Smart Growth

The principles of smart growth – which include the creation of mixed-use development, transit and pedestrian-oriented neighborhoods, and the preservation of open space – are becoming more prevalent across the United States. As part of our environmental practice, Holland & Knight attorneys and professionals counsel clients in the fields of sustainability, transit and land preservation, as they relate to planning and development. We regularly assist clients in securing federal funding for transit projects, as well as with associated National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and state equivalent reviews, environmental permitting issues and local land use matters. We have been at the forefront of efforts to secure allocations of cap and trade revenues for transit, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and land use projects with the aim of reducing vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and promoting transit-oriented development. Among other positions served in industry and environmental organizations, a Holland & Knight attorney is currently on the board of the Center for Transit-Oriented Development, the main venture for Reconnecting America, an organization leading the national discussion among local and federal officials regarding the integration of land use, housing and transit to reduce VMT and GHG emissions.