The Sierra Club and other "smart growth" groups.

[CRCP]

Members' comments on these groups to follow.

[Rick Shea]

The Sierra Club is often promoted as a proponent of "smart growth."

What is frequently left out is that the Sierra Club has a lengthy history of calling for population control and population limits. See, for example,

www.sierraclub.org/policy/conservation/population.asp

The Hawaii chapter of the Sierra Club is quite explicit in its objectives.

It shall be the policy of Sierra Club, Hawai`i Chapter, to support actions that will stabilize the population of Hawai`i in order to avoid exceeding the carrying capacity of the state's limited natural resources.
...
* Overpopulation and excessive consumption are the most critical factors in causing the environmental degradation of Earth.

* The population of Earth already may have exceeded its carrying capacity.

hawaii.sierraclub.org/info/policy/population.html

It's refreshing to see organizations acknowledging that "smart growth" alone will not solve any of our problems, and that the real problem is the sheer number of people on this poor ol' planet.

[Rick Shea]

As part of its "smart growth" policy, the Sierra Club promotes significantly increasing urban density.

An interesting analysis of the Sierra Club's proposed densities is located at www.heartland.org/Article.cfm?artId=926

The author concludes that the hypothetical "Sierra Club City--a permanently congested and dangerously polluted area--will be far less attractive to most Americans than sprawl. But smart-growth advocates will nevertheless press for increasing densities in virtually every U.S. city."

If the analysis is correct, then "smart growth" proposals to significantly increase urban densities are an unconscionable and soul-less attempt at social engineering.