1 / 51

Sustainability, Utah, and Agenda 21

Sustainability, Utah, and Agenda 21. Wilf Sommerkorn Ted Knowlton Utah APA Conference 4 October 2013. Sustainability is an ancient concept. “My family came to America for a better life for their children and their children’s children.”  

senona
Download Presentation

Sustainability, Utah, and Agenda 21

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Sustainability, Utah, and Agenda 21 Wilf Sommerkorn Ted Knowlton Utah APA Conference 4 October 2013

  2. Sustainability is an ancient concept “My family came to America for a better life for their children and their children’s children.”   The Golden Rule: treat others as you want to be treated. “The earth belongs to each generation during its course, fully and in its own right, but no generation can contract debts greater than can be paid during the course of its own existence.” ~Thomas Jefferson

  3. AGENDA 21

  4. Planning that develops public ownership of your plan (especially if there are Agenda 21 concerns (and similar) • Process • Communications

  5. If Agenda 21 concerns are substantial in your community • Listen to, don’t discount concerns • Include these participants in every portion of the process • As long as they are willing to let others participate

  6. When anyone comes to your public meeting intent on shutting it down! First listen If a group tries to obstruct the meeting: • Stand up for everyone else’s right to be heard • Divide the meeting (if necessary) • “who would like the meeting to continue?” • “who would like to talk about these concerns”

  7. Traditional Planning Approach • Decide – through analysis and research • Educate – the public about the solution • Announce – the plan • Defend – the plan and yourself

  8. Process tips for developing broad grassroots support • Strive for broad participation that represents your community • Be an “Honest Broker” of choices and consequences • Trust the public • Be transparent

  9. Envision Utah • 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization • Formed in 1997 to evaluate growth issues

  10. Not philosophizing, but exploring the future Problem solving workshops

  11. Our Region’s Future Regional Choices and Outcomes Transportation Land Use Housing Opportunities Job Creation Land Consump-tion Water Use Open Space Air Quality Miles of Driving Traffic

  12. Total EmissionsTons Per Day

  13. Total Infrastructure Costs

  14. Scenario Comparisons and Survey

  15. PUBLIC AWARENESS EFFORTS Television, Radio and Newspaper

  16. Choosing a Scenario(Weighted vs. Unweighted Results) Unweighted results (as represented by the black dashed line) are nearly identical to weighted results

  17. West Valley Downtown Plan, 2002 A B C D

  18. Preferred Scenario

  19. The heart of Agenda 21 concerns: “people who don’t know our issues and concerns want to force us to do….”

  20. Communication 101 The heart of Agenda 21 concerns: “people who don’t know our issues and concerns ………………………..….” • Explore localsustainability issues • Relay impacts of potential decisions on the family, neighborhood, city, metro area • Emphasize that solutions will be defined locally, through a public process

  21. Benefits to your family • Public Transportation: • Bypass congestion to enjoy more time at home • Outdoors to enjoy together

  22. Housing wants and needs change over people’s lives

  23. Understand cost of living as affected by housing, transportation, and energy expenses

  24. Communication 202 The heart of Agenda 21 concerns: “people who don’t know our issues and concerns want to force us to do….” • Relate sustainable development to market desires • Relate sustainable development to the taxpayer (fiscal impacts) • Explore how “choices” are broadened

  25. 1. Sustainability and the free market What are the housing and area characteristics that will attract buyers over many decades? • Today’s preferences? • Demographic shifts?

  26. Desired Neighborhood Attributes - NAR 2011 Source: National Association of Realtors, American Preference Survey 2011.

  27. Gen Y and Baby Boomers are the largest generations • Of those that move, 7 out of 8 downsize • 77% of Gen Y plans to live in an urban setting

  28. The Market for Transportation-Land Use Integration: Do Developers Want Smarter Growth than Regulations Allow? Jonathan Levine, 2004 N=656 Is there adequate supply of alternative development…? • Not enough: 67% Developers perception of the “single most important obstacle” to alternative development? • “local regulation”

  29. Regulation almost always sets a ceiling on intensity Eg: • Minimum single family lot size • Maximum density • Maximum FAR • Parking requirements • Land use restrictions Efforts to allow more variety in scale, use, parking, better allow market demand to be expressed

  30. 2. Sustainability and the taxpayer?

  31. 43,600 S.F. 29,000 S.F. 34,800 S.F. 21,800 S.F. 17,400 S.F. 14,400 S.F. 10,900 S.F. 8,700 S.F. 7,200 S.F. 1 1.25 1.5 2 2.5 3 Units Per Ac 4 5 6 150’ 130’ 65’ 110’ 100’ 90’ 90’ 83’ 75’ Typical Lot Frontage Street Frontage Relative to Lot Size Larger lots = More street frontage per residence Smaller lots = Less street frontage per residence

  32. 43,600 S.F. 34,800 S.F. 29,000 S.F. 21,800 S.F. 17,400 S.F. 14,400 S.F. 10,900 S.F. 8,700 S.F. 7,200 S.F. 1 1.25 1.5 2 2.5 3 4 5 6 Units Per Ac Water Use Relative to Lot Size (Source: USU Extension)

  33. “The Growth Ponzi Scheme”Chuck Marohn, Thoughts on Building Strong Towns

  34. 2. Choices • Housing

  35. 2. Choices • Getting around

  36. The heart of Agenda 21 concerns: “people who don’t know our issues and concerns want to force us to do….”

  37. If Agenda 21 concerns are substantial in your community • Listen to, don’t discount concerns • Include these participants in every portion of the process • As long as they are willing to let others participate

  38. Process tips for developing broad grassroots support • Strive for broad participation that represents your community • Be an “Honest Broker” of choices and consequences • Trust the public • Be transparent

  39. Communication 101 The heart of Agenda 21 concerns: “people who don’t know our issues and concerns ………………………..….” • Explore local sustainability issues • Relay impacts of potential decisions on the family, neighborhood, city, metro area • Emphasize that solutions will be defined locally, through a public process

  40. Communication 202 The heart of Agenda 21 concerns: “people who don’t know our issues and concerns want to force us to do….” • Relate sustainable development to market desires • Relate sustainable development to the taxpayer (fiscal impacts) • Explore how “choices” are broadened

  41. “The earth belongs to each generation during its course, fully and in its own right, but no generation can contract debts greater than can be paid during the course of its own existence.” ~Thomas Jefferson

More Related