But for residents looking to put a halt to what they perceive as overdevelopment, the conference produced a surprise: that more development might actually be the solution to the sprawl that plagues the region.

Patrick Condon, a consultant from the University of British Columbia, said development within the area is disjointed and isolated. Residential neighborhoods are cut off from open spaces and commercial areas. "Infill" developments, new roads and transit connections, and using open space as "green infrastructure" can link the three existing centers - downtown Somerville, downtown Raritan and the Bridgewater Commons mall.

The goal should be to "create a place from the disparate and discontinuous locations that presently characterize" the three communities, he said.

For example, said RPA's Bob Lane, the Bridgewater Commons Mall "is a nice enough place . . . but it's completely cut off from everything else." An inspection of nearby brush reveals "things that look like deer trails, but you know it's (made by) struggling residents trying to get across the highway" to Somerville, he said.

"Smart growth . . . is really a pro-growth strategy," said RPA President H. Claude Shostal. "If you allow it to be identified with an anti-growth or slow-growth position, it isn't going to be successful."