Grappling with Growth: Building a Strong Economy and Great Place to Live

The document suggests that communities conflicted over growth should distinguish between 'development' (improvements) and 'expansion' (increase in size). It argues that 'natural capitalism' provides a more comprehensive framework than 'smart growth' by focusing on resource productivity, biologically inspired economic models, and reinvestment in natural capital to create jobs and wealth without requiring physical expansion.

• The author posits that the term 'growth' is misleading and that communities should differentiate between 'development', which refers to improvements that make a community better, and 'expansion', which refers to things that make a community bigger.
• The paper argues that 'natural capitalism' is a superior alternative to the 'incomplete' concept of 'smart growth' because it allows a community to maximize its potential without needing to expand.
• Natural capitalism can drive development that generates wealth and employment while safeguarding the environment through three specific strategies: investing in resource productivity, adopting biologically inspired economic models, and reinvesting in natural capital.

APA

Kinsley, M. (2001). Grappling with Growth: Building a Strong Economy and Great Place to Live. RMI. https://rmi.org/resources/grappling-with-growth-building-a-strong-economy-and-great-place-to-live/

Chicago

Kinsley, Michael. Grappling with Growth: Building a Strong Economy and Great Place to Live. RMI, 2001. https://rmi.org/resources/grappling-with-growth-building-a-strong-economy-and-great-place-to-live/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kinsley |first1=Michael |title=Grappling with Growth: Building a Strong Economy and Great Place to Live |publisher=RMI |date=17 May 2001 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/grappling-with-growth-building-a-strong-economy-and-great-place-to-live/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kinsley2001grappling, author = {Kinsley, Michael}, title = {{Grappling with Growth: Building a Strong Economy and Great Place to Live}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2001}, month = may, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/grappling-with-growth-building-a-strong-economy-and-great-place-to-live/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }