About the New Designs for Growth Guidebook
New Designs for Growth has always been a collaborative, public-private process. It has also taken a balanced approach to change in the region. Neither anti- or pro-growth, the Guidebook stems from the premise that growth is inevitable and that development, with good planning and design, can be compatible with the environment. Throughout the revision process, the underlying goals of the original guidebook have endured. These include:
- Protecting the region’s natural and rural landscape character
- Demonstrating how development can complement the natural landscape, farmland, and scenic views
- Providing economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional development practices
- Encouraging good design beyond legal restrictions and minimum standards
- Promoting the renovation, remediation, and adaptive reuse of existing sites
- Promoting the preservation and improvement of historical and cultural resources
- Encouraging the preservation and enhancement of communities
Communities throughout the five-county region have choices, and the Guidebook serves as a reference manual on ways to achieve development which protects both community character and people’s choices and opportunities. The R. Clark Associates, Inc. revision team is honored to have lead the transformation of the Grand Traverse Bay Region Development Guidebook into the New Designs for Growth Development Guidebook – a manual that will aid concerned citizens, public officials, and developers in their efforts to guide growth by creating environmental, economical, and equitable development throughout the five-county region.
