translating a regional vision into...

$ Urban LandInstituteUrban LandInstitute$

Translatinga RegionalVisioninto Action

ULI Community Catalyst Report

N U M B E R 2

$ Urban Land Institute


N U M B E R 2

Translatinga RegionalVisioninto Action

ULI Land Use Policy Forum

March 8, 2005

Prepared by Suzanne D. Cartwright with Victoria R. Wilbur


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ABOUT ULIULI–the Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit education and research institute that is supportedby its members. Its mission is to provide responsi-ble leadership in the use of land to enhance thetotal environment. ULI sponsors education pro-grams and forums to encourage an open, interna-tional exchange of ideas and sharing of experi-ences; initiates research that anticipates emergingland use trends and issues and documents bestpractices; proposes creative solutions based onthat research; provides advisory services; and pub-lishes a wide variety of materials to disseminateinformation on land use and development. Estab-lished in 1936, ULI has more than 27,000 mem-bers in 80 countries representing the entire spec-trum of the land use and development disciplines.

Richard M. RosanPresident

ULI PROJECT STAFFRachelle L. LevittExecutive Vice President, Policy and Practice

Marta V. GoldsmithSenior Vice President, Community Outreach

Mary Beth CorriganVice President, Advisory Services and Policy Programs

Suzanne D. CartwrightDirector, Community Outreach for Land Use Programs

Michael PawlukiewiczDirector, Environment and Policy Education

Victoria WilburSenior Associate, Community Outreach

Kristin CochranCoordinator, Meetings and Events

Nancy H. StewartDirector, Book Program

Sandy F. ChizinskyManuscript Editor

Betsy VanBuskirkArt Director

Anne MorganGraphic Designer

Susan S. Teachey, ON-Q Design, Inc.Layout

Craig ChapmanDirector, Publishing Operations

Recommended bibliographic listing:ULI–the Urban Land Institute. ULI Community Catalyst ReportNumber 2: Translating a Regional Vision into Action.Washington, D.C.: ULI–the Urban Land Institute, 2005.

ULI Order #T30: Single CopyULI Order #T31: Packet of TenInternational Standard Book Number: 978-0-87420-951-8

©2005 by ULI–the Urban Land Institute1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W.Suite 500 WestWashington, D.C. 20007-5201

Printed in the United States of America.

All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced in anyform or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photo-copying and recording, or by any information storage and retrievalsystem, without written permission of the publisher.

Translating a Regional Vision into Action

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ABOUT ULI COMMUNITY CATALYSTREPORTS ULI is influential in the discussion of importantnational land use policy issues. To encourage andenrich that dialogue, the Institute holds frequentland use policy forums that bring together promi-nent experts to discuss topics of interest to theland use and real estate community.

The findings of these forums can guide andenhance ULI’s program of work. They can alsoprovide ULI district councils, ULI members, andothers addressing land use issues with informationthat can be used to improve the quality of life atthe local level, advance community values, and—in the words of the ULI mission statement—”pro-vide responsible leadership in the use of land toenhance the total environment.” ULI CommunityCatalyst Reports are designed to make the find-ings and recommendations of land use policyforums accessible to and useful for practitionersat the community level, where land use decisionsare made and their consequences are mostdirectly felt.

ULI Community Catalyst Reports can be down-loaded free of charge from ULI’s Web site(www.uli.org) or ordered in bulk at a nominal cost from ULI’s bookstore (800-321-5011).


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Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1

Implementing Regional Visions: Principles for Success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

1 Build on a Firm Foundation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

2 Set a Clear Context and Framework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

3 Bundle Choices into Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

4 Inclusiveness Is Essential . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

5 Leadership Makes Things Happen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

6 Strive for Consensus, Not Unanimity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

7 Identify and Speak to Core Values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

8 Sustain Communication and Education . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5

9 Decide from the Start How Success Will Be Defined . . . . . . . . . . .5

10 Manage Expectations and Celebrate Achievements . . . . . . . . . . . .5

Specific Topical Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Funding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6

Leadership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Tools and Technical Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Communications and Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Documentation and Dissemination of Best Practices . . . . . . . . . .12

