Regional Planning for Sustainable Development

Bethany Wilcoxon, Des Moines Area MPO

Handouts and presentation are available online at www.iowaleague.org

Iowa League of Cities Annual ConferenceSeptember 22, 2011

PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Project Background The Tomorrow Plan The Tomorrow Team Planning Tools Project Status

PROJECT BACKGROUND

INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Involves– Department of Housing + Urban Development– Department of Transportation– Environmental Protection Agency

Established June 16, 2009 Seeks to help communities nationwide

– Improve access to affordable housing– Increase transportation options– Lower transportation costs while protecting the environment

Guided by six livability principles

LIVABILITY PRINCIPLES

Provide more transportation choices Promote equitable, affordable housing Enhance economic competitiveness Support existing communities Coordinate and leverage federal policies and

investment Value communities and neighborhoods

SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES REGIONAL PLANNING GRANT PROGRAM

Offered by the Partnership Provides support to regions seeking to improve

regional planning efforts and long-term sustainability

Also seeks to address several interdependent challenges– Economic competitiveness and revitalization– Social equity, inclusion, and access to opportunity– Energy use and climate change– Public health and environmental impact

THE GRANT

Awarded $2 million Leveraging nearly $1.1 million in local funds One of 45 recipients in an extremely competitive

program– Over 1,300 interests of expression submitted

Only grant recipient in Iowa

PARTNERSHIP GRANTEES: 2010

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THE PLANNING AREA

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THE PLANNING AREA

Located in the heart of Iowa Most populous area in the state Approximately 480,000 residents Lies at the crossroads of Intestates 35 + 80 17 communities + portions of 4 counties 542 square miles Urban + rural areas

THE TOMORROW PLAN

THE TOMORROW PLAN

Essentially starting with a blank slate The Tomorrow Plan will:

– Provide a comprehensive framework for future development– Allow the MPO and other entities to work collaboratively to

engage the public to establish the region’s vision for the next forty years

– Ensure that all components align

THE TOMORROW PLAN

The Tomorrow Plan will respond to:– Socioeconomic factors– The natural environment– The built environment

THE TOMORROW PLAN

Five phase process over 20 months– Project initiation – Regional assessment – Regional vision for sustainability– Regional sustainability framework – Sustainability report and implementation

OUTCOMES OF THE TOMORROW PLAN

Aligned regional, local comprehensive, and capital investment plans

Increased participation + decision-making Reduced socioeconomic disparities Decreased VMTs Decreased housing + transportation costs Infill + compact development Improved access Improved public health Decreased hazardous environmental threats Enhanced regional competitiveness

OUTCOMES OF THE TOMORROW PLAN

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WHY NOW?

No unifying vision or organization guiding the development of greater Des Moines– The MPO creates a long-

range transportation plan– No council of governments– No regional housing, land

use, environmental, or economic development plans

Disjointed progress is underway

WHY NOW?

State of Iowa’s increased commitment to planning in the form of the Smart Planning Principles– Collaboration– Efficiency, transparency, and consistency– Clean, renewable, and efficient energy– Occupational diversity– Revitalization– Housing diversity– Community character– Natural resources + agricultural protection– Sustainable design– Transportation diversity

WHY NOW?

Opportunity to serve as a model for the state regarding regional planning

Area leaders realize that the region lies at a crossroads– Autonomy + collaboration– Status quo + creating a more sustainable future

WHY NOW?

Over 95% of all area trips utilize automobiles Major flooding events are occurring more often Current population is expected to grow by 40% by

2035 Approximately ½ of area residents spend more

than 45% of their income on housing + transportation costs

Central Iowa is home to the 2nd most polluted river in the country

Poverty + low educational attainment are concentrated in the central city

WHY NOW?

