"Smart Growth"and Its Inspiration to Domestic Urban Planning and Management

Smart growth, as the urban planning idea, had been raised in the United States in 1990s and played a significant role in restraining urban sprawl there. The goal of this paper is to make clear whether smart is applicable to China's urban planning and management. Based on the introduction of smart in particular and the analysis of differences between China and the U.S., we are inspired by the urban planning and management from American smart growth. First, we commend the backgrounds and contents of the Smart theory, then analyze the fulfillment of the Smart Growth Plan in the U.S. and evaluate its effects. Second, we discuss the applicable significance and feasibility of Smart in our country, based on the analysis of the differences between China and the U.S. Finally, we discuss the inspiration of the smart to the city planning and management in our country and point out that the scientific urban planning and management could be improved in the way of absorbing the elements like theory, practice and technology in Smart Growth, mainly including adoption of compact urban development patterns, urban growth boundary delimitation , promoting the three old transformation of city, formation of transit-oriented urban rapid transit network, advocating social mixing live and the emphasis on public participation, etc.