Case Studies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Envision Utah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

Visioning Implementation in Large, Complex Regions . . . . . . . . .15

Visioning Implementation in Medium-Sized and Smaller Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18

Additional Observations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Gianni Longo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

John Parr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Forum Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

C o n t e n t s


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ULI has long been engaged in identifying and promoting best practices in

land use and development. Much of this work occurs at the regional

scale, whether it is increasing the supply of workforce and affordable hous-

ing, revitalizing the urban core or aging inner-ring suburbs, improving the

jobs/housing balance, or optimizing the development potential of properties

adjacent to transportation. With the support of the ULI Community Outreach

Department, ULI district councils are working on these and other issues in

their communities.

The Institute recognizes that greater consensus and cooperation are essen-

tial, at all levels of government, in order to implement regional policies and

practices that will support the economic vitality and livability of our metro-

politan regions. For example, in partnership with the MacArthur Foundation,

ULI and its four Florida district councils have led a multiyear effort to iden-

tify new opportunities for the state of Florida to support and encourage re-

gional cooperation. A statewide committee composed of leaders from the

development community, civic and environmental groups, community-based

organizations, and the public sector developed a series of specific recom-

mendations to address state-level barriers to regional cooperation.

Over the past 15 years, regional visioning has emerged as an important tool

for building regional consensus, especially with respect to growth-related

issues. ULI district councils have been involved in a number of regional

visioning efforts in various capacities, including the following:

n Sponsoring Reality Check programs in Los Angeles; Washington, D.C.;

and north Texas to bring diverse regional leaders together to discuss

where growth should occur in a region;

n Partnering with councils of government in multiyear transportation and land

use planning programs (for example, the Sacramento Blueprint project);

Introduction

n Providing leadership participation and program support for visioning

programs such as Envision Utah, Envision Central Texas, and Chicago

Metropolis 2020.

All visioning projects face implementation challenges, including lack of

regional institutional support for long-range regional planning; exhaustion

of resources and leadership; insufficient political will to move forward;

fragmented implementation decision making; and alienated or apathetic

citizens. In convening the ULI policy forum on translating a regional vision

into action, ULI was seeking recommendations, from those with the most

experience in the field, on strengthening the effectiveness of visioning

implementation efforts.

At the ULI policy forum, participants examined several case studies and

distilled the lessons learned into ten broad principles for visioning imple-

mentation success. Specific recommendations were then developed in five

topic areas: funding; leadership; tools and technical assistance; commun-

ications and media; and documentation and dissemination of best practices.

While these recommendations are not exhaustive, they do represent the

latest thinking of the experts assembled at the forum and offer a variety

of new ideas for visioning implementation practitioners.


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1. Build on a Firm Foundation

The chances of successfully implementing avision rest on the groundwork that was laid in the visioning process. Before moving to imple-mentation, it may be necessary to assess the work that was done at the visioning stage anddeter-mine whether more work is needed, eitherto strengthen the consensus that was developed or to sharpen the solutions that were identified. It is also important to ensure that the region wasdefined properly—that it includes the relevant“problem sheds” and was not arbitrarily limitedby jurisdictional or geographic boundaries. Inaddition, the design of the visioning processshould fit the issues in the region, which willvary depending on growth rate, economy, topo-graphy, culture, and values. All the importantquestions should have been addressed: if not,don’t be afraid to tackle them now, before movingtoward implementation. To maintain credibility,the visioning process must be authentic andtransparent throughout.

2. Set a Clear Context and Framework

There should be broad consensus on the chal-lenges that require implementation of a newvision, whether those challenges are at the levelof global competitiveness or neighborhood liv-ability. Begin by identifying funding and leader-ship that are adequate to the planned scale of thevisioning implementation effort. Then find theright scope of issues to address. The effort shouldbe doable: ambitious enough to be exciting, butnot overwhelming. Select a time horizon that islong enough to allow the initiative to get out infront of current plans (and for the flaws in thoseplans to become evident), but that is not so longthat stakeholders lose interest in the effort.

Implementing Regional Visions:Principles for Success

From the experience of several regional visioning programs across the United States,

ten broad principles for success in regional visioning implementation can be derived.

