Growth policies go beyond simply trying to make urban areas efficient through resource management. Growth policies cross the lines into political and cultural areas. Because of this balance that such policies must attempt to attain, these policies often produce unintended consequences such as those seen with the implementation of growth policies in Portland. The success of a policy is dependent upon the skill and motivation of those involved in its implementation rather than the policy in and of itself. Complex issues such as the ones addressed with growth control policies require constant planning and adjustment. Each part must be analyzed individually which leads to the eventual creation of a comprehensive plan.
A policy has to be implemented incrementally so that it can be reviewed and adjusted on a real-time continual bases. By developing a system of successive comparison the policy can be kept on track of its overall goals. At the same time, any unforeseen consequences can be identified and addressed in a timely manner (Lindblom 1959).
Although urban sprawl is a nationwide phenomenon, it has to be viewed from a local or regional perspective. There is no one-size-fits-all policy for growth control. Each region must take a basic framework of policies and then adjust them for their particular circumstances. It is only through the efforts of those who understand the unique set of factors influencing a region or area that effective and sustainable growth policy will be achieved.
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Smarth Growth: More Than a Ghost of Urban Policy Past, Less Than a Bold New Horizon. Housing Policy Debate, 11 (4), 1-59.