History reveals that many of the great cities of the world were built before the age of zoning, had mixed uses and citizens walked everywhere, Executive Director of Smart Coast Charlene Lee said.

A mixed-use community may include people who could walk to work, rent a movie and buy groceries without having to leave their community.

Smart Coast was developed by Lee and Wendy Allen to help build a healthy coastal region by using balanced development and citizen participation. Because of zoning regulations, cities now have segregated uses and many are not walkable communities now, Lee said.

Currently, there is a national effort to have compatible use of cities, and people are looking at what makes cities livable, what type of development will benefit the community as a whole, Lee said.

There is a strong movement now to go back to traditional neighborhood development — now known as new urban development.

Lee noted that Smart Coast has worked with the cities of Spanish Fort and Magnolia Springs on how to use “Smart” code tools.

A leader in growth and development issues, Chad Emerson from Jones’ School of Law, spoke with Spanish Fort city officials in April on behalf of Smart Coast.

According to Lee, Baldwin County was rated as the 38th fastest growing county in the entire United States last year, but very few people look at the regional perspective for coastal Baldwin and Mobile counties. Smart Coast has partnered with Baldwin County commissioners for a workshop on major issues like mixed use. Workshops and conferences are attended by a variety of citizens, ranging from residents, farmers, development city planners, real estate professionals to environmentalists and city mayors.

“Community officials should be part of the whole process,” Lee said. “But the issues we are facing don’t stop at political boundaries.”

Seaside, Fla., for example, was modeled after the Smart Code, which has zoning codes based on old fashion concepts, Lee said.

Andre Duany, an architect for Seaside, developed the “Smart code,” Lee said.

“Zoning issues need to be revisited,” Lee said.

In fact, many diverse issues need to be addressed. Single family spread is the most destructive pattern, Lee said. When population increases, cities need to absorb the majority of growth, she said.

Smart Coast holds educational forums to include conferences, issue meetings and workshops where action teams are often created.

“We want to engage citizens, give them adequate knowledge and look at the big picture,” Lee said.

In April 2008, there will be a major conference on “green buildings,” Lee said.

Currently, Smart Coast receives its primary funding from grants. They rely on their volunteer corps, which fluctuates from 30 to 60 people, to assist them. Lee encourages retirees to become volunteers so they can use their valuable knowledge and skills to help sustain communities. There is a variety of volunteer opportunities including research, marketing and office work.