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3. Bundle Choices into Scenarios

Only comprehensive scenarios can realisticallyreflect the interconnectedness of land use, trans-portation, economic development, and lifestylechoices. The visioning process should use well-designed alternative growth scenarios to clearlyportray the choices facing the region and to build consensus for a preferred outcome. Whendesigning scenarios, remember that forecastedpopulation growth is not a variable: it’s the givenon the basis of which other choices are made.Much of the implementation process will focuson how to translate a preferred scenario into the choices of myriad actors; be flexible, as this is an inherently uneven process.

4. Inclusiveness Is Essential

Ongoing outreach to all major stakeholders is as essential to implementation as it is to the early stages of the visioning process. Takeenough time, and keep asking, “Who else should be here?” Adequate upfront invest-ment and ownership cannot be rushed; nor can their importance be overstated. Include even those who may want to subvert the imple-mentation process; they need to be kept at thetable long enough for the visioning leadership to figure out how to harness their enlightenedself-interest.

Offer tiered levels of leadership and participationto accommodate different types of commitmentand to keep work groups from becoming too bigand unwieldy. Find leaders who have wide net-

works, and use those networks to reach othernetworks; push beyond what feels comfortable in order to reach those who need to be involved.Instead of being limited by top-down or bottom-up thinking, imagine expanding circles of influ-ence: within the communities of interest, findpeople who have contacts with those who need to be participants, and enlist their help in mak-ing the circle wider.

5. Leadership Makes Things Happen

Create the leadership group that can lead actionon the vision. Don’t overlook women. Find a few passionate leaders for key roles, but don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Decide if a neworganization is needed to be the steward of thevision. Wherever it resides, the visioning imple-mentation organization must be perceived asneutral, and must not carry political baggage.

6. Strive for Consensus, Not Unanimity

A good goal is the consent of 80 to 90 percent of a region’s residents. (Consent in this instancemeans that residents have more of a positivestake in the implementation of the vision than a negative one.) Unanimous support for imple-menting a vision will never be achieved. Focuson the big picture, and find all the areas whereconsensus is possible. Resist the tendency toemphasize minor differences: it is a mistake toget bogged down on marginal issues where thereare deep divisions.


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7. Identify and Speak to Core Values

A regional vision will not be implemented unlessit taps into the political energy that originates ina strong sense of shared values and priorities.Therefore, clearly and comprehensively iden-tifying those values and priorities is a criticaltask for implementation success. All communi-cation about a vision should be based on corevalues and expressed in terms that reflect thelocal culture and make a direct connection to the basic aspirations and concerns of people inthe region. Avoid using jargon and ambiguous or controversial terms (such as density or sprawl).Use visual images to build a shared vocabulary of land use and development attributes.

8. Sustain Communication and Education

Ideally, visioning is a process that never reallyends: ongoing communication and education arekey to sustaining the vision. Leadership cyclesare unavoidable; substantial turnover will occurboth within the visioning organization and amongelected officials, business leaders, and comm-unity groups. Therefore, it is critical to provideongoing opportunities to learn about land usepolicy models, design techniques, and best devel-opment practices. Be sure to take advantage ofthe many new community visualization techniquesthat can be used to sell solutions.

9. Decide from the Start How Success Will Be Defined

Set goals upfront and decide how success will be measured, so that you will know when you get there. Remember that some of the mostimportant outcomes of visioning may be hard tomeasure—for example, the extent to which thepublic has begun to share in a regional identity.While measurable outcomes and short-termsuccesses are important to building momentum,don’t put too much weight on “indicator” projects(such as tons of emissions removed or reductionsin vehicle-miles traveled). These measures are often too short-term for the visioning time frame,and focusing on “sticky” indicator disappoint-ments can take energy away from efforts to effectsustained change.

10. Manage Expectations and Celebrate Achievements

Implementing a regional vision takes time. The goal is to catalyze incremental changethrough-out the region in a variety of ways. This process— building momentum toward a “tipping point”—is the best way to achievelong-term success. Reg-ularly recognize andcelebrate the progress that is made along the way, and the people who have made a difference.


