Smart Growth

Design Principles for Great Places

Design Principles for Great Places (2002/2003), created by EcoCity Cleveland, is a broad assessment tool that lets residents and decision-makers rate communities and neighborhoods. The tool can also be used to rate proposed developments. The developers of this rating system are interested in making sure the built environment is situated well within the context of the natural environment.

Ideally, this scorecard would be used in conjunction with a municipal-level assessment to provide a comprehensive view of the regulatory conditions that govern future growth and current conditions.

  • Issue categories:
    • Urban structure
    • Getting around
    • Civic places
    • Charming commerce
    • Neighborhood homes
    • Better buildings
    • Landscapes
  • Number of questions: 47
  • Scale of each rated component: 0 to 50
  • Summary score: Yes: Great Neighborhood, Good Neighborhood, Deficient Neighborhood, Failing Neighborhood.

See more scorecards to help evaluate municipal-level policies, specific projects, and community components on EPA's Smart Growth Scorecards page.

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