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January 9, 2012 – Vision Dixie: Northern Utah effort served as blueprint
The Spectrum

January 9, 2012

ST. GEORGE - Serving as an eventual outline for Washington County's Vision Dixie growth strategy, a long-term plan created more than a decade ago by Envision Utah continues to shape communities in Northern Utah.

Introduced in 1999, the Quality Growth Strategy was formed amid growing concerns about population growth, said Alan Matheson, the former executive director of Envision Utah, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating and sustaining communities. Matheson, who began working with Envision Utah in 2004, left the organization in 2011 to serve as the senior environmental adviser to Utah Gov. Gary Herbert.

Read Article Here (Web)
January 7, 2012 – Discussions included many thoughts, issues
The Spectrum

January 7, 2012

The community came together starting in 2006 to create the 10 principles of Vision Dixie that would provide a framework for planning the future of Washington County.

Sponsored by the Washington County Commission, residents addressed the most fundamental needs and concerns of the community, such as air and water, land and growth.

To determine these principles, community members, elected officials, technical experts and neutral facilitators brought every idea, pro and con, to a common table.

Read Article Here (Web)
January 2012 – Utah Envisions a Sustainable Future — The public-private partnership, Envision Utah, is a national model for cities grappling with how to ease congestion, stop sprawl and clean the air
Governing

January, 2012

Here are some interesting facts about cities: They cover 2 percent of the Earth’s surface, accommodate half the world’s population, eat up 75 percent of the world’s energy and give off 80 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. And they are growing -- just as traffic congestion, sprawl, air pollution and so many other urban ills are growing.

Back in the mid-1990s, officials in Utah were handed some rather interesting facts of their own. The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget projected that the population of the Greater Wasatch Area, a narrow 120-mile strip where about 80 percent of Utah’s population lives, would triple to 5 million by 2050. If left unchecked, the consequences of this growth meant that most of the open space in Salt Lake City would be consumed, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) would double and the state’s greenhouse gas emissions would grow by more than 70 percent.

Read Article Here (Web)
December 20, 2011 – Among Democrats, Cuomo Lags Far Behind on Transit Policy
StreetsBlog.org
Noah Kazis
December 20, 2011

When it comes to transit, Andrew Cuomo seems to see only the costs and never the benefits.

One of the best explanations of the fiscal sense of transit investment came from Envision Utah, a public-private campaign that helped shape growth in and around Salt Lake City. Envision Utah put forward four scenarios for the region; transit-oriented growth turned out to save $15 billion in direct infrastructure costs compared to sprawl-as-usual. Utahns got on board and the region is moving forward at rapid speed with new transit lines and transit-oriented development. The private sector chair of Envision Utah at the time was current and possibly future presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, Jr.

Read Article Here (Web)
December 18, 2011 – Sandy charts a renaissance with walkable villages, mass transit
The Salt Lake Tribune
Christopher Smart
December 18, 2011

Sandy is the quintessential American suburb: single-family homes, shopping malls and neighborhoods intersected by big boulevards that weren’t designed with pedestrians and bicycles in mind.

But an ambitious, long-range plan seeks to retool that vision: Think villages with condos and apartments, offices and shops within walking distance, lots of green space, parks and trails. And, yes, mass transit.

Read Article Here (Web)
November 10, 2011 – Envision Utah honors quality growth
Standard-Examiner
Contributed
November 10, 2011

Envision Utah Governor's Quality Growth Awards have been given to five winners recognized for innovation and enhancing Utah's quality of life. Including this year's award winners, 94 Quality Growth Awards have been given since 2001.

"Utah's future will reflect the collective impact of today's development decisions," said Kevin Fayles, Community Relations Manager of Envision Utah. "With the Quality Growth Award winners as models, the future looks bright. They demonstrate that development can enhance our communities and succeed in the market."

Read Article Here (Web)
October 31, 2011 – Candidates focusing on economy, tourism
HJNews.com (The Herald Journal)
Kevin Opsahl
October 31, 2011

Four candidates are vying for two seats on Garden City's Town Council for 2012.

Bess Huefner, Mike Leonhardt and Darin Pugmire are campaigning for two seats of four-year terms, while Pat Argyle is running uncontested for a two-year term.

The candidates in this Rich County town of about 550 all said major issues in this election include tourism, the economy and development.

[...] Over the summer, officials from Rich County and Bear Lake County unveiled the "Bear River Blueprint," which was developed with participation of more than 1,000 residents and the leadership of a broad-based steering committee.

Read Article Here (Web)
October 24, 2011 – UT housing, transit forum highlights future growth, need for open public processes UT housing, transit forum highlights future growth, need for open public processes
Impactnews.com (Austin, TX)
Bobby Longoria
October 24, 2011

CENTRAL AUSTIN — The housing and transit event was hosted by The University of Texas Opportunity Forum and HousingWorks Austin, and was attended by a variety of city employees, nonprofit organizations and community volunteers and leaders. Two panels with speakers from outside of Texas opened the conversation, and a local panel that included Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, City Councilman Chris Riley and Momark Development President Terry Mitchell wrapped up the night.