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Specific Topical Recommendations

In addition to the general principles described in the preceding section, forum partici-

pants developed a variety of specific recommendations in five topic areas: funding;

leadership; tools and technical assistance; communications and media; and documenta-

tion and dissemination of best practices.

FundingVisioning implementation leaders need to be creative and to think like venture capitalists.

The goal is to piece together a financing structure from multiple sources that meets both the

expectations of each funding partner and the needs of the visioning implementation program.

Organizations at the Local Level

In a number of regions in the United States, localfoundations have been important funding sourcesfor regional visioning efforts. Cultivate the com-munity organizations in your area: know their pri-orities, and shape funding requests to reflectthem. It may also be worth exploring organiza-tions that support social equity, or even theUnited Way, as potential funders.

To meet staff, data, and analysis needs, tap in-kind resources available from councils of gov-ernment, metropolitan planning organizations(MPOs), and other regional organizations. Don’toverlook in-kind contributions from universities,especially for analytical work. The news mediaprovided free public service announcements forEnvision Utah. Partnerships in which local mediaoutlets distribute visioning surveys as newspapercirculars, produce public-interest programmingon cable television, and cover visioning eventscan dramatically expand outreach efforts.

State Government

Federal transportation planning funds are allo-cated through state departments of transportation(DOTs) and passed on to MPOs. Nationwide,roughly $500 million in state planning andresearch (SPR) funds are allocated in this wayevery year. The Federal Highway Administrationis working with state DOTs to support scenarioplanning that integrates land use and transporta-tion planning, and SPR funds can be used forvisioning implementation activities that meet thisobjective. While these monies are used primarilyto support routine MPO activities, there is a realopportunity to build multiagency partnershipsand orient visioning implementation planning totake advantage of these federal funds.

Potential Federal Funding

Forum participants believe that there is thepotential for a White House summit or commis-sion that would focus on regional economies asthe functional level of economic competitivenessin the new global economy. Such a program could


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focus on strategies for enhancing the attractive-ness, vitality, and competitiveness of regionsthrough efficient infrastructure investment, inte-gration of long-range land use and transportationplanning, provision of balanced and affordablehousing opportunities, and other activities. Sucha high-level effort could result in new federalfunding opportunities for both regional planningand implementation.

Private Sector

Consistent with their desire to build consensuson where development should occur, organiza-tions of homebuilders have expressed an interestin supporting regional visioning exercises in sev-eral areas of the country. It seems likely that thisinterest could be expanded to include support forvisioning implementation activities. Banks, boththrough their foundations and their CommunityReinvestment Act activities, are potential fun-ders, as are economic development corporations,chambers of commerce, utility companies, and

regional news organizations. The tourism industryalso has an interest in healthy and attractiveregions and could be another funding source. For example, if the connection between regionaleconomic growth and tourism can be docu-mented, bed taxes could be directed towardorganizations that sponsor projects involvingplanning for growth.

Foundations

The foundation community has provided substan-tial funding for many visioning projects andshould never be overlooked as a financial part-ner. Understanding the connection between thebenefits of regional visioning and the mission of afoundation is the key to success in forming sucha partnership. Beyond those foundations thatfund environmental, transportation, or land useprojects, good candidates include communityfoundations, and those that seek to improvesocial equity, economic competitiveness, andoverall quality of life.

LeadershipTo be effective, visioning efforts need to be led by an organization that is perceived as

credible and neutral. Leaders within the organization must be drawn from all sectors

(environmental, business, community, government, and academia) to ensure balance and

effectiveness. Beginning at the start of the visioning project, leaders should be identified

who will be needed to follow through on implementation.

In multiphase initiatives, succession planning iscritical to engineering successful transitions; theroles and responsibilities that are needed at onephase may differ from those needed at laterphases. In particular, those who can effectivelylead the development of a vision are usually notthe same people who can lead the implementa-tion effort. As the visioning process movestoward the implementation phase, significant

planning may be necessary to ensure that theboard of the visioning organization includesmore implementers. It may be helpful to think of the leadership pool as being divided intoplatoons that bring different strengths to theprocess. Representation from each platoon isneeded at each phase, but the mix and balancemay change over time.

