OBJECTIVE: Growth Management

About this objective

Land and water are essential for sustaining all life. We recognize that planning for the region is about more than accommodating a growing human population, but also about respecting the integrity and needs of all living beings in the region. This approach to growth management emphasizes the importance of stewardship and interconnectedness. By acknowledging and respecting this connection, a broad and shared understanding of the impact humans have on the environment and all living beings within it can change the relationship between development, people, and the environment. Development doesn’t have to disturb or disrupt but instead can care for and protect the region’s assets, both natural and human.

To achieve this balance, regional growth requires an orderly and efficient approach to land development to meet evolving and expanding needs. A development pattern that reduces the amount of land used to accommodate growth supports this outcome by leveraging the region’s existing resources and limiting impacts to existing habitats. This includes encouraging redevelopment, infill, and adaptive reuse of existing buildings as a part of the development process. These land use patterns exist throughout the region in cities and townships of all sizes.

Directing growth within local governments to areas where infrastructure already exists promotes efficient use of available infrastructure capacity in the urban and rural service areas and reduces the need for infrastructure expansion. The concentration of growth in existing service areas also prevents premature development of agricultural areas and destruction of natural systems. Managing growth in this manner allows our region to preserve its agricultural economy and rural lifestyles while accommodating the needs of residents and businesses.