BLUEPRINT PROJECT

Region's Residents Can Shape the Future

The Challenge

The Sacramento Region is projected to add more than 1 million people and 600,000 new jobs in the next 25 years. Preparing and planning for this growth creates challenges for the entire region. Where and how should we grow? And how will this growth affect our standard of living? Implemented through a partnership between SACOG and Valley Vision, The Blueprint Project is a comprehensive regional process aimed at confronting these questions by integrating land use, transportation, air quality, and other regional concerns.

The project began with a preliminary "Base Case" study that examined the implications of the region's projected growth using current development trends. The study found that without changes to our development pattern, residents are likely to spend more time commuting, find a severe housing shortage, and lose significant natural lands to development. The Blueprint Project offers an opportunity to get the public involved in planning acceptable growth strategies.

Long-Term Goal

The involvement of thousands of diverse citizens and the investment of millions in modeling technology to conduct the Blueprint Project will permanently enhance local planning and create a long-range regional context for local land-use decision making.

THE PROJECT: 3 PHASES Phase 1: Neighborhood Workshops In 2003, over 30 workshops were held in jurisdictions throughout the 6-county region, involving 1,500 citizens. During these workshops, citizens were able to access real-time interactive software to create ñscenariosî for their neighborhoods and examine instant feedback about their different development choices. Phase 2: County Workshops The collective input of the neighborhood workshops were then collated to create four land use scenarios for each county. The county workshops provided another opportunity for citizens to come together to focus on choices for their entire county. Phase 3: The Regional Forum The beginning of the regional phase of the Blueprint Project was the Regional Forum, held on April 30, 2004. All of the scenarios from the various workshops were brought together to allow citizens a chance to view the Blueprint Project under a regional scope. Public Outreach: Culmination The final phase of public input is a survey to gather citizen preferences on a future land use pattern. Your input is critical. To complete the survey go to www.sacregionblueprint.org. The survey will first be active on September 27, 2004.