Tools and Technical AssistanceULI’s experience in convening multistakeholder groups, and its reputation for providing unbi-

ased information on land use policy and real estate development practices, makes it an ideal

organization to identify and disseminate a variety of regional visioning tools.

Fundraising leadership—particularly the abilityto sustain multiyear funding commitments—isalways needed. Fundraising is especially criticalas the visioning program moves into the imple-mentation phase, and as governmental partici-pants move from being cheerleaders or observersto being the objects of implementation strategies.

Leaders who are passionate about the visioninginitiative are also important in selling the effortto participants and contributors. The leadershipgroup should also include key followers—thosewho may not be passionate about visioning butwho can be persuaded to step forward to leadspecific elements of the implementation effort.

“Rolodex” leaders constitute another leadershipplatoon. Because these leaders are so well con-

nected to varied and interlocking networks, theycan be particularly effective in communicatingthe progress of the visioning effort and inrecruiting new participants.

Sustained visioning programs are leadershipintensive and can be very demanding, especiallyif leadership responsibility is too concentrated.It is important to reenergize the leadership teamby finding ways to recognize leaders and to cele-brate accomplishments. Bringing emerging lead-ers into the effort is also important to sustain thevitality of the leadership over the long haul.

Reaching beyond a region’s geographic bound-aries for infusions of talent, advice, and supportcan also help to inspire and reinvigorate a lead-ership team.


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These tools would consist primarily of case stud-ies that would (1) identify best practices andlessons learned and (2) document the impacts ofvisioning on each region. ULI could also providea list of resources for obtaining more informationon visioning. Finally, ULI could catalogue the var-ious visioning approaches in use, develop typolo-gies of approaches, and describe the factors thatlead to success with each approach. Some of theelements of the visioning process that should beanalyzed include the following:

n The purpose and goals of the vision;

n The organizing principles that guide the visioning process;

n The leadership structure;

n The tools used for civic engagement;

n The size of the budget and the sources of funding;

n The communications tools used;


n Any reassessment and redirection techniquesused to make midcourse corrections in thevisioning process;

n Implementation strategies and techniques.

The explosion of computer-based visualizationtools, Internet gaming techniques, and instantfeedback mechanisms (such as keypad polling),has created a need for a “how-to” book explaininghow to apply these tools to public engagementprocesses such as regional visioning. A ULI pub-lication on this topic could be developed in part-nership with the American Planning Association,universities, councils of government, or otherorganizations, and would have a broad audienceof planners, developers, and others who need toeffectively use these tools to garner communityinput on plans, projects, or visions.

ULI should also explore taking the UrbanPlanhigh school curriculum module from the projectlevel to a regional scale, as a tool for training abroad audience of all ages in regional thinking.1

The use of active learning tools can be quite apowerful experience for adults as well as foryoung people. It may be that with enhanced sup-port—for example, a training manual and how-toguide that would make the program simpler andless expensive to plan and to undertake—theULI Reality Check program offered by the Los

Angeles; Washington, D.C.; and North Texas dis-trict councils can serve this purpose.2

Some communities have created a long-rangeplan or vision but have not done the necessaryoutreach to build consensus for implementation.There may be a need for ULI to convene practi-tioners to develop techniques for testing or updat-ing a plan or vision. Such strategies would allowcommunities to engage residents and move thework forward, toward implementation, withoutgoing back to square one of the visioning process.

One of the major challenges inherent in vision-ing projects is the constant turnover of electedofficials, nonprofit leaders, business leaders, andothers. Turnover makes it essential to offer ongo-ing education and training programs for regionalleaders. The Alliance for Regional Stewardship,a national peer-to-peer learning network ofregional leaders, is doing good work in this area,training and educating leaders in consensusbuilding and collaboration skills that can beused over the long term. This work should besupported by foundations and government agen-cies so that it can be continued. It is worth not-ing, however, that training in leadership skillsshould be conducted somewhat differently forthe civic, business, and public sectors becauseeach sector has a different cultural context anddifferent leadership training needs.

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1. The UrbanPlan program is a guided simulation of a development problem in which students analyze and role-play all aspects of thedevelopment process and work in teams to propose solutions to the problem.

