What is smart growth? As communities around the country embrace the principles of smart growth, this becomes less a question of theory than of implementation. Communities who want to achieve smart-growth objectives need criteria and standards for evaluating the extent to which proposed developments qualify as smart growth. This report explains how communities can create project rating systems that help them turn smart-growth principles into built projects. It offers examples of ratings systems employed by various organizations, describes their scope and intentions, explains the administrative processes involved, and evaluates their effectiveness. It also describes ways such systems can be used to educate the public and officials about smart growth and how some communities are using them in recognition and awards programs.