Part of the Small Town Strategy series, this publication is designed to help communities decide whether further local economic growth is possible and desirable. The publication provides a discussion outline to be used to study the costs and benefits of growing or not growing. Questions are listed which should be raised by the community when considering a particular type of development (i.e., industrial, business, agricultural, and recreational development; general population growth; and rising incomes and demands of local residents). The questions, followed by comments, are divided into five areas: identifying local interest, local resources, types of growth, fiscal effects, and economic effects. Some of the questions and comments pertain to community attitudes and goals, economic costs and benefits, natural and human resources, housing availability, transportation, cooperation between the community and neighboring communities, public facilities and services, tax revenues, and community trade. Some questions may require the collection of data. (NQA)