2. In the Reality Check exercise, diverse stakeholders from throughout a region are grouped around maps of the region. Using chips,Legos, or other physical markers to represent increments of growth, the participants allocate the forecasted growth in jobs and hous-ing for the next 20+ years to specific locations within the region.


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There is also a gap at the level of graduate education: there are no formal education pro-grams for future regional leaders. Perhaps aneffort should be made to develop a regionalleadership concentration within a public policyor planning school.

Finally, it would be valuable to catalog the avail-able models of regional governmental organiza-tions, creating “templates” for alternative regionalgovernment structures. There are a variety of goodmodels of regional governance, but there is no onecentral clearinghouse that offers information onthese models and on the lessons that have beenlearned from each.

Communications and MediaVisioning communications strategies should focus on three basic questions: Why are we

visioning? What is the vision? What is the strategy for implementing this vision? Effective

communications “keep it simple” and use repetition to reinforce important messages.

As in all communications efforts, it is importantto know the target audience. Because of thebreadth and diversity of the stakeholder groupsinvolved in visioning, it is often necessary to tai-lor communications by age, gender, ethnicity, pri-mary language, or economic status. For example,to reach people in their 50s—who may feel thatthey did visioning 20 years ago and that nothingmuch changed—the message may need to focuson why visioning is being done now and howimplementation will be handled. Similarly,recently arrived immigrants, in addition to need-ing communication in languages other than Eng-lish, may need communication that focuses onwhy their perspective is valuable to the processand why they have a stake in the outcome.

The single most important step in developing avisioning communications strategy is a thoroughvalues assessment that captures the language,priorities, and attitudes that various stakeholdersbring to growth and development issues. Care-fully distilling these values is critical to develop-ing communications that will engage and res-onate with stakeholders. For example, if “moretime with family” emerges as an important value,then it will be more effective to discuss the bene-fits of new transit service in terms of cutting com-muting time than in terms of reducing vehicle-miles traveled.

Don’t rush the values-assessment process. Give a wide range of participants an opportunity toexplore their concerns and aspirations in depth—and when analyzing their input, resist drilling downto conclusions too quickly. Nuances gleanedthrough this process can guide communications


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decisions for years to come, dramatically increas-ing the prospects of successful implementation.Thorough, sophisticated professional assistancewith this task is well worth the cost.

A shared regional vocabulary for the discussion of growth and development issues is another impor-tant product of the visioning process that will con-tinue to pay dividends throughout implementation.For example, gentrification is loaded with exclu-sionary associations; in Latino communities in Los Angeles, substituting “hentrification,” with itsSpanish allusion to “bringing people back,” helpedchange the tone of discussions of this issue.

Storytelling is always a vital part of a communi-cations strategy, especially when it comes tosuccess stories that provide models and encour-agement for the way ahead. Storytelling is anespecially effective way to reach those who mayhave become cynical (“Visioning is fine but noth-ing is really going to change”). Stories of surpris-ing and substantial implementation outcomes arean important resource for all those engaged invisioning projects.

It is also important to tap into the concerns andaspirations of a region by taking the time todevelop and refine a “rallying cry” that can beused to galvanize action and prod reluctant lead-ers to get on board. Being clear and conciseabout why implementing a vision is critical toachieving success as a region can be a very pow-erful communications tool.

Ensuring that the media are engaged in and educated about the vision is critical. The work of Envision Utah is an excellent model in thisregard: the goal there was not just to garner goodmedia coverage but to draw local media compa-nies to actively participate in the visioning effort.Founding chair Robert Grow suggests that mem-bers of the visioning steering committee meetevery year with the editorial board of every rele-vant media outlet in the region. If possible, pub-lishers of major newspapers and owners of localtelevision and radio stations should be includedas participants and leaders in the visioning effort.As always, it pays to make it easy for reporters toget the story right.

Free communications through the media can be a valuable in-kind contribution to implementa-tion. Every January, Envision Utah runs a half-hour documentary on the focus of implementationefforts for the coming year. Since ad revenues areat their lowest in January, donating broadcast timeto Envision Utah involves the loss of relatively lit-tle revenue, while Envision Utah gains a valuablepublic education opportunity.

