Vision 2030 Process Continues (Metropolitan Report, v2 #3)
Fall/Winter 2001
Vision 2030 Process Continues
- A series of three focus groups early this summer identified attitudes and concerns of urban, suburban and rural residents of the region.
- Subsequent interviews with stakeholders produced a list of regional strengths and weaknesses.
- Participants in an October workshop endorsed concentrating future population growth consistent with Smart Growth principles.
- Now subcommittees on economic development, the environment, social equity, and government and public policy are using all those findings to craft scenarios that will guide Vision 2030 into an intensive series of public meetings in the spring.
BMC Transportation Planner Jocelyn Jones served as a group facilitator at the October 3 workshop on Vision 2030 (right).Although members of the focus groups had different ideas about what comprises our region, all three groups agreed that revitalizing the urban core is crucial. Furthermore, all groups voiced a sense of shared responsibility for urban revitalization.
Stakeholders who were interviewed include business and community leaders and government officials. Among the region’s strengths, stakeholders mentioned close-knit neighborhoods with affordable housing; cultural and recreational amenities; the natural environment; the East Coast location with easy access to major highways, BWI Airport and Amtrak; a strong philanthropic community; the presence of major colleges and universities; environmental preservation efforts; and the excellence of public drinking water. Weaknesses include the concentration of poverty in Baltimore City and older suburban areas; poor public transportation access to jobs; crime and drugs; air pollution; lack of coordination between transportation planning and land use planning; and the lack of an effective regional economic plan and identity.
On October 3, 2001, a citizens’ workshop was held to stimulate regional thinking on growth and land preservation. Ninety-four percent of workshop participants indicated that they preferred future growth to occur within Maryland’s locally identified priority funding areas. Of those, 24 percent preferred future growth be focused in Baltimore City. In protecting future land from development, workshop results indicated that 18 percent (252,000 acres) of the region’s undeveloped land should be preserved and permanently protected from development.
October 3 workshop participants mapped out future growth alternatives.
Utilizing the strengths and weaknesses list and stakeholder workshop recommendations, the four subcommittees began meeting in November. Each subcommittee will review the strengths and weaknesses list to develop principles that should be addressed in developing a regional vision, and examine alternative future growth strategies to assess the impacts on issues and concerns that have been raised. The final product of the subcommittees’ work will be preferred scenarios that will assist in developing the regional vision.
The scenarios developed by the subcommittees will be presented to the public at a series of meetings beginning in April. At least two public meetings will be held in each jurisdiction.
Meeting dates and locations, along with Vision 2030 working documents, will be available at www.baltometro.org.
For more information about Vision 2030, contact Stoney Fraley at 410-732-0500, x 1041, or at sfraley@baltometro.org.
Posted: January 24, 2002
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