One popular approach to assist in smart growth in democratic countries is for lawmakers to require prospective developers to prepare environmental impact assessments of their plans as a condition for state and/or local governments to give them permission to build their buildings.
Jedan od popularnih pristupa u demokratskim zemljama je zahtjev zakonodavca da budući razvijači pripreme izvješća o učinku svojih planova na okolinu kao uvjet da im državne i/ili lokalne vlasti izdaju građevinske dozvole i/ili potvrde posjedovanja.