Paid advertisements are also important elements of a comprehensive communications strategy.Tying advertisements closely to the values iden-tified in the values-assessment process, andusing the “shared regional language” that hasbeen developed, will increase public under-standing of planning concepts and terminologyand maximize the effectiveness of the adver-tisements. Of course, ads should be placed inappropriate media to ensure that various targetaudiences are reached.

There is also a potential role for an umbrellaorganization—a regional visioning coalition—that would include the 40 to 50 existing visioningorganizations, plus sponsors and practitioners.This organization could sponsor the Web site andother information-sharing mechanisms to advancevisioning practice. “Building This Nation for theNext Generation” could be used as a tag line forthe group; potential projects might include anational training workshop, a certification pro-gram, and a national speakers bureau.

Finally, a summit of the 20 or so national organiza-tions that have an interest in regional visioningwould help to coordinate the contributions thateach organization can make to the field of regionalvisioning implementation. These organizationsinclude ULI, the National Association of HomeBuilders, the American Planning Association, theAlliance for Regional Stewardship, the U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection Agency, the Federal HighwayAdministration, Smart Growth America, funders,think tanks, and academic institutions.


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Documentation and Dissemination of Best Practices

In addition to the ULI resources discussed earlier in this report, a sponsored Web site that

would serve as an official archive of all visioning efforts would be a helpful resource. The

Web site should draw from as many regional visioning projects as possible, and should

include reports, newsletters, plans, workshop write-ups, surveys, polling questions, and

communications strategies and tools.

Envision Utah, often regarded as the premiermodel of successful regional visioning implemen-tation in the United States, is a public/privatepartnership formed in 1997 to study the long-termeffects of growth in the Wasatch Valley. The processincluded five years of research, public involve-ment, and analysis of alternative growth scenarios,all of which led to the development of the QualityGrowth Strategy. This strategy is focused on pre-serving critical lands, promoting water conservationand clean air, improving regionwide transportationsystems, and providing housing options. The mis-sion of Envision Utah is to keep Utah beautiful,prosperous, and neighborly.

Robert Grow credits the implementation successof Envision Utah to three factors: inclusiveness,values, and communication. First and most

important, from the start of the process EnvisionUtah brought all those people to the table whowould need to play a role in implementing thevision. Inclusive stakeholder planning is essen-tial: omitting any key stakeholders can result in amissed opportunity to implement the vision.Among the stakeholder groups that must be ade-quately represented are the following:

n Business leaders. Often these are the more con-servative stakeholders; they may also have thepolitical clout that is essential for legislativeimplementation.

n Developers. They are the ones who build whatthe vision calls for.

n Utilities companies. They provide the infra-structure.


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Case Studies

Regional visioning practice has evolved to the point where there is now a track record of

implementation efforts in a number of communities. Lessons learned from these experi-

ences can inform the efforts of regions that have undergone a visioning development process

more recently.

Envision Utah

Broad-based public input

is a hallmark of the

Envision Utah process.


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n Local government. It plans and zones the land.n State government. In many states, legislation

has to be changed at the state level in order toimplement better growth strategies.

n Conservation and citizens’ groups. If substantialconsensus is not reached, environmental groupsare the most likely to sue.

n Religious leaders. They are major opinion lead-ers in the community.

n Educators. As old schools become run down and new schools are built farther away from the urban core, educational institutions oftenbecome the victims of sprawl; serving sprawlingcommunities is an expensive proposition forschool districts. Educators are also importantvisioning stakeholders because educationalquality is a primary driver of individual loca-tional decisions—and is thus a key variableaffecting the region’s ability to implement itsgrowth vision.

n Media. The media can provide opportunities for public education.

The second critical element of Envision Utah’ssuccess was that the initiative was values based.By identifying widely shared values, EnvisionUtah created the common ground that kept peo-ple working together throughout the process.From the beginning, Envision Utah’s leadersreached out, seeking input on what was mostimportant to citizens; the leaders then deter-mined how to accomplish the goals that wereidentified. The resulting vision was not simply agrowth map for the region but a group of develop

ment strategies with a broad base of support.Envision Utah found that regional visioning isabout satisfying the market and removing barriersto the desired choices.

