Faced with a projected 50% increase in the U.S. population in the next 50 years, communities across the nation must address the challenges of planning for and managing growth. Concerned about how Fed. programs and policies affect the ability of state and local governments to plan for and manage growth, this report identifies: growth-related challenges facing local communities; tools and techniques that state and local governments are using to help plan for and manage growth in their communities; and Fed. programs and policies that state and local governments serve as barriers or aids in their efforts to plan more effectively for and manage growth. Covers 5 metro areas and 2,000 city and county governments.