Grow Smart Rhode Island is a statewide public interest group representing a broad coalition of partners fighting sprawl and leading the charge for better-managed growth through innovative policies and programs to:

• Revitalize city, town and village centers
  
  
• Preserve cultural and natural resources
  
  
• Expand economic opportunity for all Rhode Islanders

Grow Smart Rhode Island grew out of a spring 1997 conference that attracted 600 concerned citizens and representatives from organizations and agencies working on the issue of "sprawl" in Rhode Island. Discussions prompted by the conference identified the need for a flexible but focused organization to link these groups and educate citizens, business leaders and elected officials about the impacts of sprawl and about state and local policies and strategies to combat sprawl. In the five years since our founding, Grow Smart has developed a broad and powerful coalition that includes business and religious leaders, university presidents, builders, realtors, historic preservationists, environmentalists, affordable housing experts, municipal planners and others. Our coalition's accomplishments led to an Environmental Merit Award from EPA's Region 1 Office and a Preservation Advocacy Award from Preserve Rhode Island.