Objectives

The project leadership has outlined the following objectives for the regional plan:

  • Creation of regional transportation, housing, water, and air quality plans that are deeply aligned and tied to local comprehensive land use and capital investment plans
  • Aligned federal planning and investment resources that mirror the local and regional strategies for achieving sustainable communities
  • Increased participation and decision-making in developing and implementing a long-range vision for the region by populations traditionally marginalized in public planning processes
  • Reduced social and economic disparities for the low-income, minority communities, and other disadvantaged populations within the target region
  • Decreased per capita Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and transportation-related emissions for the region
  • Decreased overall combined housing and transportation costs per household
  • Increased share of residential and commercial construction on under-used infill development sites that encourage revitalization, while minimizing displacement in neighborhoods with significant disadvantaged populations
  • Increased proportion of low and very low-income households within a 30 minute transit commute to major employment centers
  • Increased number of mixed use, mixed income, diverse neighborhoods, with pedestrian and/or transit access to services, good jobs, good schools, parks, and trails
  • Improved public health outcomes that result from creating safer, more walkable neighborhoods
  • Increased use of compact development as a tool for regional planning to accommodate population growth, to utilize infrastructure efficiently, and to preserve productive agricultural land and natural areas for environmental and recreational purposes
  • Decreased hazardous environmental threats due to regional increases in the rate and frequency of flooding and erosion, and to compromised water quality
  • Enhanced regional competitiveness through coordinated regional economic development and amenity planning
  • Increased use of compact development as a tool for regional planning to accommodate population growth, to utilize infrastructure efficiently, and to preserve agricultural land and natural areas for environmental and recreational purposes
  • Identification of unique challenges/hurdles to achieving the foregoing, contemplated outcomes