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Development, Community, and Environment Division
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- John Frece
Division Director
The Development, Community and Environment Division (DCED) is home to EPA’s Smart Growth program. DCED works with states, communities, and other partners to find ways to grow that protect the environment and human health and create thriving, attractive places. Smart growth development approaches have clear environmental benefits, including improved air and water quality, more efficient use of energy and existing infrastructure, more clean-up and re-use of brownfield sites, and preservation of wetlands and open spaces. To help communities get the type of development they want, DCED:
- Provides tools and technical assistance to help states and communities get development that is good for the environment, the economy, public health, and the community as a whole.
- Works with sector, community, and government leaders to raise awareness of the relationship between development decisions and environmental quality.
- Identifies and researches initiatives to improve environmental quality by supporting smart growth.
- Engages the architecture, transportation, construction, residential and commercial real estate, and financial industries to identify and remove barriers to smart growth.
- Facilitates cooperation and communication among smart growth stakeholders, including participation in the Smart Growth Network, a partnership of government, business, and civic organizations that develops and distributes resources on smart growth policies, issues and tools.
- Highlights the achievements of communities that are implementing smart growth techniques to improve their residents’ quality of life, strengthen their economies, and protect the environment.