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Project Specific Scorecards
Introduction | Municipal Level Scorecards | Project Specific Scorecards | Component Scorecards | Additional Resources
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Project specific assessments:
- Smart Scorecard for Development Projects
- Mobile, Ala. Smart Growth Criteria Matrix
- New Jersey Future Smart Growth Scorecard: Proposed Development
- Maryland Smart Growth Scorecard
- Austin, Texas Smart Growth Matrix
- TND Design Rating System
- City of New Westminster, British Columbia
- Charlotte, N.C. Sustainability Index
1. Smart
Scorecard for Development Projects (PDF) (27 pp, 79 K)
Year: 2002
Will Fleissig and Vickie Jacobsen, The
Congress for the New Urbanism: Reports 
This is a tool that helps decision makers, municipal planners and staff, neighborhood organizations, and developers determine whether or not a specific project is fulfilling a community's smart growth goals. It is comprehensive, thorough, and technical, yet also flexible enough to be adapted and revised according to the specific needs of a community. It is also a quality-learning tool and should help communities begin to use concepts that add to positive discussions about how and where to grow next.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Proximity to Existing/Future Development and Infrastructure
- Mix and Balance of Uses
- Site Optimization and Compactness
- Accessibility and Mobility Choices
- Community Context and Site Design
- Fine-Grained Block, Pedestrian and Park Network
- Diversity
- Re-Use and Redevelopment Options
- Process Collaboration and Predictability of Decisions
- Number of questions: 67
- Scale of each rated component: Varies
- Summary Score: No.
2. Smart
Growth Criteria Matrix (PDF) (8 pp, 22 K)
City
of Mobile Planning Department:Urban Development
This is a project specific assessment tool developed by the planning department in Mobile, AL. It is used to rate specific development projects according to a set of smart growth criteria adopted by Mobile. It's a tool that can be used by developers as they are putting together a proposal - a process specific self-rating tool - and by city staff once a proposal is submitted.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Located In Desired Development Zone
- Located in Focused Public Improvement Area
- Located in Existing Community
- Mixed Use
- Residential Use
- Commercial Use
- Street
- Building
- Site
- Transit Proximity
- Ped/Bike use
- Open Space
- Environmental
- Number of questions: 56
- Scale of each rated component: Varies, weighted 0 - 5
- Summary Score: Yes
3. Smart
Growth Scorecard: Proposed Development (PDF) (4 pp, 433 K)
Year: 2002
New
Jersey Future: Scorecards
This is a project specific assessment tool. It is used to rate development proposals based on general smart growth criteria put forward by New Jersey Future. The questions are arranged in categories that include proximity to existing development and infrastructure, walkability, housing options, mobility, and open space protection. It's useful for a range of projects, but particularly useful for larger projects.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Near Existing Development and Infrastructure
- Range of Housing Options
- Protects Open Space, Farmland, and Critical Environmental Areas
- Mix of Uses
- Choices for Getting Around
- Walkable, Designed for Personal Action
- Respectful of Community Character and Design
- Number of questions: 26
- Scale of each rated component: Varies, weighted 1 - 4
- Summary Score: Yes, letter grades from A - F
4. Maryland
Smart Growth Scorecard (PDF) (3 pp, 14 K)
Year: 2002
Maryland Office
of Smart Growth
An assessment tool used to identify the smart growth attributes of specific development projects. The Smart Growth Scorecard was developed in coordination with numerous State agencies and went through an informal peer review with the private sector and local governments.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Priority Funding Areas
- Location
- Service Provision
- Density and Compactness
- Mixed Use
- Housing Diversity
- Transportation
- Walkable and Transit Friendly
- Community Character and Design
- Environmental Protection
- Stakeholder Participation
- Economic Development
- Number of questions: 62
- Scale of each rated component: N/A, Poor, Fair, Good, Excellent
- Summary Score: Yes
5. Smart Growth
Matrix (PDF) (3 pp, 27 K)
Year: 2001
Transportation, Planning,
and Design Department, Austin, TX
This is an assessment tool used to determine the smart growth attributes of a specific development projects. City of Austin staff use the tool to evaluate the quality of the development within the context of smart growth criteria. Projects that significantly advance the smart growth goals are eligible for project incentives.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Determine How and Where Development Occurs
- Improve Our Quality of Life
- Enhance Our Tax Base
- Number of questions: 27
- Scale of each rated component: Varies, weighted 1 - 5.
- Summary Score: Yes.
6. TND
Design Rating System, Version 2.2 (PDF) (20 pp, 274 K)
Year:2005
Laurence Aurbach, The
Town Paper
This is a comprehensive, project level assessment tool. This rating system is carefully constructed to function alone. It's also meant to rate development projects in a range of places and make comparisons between proposed development projects. Unlike some of the other project level assessment tools, this is a comprehensive learning tool as well. It teaches an applicant (developer) or municipal staff the tenets of traditional neighborhood development (TND). The rating system consists of ten categories ranging from "housing choice" to "civic space." Each category has a definition, a method section for collecting the data needed to rate the category, and a scoring system. The separated rating system is quite useful because different communities will be able to decide which of the components are most important and most reflective of a community's values.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Housing Choice
- Mixed Use
- Connectivity
- External Connections
- Proximity
- Location
- Streetscapes
- Civic Space
- Architectural Aesthetics
- Number of questions: 9 (broad categories)
- Scale of each rated component: 1 to 5, then weighted.
- Summary Score: Yes
7. Smart
Growth Development Checklist (PDF) (8 pp, 49 K)
Year: 2004
City of New Westminster,
BC: Planning
This is an assessment tool for proposed development projects. New Westminster developed this tool by adapting the New Jersey Future scorecard for proposed developments. The scorecard rates projects in six broad sustainability categories - accessibility, housing choice, efficient use of public funds, protect open space and natural areas, placemaking, and shorter commutes and more transportation choices. The scorecard enables the applicants (developers) to enter into quality discussions with city staff about proposed developments. It is also a good example of how a community adapted another scorecard to fit its own needs. Communities interested in taking one of the model scorecards in this document and adapting it to their own needs would do well to review this scorecard in relation to the New Jersey future proposed development scorecard.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Accessibility
- Housing Choice
- Efficient Use of Public Funds
- Protection of Open Space and Natural Areas
- Placemaking
- Shorter Commutes and More Transportation Choices
- Number of questions: 29
- Scale of each rated component: Yes or No
- Summary Score: No
8. Charlotte,
NC Sustainability Index (PDF) (5 pp, 52 K)
Year: 2005
City
of Charlotte Economic Development
A checklist for evaluating land development and redevelopment projects that have requested City participation in Transit Corridor, Business District and Neighborhood Infill Areas. The Sustainability Index is a bit broader than some of the other project level tools. It rates the project in these additional categories: Council's strategic priorities such as health neighborhoods, the efficient use of public funds, community safety and prosperity; smart growth principles; and financial need, risk, and return. The Charlotte Sustainability Index will be most useful to communities interested in seeing development and redevelopment projects support a community's state policy goals.
What to expect in this scorecard?
- Issue categories covered:
- Supports Health Neighborhoods
- Expands Transportation Choices
- Uses Public Resources as a Catalyst for Desired Outcomes
- Builds Competitive Economic Edge
- Promotes Design for Livability
- Builds Planning Capacity
- Safeguards the Environment
- Number of questions: 17
- Scale of each rated component: Excellent, Good, Fair
- Summary Score: Yes