More than 300 local officials and business and community leaders gathered at the Warehouse at Camden Yards on May 15 to celebrate the kick-off of Vision 2030. Anthony Downs, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, provided thought-provoking keynote remarks at the launch of the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board's 18-month initiative.

Downs began with an overview of population and economic trends in the Baltimore region. He pointed out that, compared with places such as Washington, DC, and Atlanta, Baltimore is a slow-growth region. Slow growth presents advantages that fast-growth regions don't have: the opportunity to consider how and where growth could occur, and to market our more relaxed, non-frenetic, more healthful pace of life.

Another advantage that Downs cited is lower housing prices and cost of living than in fast-growth areas. The median home price in the Baltimore region in the third quarter of 2000 was $160,800, vs. $188,800 in Washington, $231,400 in New York, $356,000 in Boston, and $452,300 in San Francisco. Other living costs are also lower here.

Downs spoke at some length about traffic congestion, something that he says is here to stay. However, he expects that there will be smaller increases in traffic congestion and commuting times here than in areas with faster growth, such as Washington, San Jose, San Francisco, and Atlanta. The average commuting time here in 1990 was 25.9 minutes.

The Texas Transportation Institute says that Baltimore drivers wasted 31 hours per person in traffic in 1999. But spreading those 31 hours over 240 working days and 2 trips per day amounts to losing only 3.9 minutes each way each day.

Since the May 15 kick-off, ACP Visioning & Planning, the consultant selected to guide the visioning process, has been interviewing stakeholders in the region, and has completed meetings with focus groups representing urban, suburban and rural residents of our region. Over the next months, there will be meetings of working subcommittees, a series of 17 public meetings to be held in all parts of the region, community workshops and a telephone survey. These activities are all designed to identify quality of life issues of concern to our citizens, and reach consensus on approaches to deal with those concerns.

Anthony Downs concluded his remarks with a call to action. "Your region's leaders have commissioned Vision 2030 to help you design a guide for your future. So use it to let your voices be heard in ways that will craft a consensus for this region concerning how to maximize its great potential."

Watch your mail and check in often at www.baltometro.org to learn how you can be part of Vision 2030.

The complete text of Mr. Downs' speech can be accessed at http://www.anthonydowns.com/baltimore.htm.

Posted: September 17, 2001