While Americans' choices between the attributes of smart growth and sprawl communities may not be without conflicts and contradictions, they are very clear on what they think the priorities should be for policy in the future.

Nearly nine in ten survey respondents said they wanted their state governments to fund improvements in existing communities rather than incentives for new development in the countryside, with a majority of those in favor saying they strongly preferred funding for improvements. These sentiments extended across all demographic groups, but in particular, registered voters and African Americans were more likely than nonregistered voters and whites to favor funding improvements in existing communities over new development.

Priorities for specific policy goals were more in line with smart growth principles than conducive to continued sprawl. As shown in Figure 9, a majority of respondents said they considered the smart growth goal of having housing for moderate and low income people to be a high priority for their state governments, and more than four in ten placed a high priority on slowing the rate of development of open space and revitalizing cities.

While the 37 percent who considered revitalizing older suburbs a high priority was not a strong endorsement of this smart growth goal, only a quarter thought creating new development outside of cities should be a high priority for their state governments to address. African Americans and Hispanics in particular stressed housing for people with moderate and low incomes, and African Americans prioritized revitalizing cities.

Finally, with growing distances and increasing traffic congestion taking them progressively further from their ideal of a short commute to work, Americans favor policies that would improve public transportation and bring about changes in patterns of housing development over building new roads.

Given three options to solve long-term traffic problems in their states, half of respondents chose improving public transportation. A third thought the best answer was developing communities where people do not have to drive long distances, while less than two in ten believed the answer was building new roads.

As Figure 10 shows, these responses continue a trend that over the past four years has consistently called for improving public transportation and developing communities where people do not have to drive long distances rather than building new roads.

Debates about growth and development are likely to continue throughout the country as individuals strive for their dream homes and communities, while policymakers and advocates debate the best type of development for communities as a whole. Looking to the future, as policymakers consider the best type of housing to promote, Americans prioritize three directions for development: investment in existing communities before putting resources into newer communities farther out from cities, the provision of more housing for people with moderate and low incomes, and a slowing of the rate of development of open space.

Kate Stewart is a partner at Belden Russonello & Stewart.