Maintain the region’s position on various ‘best of’ lists in order to attract future investments

Connect other efforts already underway– DART Forward 2035– Capital Crossroads– STAR Community Index

THE TOMORROW TEAM

THE TOMORROW TEAM

A grouping of governmental, regional planning agencies, nonprofits, and public + private sector partners

Grant application required inclusion of:– MPO– Principal city– Additional cities/counties to represent at least 50% of

population– A nonprofit, foundation, or educational institution

Collectively have the capacity + the experience to create The Tomorrow Plan

BUILDING THE TOMORROW TEAM

Intentionally included numerous interests from the beginning– Local elected officials + city managers– Local planners– Business interests

One of the required program outcomes is “increased participation and decision-making” in developing and implementing a long-range vision for the region by populations traditionally marginalized in the public planning process”

THE TOMORROW TEAM

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THE TOMORROW TEAM STEERING COMMITTEE

THE TOMORROW TEAM PARTNERS COMMITTEE

Seeks to be inclusive of all interests – public + private

Over 300 representatives from regional groups invited to participate

Represent the elements that The Tomorrow Plan will address– Socioeconomic factors– The natural environment– The built environment

First meeting held September 14th

PLANNING TOOLS

THE PROCESS OF THE TOMORROW PLAN

Project initiation (July – September 2011) Regional assessment (July – December 2011) Regional vision for sustainability (December 2011

– July 2012) Regional sustainability framework (June –

November 2012) Sustainability report + implementation

(September 2012 – February 2013)

PHASE 1: PROJECT INITATION

Public participation process design– Surveys– Stakeholder interviews + focus groups

Project launch– Educate, engage, collect feedback

SWOT analysis– What are regional values + aspirations for future?

PROJECT LAUNCH: LIVING REGIONALLY

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PROJECT LAUNCH: LIVING REGIONALLY

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PROJECT LAUNCH: LIVING REGIONALLY

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PROJECT LAUNCH: LIVING REGIONALLY

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PHASE 2: REGIONAL ASSESSMENT

Data array Sustainability scan

– Evaluation of existing plans + policies– Development code review– What does ‘sustainability’ mean for greater Des Moines?

Regional baseline measures State of the region report

– What are regional development trends, opportunities, and challenges?

– How sustainable is the region already?– What model sustainable development practices could be

included in future land use plans and code updates in the region?

PHASE 3: REGIONAL VISION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

Alternative scenarios model– Provide immediate feedback with simultaneous measurement

of any quantifiable impact metric– Consider a full spectrum of issues, from school taxes to

stormwater runoff, parking demand, net and gross tax revenues, job creation, transportation impact, housing equity, CO2 increases, and so forth

– Capable of interfacing with the MPO’s travel demand model

Regional vision for sustainability Potential future scenarios

– “Ground-truthing” of scenarios

Comparative analysis of regional cooperation + governance

Preferred future direction for sustainability

PHASE 3: REGIONAL VISION FOR SUSTAINABILITY

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PHASE 4: REGIONAL SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORK

Development of plan components– Socioeconomic factors– Natural environment– Built environment

Sustainability framework– Existing conditions + trends summary– Needs analysis– Goals + strategies for each of the plan components

PHASE 5: SUSTAINABILITY REPORT + IMPLEMENTATION

Sustainability action plan– Action agenda with timeframes + responsibilities– Database of indicators + tools for access by local government– Potential sources of funding + other implementation resources– Management structure to build capacity for implementation– Program to monitor implementation progress

Implementation priorities The Tomorrow Plan report + brochure summary

HUD ON PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

“…if Job 1 of these grants is helping facilitate more sustainable, comprehensive planning for communities and regions, then creating opportunities for meaningful, robust participation by everyone who will be affected by this process is Job 1A. This will be a difficult hill to climb for many grantees, precisely because if it were easy and/or routine to do, underrepresented groups would already by part of the process…”

ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN THE TOMORROW PLAN

Traditional public engagement techniques– Community meetings– Stakeholder interviews– Surveys– Task forces + focus groups

ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN THE TOMORROW PLAN

Innovative techniques to reach all constituencies– Interactive website + social media– Library + town hall computer stations– Community events + open houses– Storefront displays– Interactive scenario building– Meetings in a box– Youth engagement

ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN THE TOMORROW PLAN

Speaker series to educate the public– Importance of regional planning– Sustainable planning– Case studies in scenarios– Visioning– Implementation

Outreach series events to correspond to speaker series events

PROJECT STATUS

WHERE IS THE PROJECT TODAY?

Synthesizing public input from project launch event

Preparing for first public outreach series to determine what are viewed as key resources, opportunities, and challenges

Analyzing data to understand the existing conditions in the region

MORE INFORMATION

Online: www.thetomorrowplan.com– Facebook– Twitter

Phone: 515.334.0075 Email: bwilcoxon@dmampo.org