Because Utah was experiencing an unprecedented growth spurt in the 1990s, and new worries about how growth would affect Utah’s quality of life began to emerge, the Coalition for Utah’s Future created Envision Utah, a non-partisan public/private partnership, in 1997. This public/private partnership made up of diverse and bipartisan leaders, operates on a philosophy of grassroots involvement, local control, and voluntary, market-based strategies.

Nearly nine years of scenarios analysis, research and public involvement have helped Envision Utah bring the topic of planning and preparing for growth to the forefront of the public mind.

Envision Utah originally focused on the 10-county Greater Wasatch region of Utah, where nearly 80% of the state’s population resides. To develop a grassroots vision of the region and to focus attention on the issues of greatest importance to the region, Envision Utah held 175 public meetings, distributed 800,000 questionnaires (of which over 18,000 were completed), visited 90 cities over 2 ½ weeks using volunteers from the private sector and Envision Utah staff, engaged Wirthlin Worldwide to conduct values research, and used public input to create four scenarios of how the region could grow. All of these efforts lead to the development of the Quality Growth Strategy (QGS) - a vision to protect Utah’s environment, economic strength and quality of life for future generations.

The Quality Growth Strategy identifies seven primary goals to be addressed if we are to protect our environment and maintain our economic vitality as we accommodate anticipated growth:

• increase mobility and transportation choices;
• conserve and maintain availability of water resources;
• provide housing opportunities for a range of family and income types;
• preserve critical lands;
• enhance air quality;
• maximize efficiency in public infrastructure investments to promote the other goals; and
• revise the tax structure to promote better development decisions.

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget has shown that if we adhere to Envision Utah’s recommended goals and strategies, we will save $4.5 billion in future infrastructure costs over the next 20 years, conserve more land, provide additional housing choices, lower emissions resulting in less pollution, reduce water consumption, and make our transportation system more efficient.

The QGS serves as a compass to steer today’s choices toward a desired future condition. To support each of these goals, Envision Utah works hard with stakeholders and the public to develop specific strategies that utilize market-based approaches and local incentives, and seeks to effect change through education and promotion, rather than regulation. Specific Envision Utah activities include the following:

Education Forums

Compact Housing: Markets, Realities, Concerns and Solutions (2006)
Economic Barn Raising (2005)
Roundtable Discussion on Local Sales Tax (2004)
Understanding Transfer-of-Development Rights (2003)
Understanding the 2002 U.S. Farm Bill (2003)
If Density Is the Problem, Design Is the Solution (2002)
Comprehensive Land-Use and Transportation Planning (2002)
Community Solutions (2001)
Public Safety and Street Design (2001)
Water Conservation Conference (2001)
Tax Law Revision Retreat (2001)
Sales Tax Policy, Land-Use & Smart Growth (2000)
Telework (2000) and (2001)

Public Awareness Campaigns

Investing in Our Future (2005)
Affordable Housing Myths and Facts (2004)
Communities Taking Action (2003)
Envision Your Future (2002)
Urban Planning Tools for Quality Growth (2001)
Quality Growth Strategy (2000)
Alternative Growth Scenarios (1999)

Reports

Wasatch Choices 2040 Housing Demand Analysis (2005)
Greater Wasatch Area Housing Analysis (1999)
“Thinking and Acting Regionally in the Greater Wasatch Area: Implications for Local Economic Development” (2005)
Quality Growth Strategy & Technical Analysis (1999)

City General Plan Updates

Kearns (2005), Magna (2005), Perry City (2005)

Transit-Oriented Development Site Design

Layton (2002), Murray (2002), Sandy (2005), South Salt Lake (2002), West Jordan (2002) and West Valley City (2003)

Local Community Visioning Processes

Bountiful (2006), Brigham City (2004 and 1999), Centerville, Midvale (1999), Millcreek (2004), North Logan (2004), Ogden (2000), Perry City (1999 and 2004), Provo (1999), Salt Lake City (1999), Sandy (2006), and West Valley City (2004)

Regional Visioning Projects

Wasatch Choices 2040 (2005)
Ogden Valley Recreational Plan (2005)
Davis County Shorelands (2003)
Salt Lake County Shorelands (2003)
Tooele County Regional Vision (2003)
Mountain View Corridor (2004)
West Weber Community Vision (2002)
Nebo Community Vision (2000)

Public/Private Sector Coalitions

Affordable Housing (2002)
Regional Transportation & Land-Use Opportunities (2002)
Investing in Our Future (2004 to present)
Utah Quality Growth Public/Private Partnership (1997 to present)

Resources

Redevelopment Solutions (2006)
Compact Housing: Markets, Realities, Concerns and Solutions (2006)
Municipal Economic Development Toolkit (2005)
Role of Transportation in Quality Growth (2005)
IMPACS planning model (2005)
“Envision Your Future” educational materials (2003)
Wasatch Front Transit-Oriented Guidelines (2002)
Urban Planning Tools for Quality Growth (2001; revised 2002)

Since the Envision Utah approach is a grassroots, bottom-up model of public engagement, each Quality Growth Demonstration Project seeks local public involvement to respond to a community’s need. In all of these efforts, local action is guided by a regional vision, reflecting the state’s preference for local government and private property rights. Envision Utah continues to keep people thinking about the regional impact of their local actions.

Envision Utah provides good information so people can independently make good decisions in their own community. By emphasizing a bottom-up process, leaders and citizens’ voices are heard and they are able to contribute to the region’s solutions. They feel - and truly are - a part of the solution. By being open to all potential stakeholders, even those who oppose some quality growth efforts, Envision Utah has been able to find common ground among the different groups.

Envision Utah’s “bottom-up” approach to regional visioning is being replicated by regions throughout the country. In October 2005, the Michigan Land Use Institute wrote:

Envision Utah is now recognized as one of the most successful, broad-based, long-term growth strategies for a major U.S. metropolitan area… Envision Utah has won the equivalent of four Oscars - the Urban Land Institute’s Award for Excellence, the Alliance for Regional Stewardship’s Gold Recognition Award, the American Planning Association’s Daniel Burnham Award, and the American Public Transportation Association’s Distinguished Service Award.

Coalition Accomplishments Page PAGE 3