Smart Growth America (SGA) is a US non-profit 501(c)(3) organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. SGA's mission is to ensure that urban development policies foster safe, equitable, and sustainable community growth. SGA is a coalition of advocacy organizations that have a stake in how urban sprawl affects the environment, quality of life and economic sustainability. It is responsible for marketing smart growth ideas to urban planners and other important stakeholders throughout the U.S. History Smart Growth America was established in 2000. In 2002, SGA included over 70 groups, such as American Farmland Trust, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the League of Women Voters for Smart Growth, the National Low Income Housing Coalition, and the Enterprise Foundation. In 2003, Parris Glendening became the president of SGA's Leadership Institute. In October 2015, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration (FTA) collaborated with SGA to create the Transit-Oriented Development Technical Assistance Initiative. The initiative uses federal funds to improve public transportation systems in order to foster economic development. SGA offers this initiative on-site aid, a network of allies, and communicative support. Approach to smart growth In 2004, SGA commissioned the first survey examining neighborhood preferences among Americans, finding that almost 50% of households prefer transit accessibility and commercial proximity. In a 2005 report detailing the interconnection between inner ring suburbs and metropolitan growth, SGA defines smart growth as follows:Smart growth is well-planned development that protects open space and farmland, revitalizes communities, keeps housing affordable and provides more transportation choices.In a 2006 study examining the transportation benefits associated with smart growth policies, SGA:Estimates that 69 percent of increased traffic can be attributed to factors associated with sprawl. Programs Governors' Institute on Community Design In 2005, The National Endowment for the Arts facilitated the creation of the Governors' Institute on Community Design, which was based on the Mayors' Institute on City Design and ran through a partnership between Smart Growth America and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Governors' Institute on Community Design aids state governments on promoting sustainable community development which can foster social and economic growth. LOCUS In 2008, SGA launched LOCUS, an alliance for promoting sustainable urban development in the United States. LOCUS is a national network of real estate developers who launched the Rebuild America's Neighborhoods Campaign, promoting investment towards equitable and green urban development projects. Transportation for America In 2008, SGA, Reconnecting America, and the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership started