Smart Growth and Brownfields Redevelopment are hot topics nationwide.  Green pastures and lush forests, strong and friendly neighborhoods, prosperous businesses and family-supporting jobs, good schools, and a healthy environment: these are all qualities sought by Alabamians.  Community growth is both inevitable and desirable.  The challenge is to have growth patterns that are both wise and prudent and help to restore and blend rural and urban economies in a manner that builds a better future.  This conference offered an opportunity to learn more about these important topics.  It separated the facts from the fiction and set the stage for defining Smart Growth in Alabama.  It provided both an educational opportunity and a jump-start for the state’s new Brownfields Redevelopment Program.