In North America, Smart Growth has emerged as an important topic on the urban agenda. It transcends a broad range of disciplines that have a stake in the built and natural environment such as planning, transportation, architecture, engineering, landscape architecture and the environmental sciences. The Smart Growth movement arises from the ongoing debate concerning urban sprawl and the inefficient use of natural resources. However, many of its fundamental principles also reinforce heritage conservation objectives.

Heritage preservation is an important component of sustainable development, and provides significant economic, social, and quality of life benefits. It also serves to alleviate some of the demands placed on our diminishing natural resources. Through adaptive re-use and regeneration, heritage preservation can help to accommodate the type of growth that is anticipated for major Canadian cities, towns and settlements in the decades ahead.