[...] Alan Matheson, executive director of Envision Utah, shared his experience in helping form a large comprehensive growth plan in Salt Lake City that addressed growth in cities and along transportation corridors. The plan sought to improve build times of infrastructure construction, as well as to create a more open and progressive public involvement process.

Read Article Here (Web)
October 24, 2011 – How Salt Lake City Became a Leader in Transit-Oriented Development
DC.StreetsBlog.org
Carolyn Szczpanski
October 24, 2011

In 2004, Salt Lake City faced a challenging question: How do you fit 1.4 million additional residents into a region hemmed in by mountains on the east and water on the west? In the course of solving that problem, the city ended up answering several other head-scratchers, like: How do you get buy-in for smart-growth policies from conservatives wary of urbanism? And, how do you make new greenfield development both sustainable and wildly popular?

At the Rail~Volution conference last week, Andrew Gruber, executive director of the Wasatch Front Regional Council, showcased the transit-centered solution that’s now propelling development in Utah’s capital city.

Read Article Here (Web)
October 21, 2011 – Public transit hot topic at conference
KXAN.com (Austin, TX)
Jared Wise
Published: October 21, 2011
Updated: October 25, 2011

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Several city leaders attended a housing and transit conference on the University of Texas campus Friday afternoon.

Capital Metro CEO Linda Watson, Mayor Lee Leffingwell and Austin Councilman Chris Riley were among several listening to speakers from all over the country talk about how to better blend public transportation and connectivity with affordable housing.

Read Article Here (Web)
October 16, 2011 – Will urban developments be the future of the Wasatch Front?
Standard Examiner
Mitch Shaw
October 16, 2011

Oct. 16—If the Wasatch Front Regional Council
forecasts come true, Utah's future will be
more urban and less suburban.

The WFRC predicts the Wasatch Front will
add another 1.4 million people within 30
years, a population increase of 65 percent.

If development continues to focus on
traditional single family homes in suburbs,
total traffic would increase from 49 million
miles a day now to more than 90 million miles
by 2040.

Read Article Here (PDF 166 KB)
October 13, 2011 – Figuring Out What San Diego Wants to Be When It Grows Up
Voice of San Diego.org
Adrian Florido
October 13, 2011

The San Diego Foundation admits its latest endeavor sounds nebulous.

The local philanthropic foundation wants a major role in planning San Diego's long-term future. And in charging itself with that task it's stepping into a void it believes has been created by a lack of capability or trust in government and business.

Read Entire Story Here (Web)
October 1, 2011 – Confronting the Future: Case Studies in Regional Planning and Consensus-Building
The Salt Lake Tribune
Editorial Staff
October 1, 2011

If you think big family homes with grassy yards in the suburbs is quintessential Utah, think again.

While for decades, large families, predominantly of the LDS faith, have moved west to what used to be vast open areas of Salt Lake County, the LDS Church itself is now leading a shift toward quite a different lifestyle. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is spending about a billion dollars to create a new downtown with a huge, upscale mall, City Creek Center, just south of Temple Square.

But the development is much more than a mall. High-rise condos and apartments are a big part of it, along with a grocery store just east of the mall. And not coincidentally the downtown is served by an intermodal transit hub, with TRAX lines, heavy rail and buses to ferry people around.

Read the Entire Editorial Here (PDF 122 KB)


Go to Press RoomFor a full listing of archived stories please visit our "Press Room" page

Envision Utah Newsletter
Summer 2011

In this issue, we'll provide updates on projects in Wyoming, Idaho, and Utah. Highlights include the kick-off of the Wasatch Choice for 2040 and the recommendations of the Bear Lake Valley Blueprint. You’ll also find more information on our October 27th Common Good Awards luncheon.

The 3% Strategy

What would happen if we allow one-third of our future homes, jobs, and stores to go on three percent of our region's developable land, linked by a worldclass transportation system?

The 3% Strategy approach responds to market trends and creates significant regional benefits, while leaving existing residential neighborhoods largely unchanged.

Brookings Mountain West — Mountain Monitor (June 2011)

Mark Muro, Kenan Fikri, and Jonathan Rothwell
June 2011 (Updated on June 24, 2011)

Brookings Mountain West, in collaboration with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program, issues a variety of print and electronic publications that track and evaluate economic indicators in the Intermountain West. The states in this region include Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah.

 


Salt Lake City e2 Program

Envision Utah is proud to be a partner and participant in the 2011 Clear the Air Challenge.

       For more information please click the link below
Clear the Air Challenge

tahns have prospered under the vision of the pioneers who first entered this state. But by 2050, our population will double to five million, two-thirds of whom will be our own children and grandchildren. As one of America’s fastest growing states, we cannot take our high quality of life for granted. How we grow will affect how we and our children will live. Will we just sit back and see where growth takes us, or will we be visionary, like those who came before us, and actively secure our future?

Quality Growth Summary