal to build something that resembles a Smart Neighborhood. This is why many of the places built in the last half century look very similar, with commercial buildings surrounded by parking lots, and single-family houses with large yards isolated from other types of houses, offices, and commercial buildings.

Smart Neighborhoods can satisfy consumers starved for the ability to walk to many of their daily destinations. People interested in purchasing a smaller home, who would rather have a small garden than a large yard, will be delighted with the options found in Smart Neighborhoods. Currently, there are too few Smart Neighborhoods to satisfy demand, which is part of the reason that Smart Neighborhoods such as Chevy Chase, Eastport, and Federal Hill are not very affordable. Increasing the supply of Smart Neighborhoods, and building in some controls to assure the availability of affordable housing within Smart Neighborhoods, should help makes these communities more accessible to people with a range of incomes.

MDP Resources to Support Smart Neighborhoods:

• Smart Neighborhoods Models & Guidelines
• Smart Codes: State Incentives for the Adoption and Application of Innovative Land Use Codes