In Utah, the values analysis showed that per-sonal safety and security was the number-onecitizen concern. The next major priority wascommunity enrichment, including where peoplerecreate and where schools are located. Maxi-mizing personal time and lifestyle opportunitieswere next on the list. Traffic congestion wasanother priority, both because it reduces timewith family and because it interferes with mobil-ity, and thereby prevents residents from takingadvantage of employment and entertainmentopportunities. The values analysis provided aroad map for how to communicate about theregional choices facing residents.

Effective, ongoing communication is the final keyto Envision Utah’s success. Leaders discussissues so that the public can relate to them, andcitizens feel included. But because the EnvisionUtah process is ongoing, keeping people engagedand informed over time can be challenging. Theinitiative relies on a variety of communicationsstrategies, including newspaper inserts, publicservice announcements, and an educational pro-gram aired during January (when free program-ming has the least impact on advertising revenuesfor the station donating the broadcast time).

Thanks to a visioning process that is inclusive,values based, and communications intensive,Envision Utah has created a quality growthstrategy that enjoys broad support. The statenow has a long-range transportation plan that

Visioning Implementation in Large, Complex Regions


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envisions a balanced, intermodal transportationsystem that will be integrated with local landuse planning. Major cities are changing theirland use plans to maximize the developmentopportunities created by investments in thetransportation system, and mayors involved inthe process are adding more public transporta-tion to their systems.

Other lessons learned from Envision Utahinclude the following:

n Provide the public with clear choices;n Tap into the unique history and culture of the

community;n Build consensus for a common future by identi-

fying widely held, deeply set values, desires,and aspirations: tap into people’s hearts andtheir heads;

n Develop goals and implementation strategies toachieve the public vision.

The purpose of regional visioning is to bringabout growth and change. Regional visioning dif-fers from planning in that it creates a commonunderstanding of the place the region is becom-ing, and allows the public to create its own sce-narios in an open and collaborative process.Visioning allows leaders to take untested ideas,model them, and analyze the impacts, often with unexpected results. Successful large-scaleregional visions create many new regionalthinkers and turn plans into action. Chicago andLos Angeles have successfully tackled the chal-lenges of building a regional vision in a large anddiverse area.

Chicago Metropolis 2020: Chicago, Illinois

The Chicago Metropolis 2020 Plan was createdby the Commercial Club of Chicago, a member-ship organization of powerful business andcivic leaders founded in 1877. The Commer-cial Club is perhaps best known for havinghired Daniel Burnham to create the ChicagoPlan of 1909. But, nearly 100 years later, nonew vision for the region existed—a situation

that the Commercial Club decided to addressby creating Chicago Metropolis 2020. The pur-pose of Chicago Metropolis 2020 was to study the issues and challenges facingChicago; the culmination of the effort wasChicago Metropolis 2020: Preparing Metropoli-tan Chicago for the 21st Century, a report thatoutlines strategies for attracting needed invest-ment and creating new jobs for the region.

Today, the Chicago region encompasses 4,000square miles (10,360 square kilometers), 8 mil-lion people, and 280 local governments. ChicagoMetropolis 2020 used the Envision Utah processas a model but added an analysis that created aregional plan. The Chicago Metropolis 2020 Plan seeks to optimize growth patterns in waysthat will be both feasible and market compatible.To implement the vision, leaders identified keylarge-scale program areas in which to move for-ward; two such areas are (1) the completion of a detailed assessment of regional housing needsand (2) land use planning for freight transpor-tation centers.


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Chicago has a high rate of homeownership: 68 percent. But there is a widespread prejudiceagainst approving the construction of new rentalhousing: in the past 20 years, only 2 percent ofnew housing construction has been rental. As aresult, Chicago had some of the highest rates ofovercrowding in the country. An analysis thatcompared forecast housing supply and demand toexisting zoning regulations indicated that over-crowding—and a sizable deficit in workforcehousing—would continue. In 2002, ChicagoMetropolis 2020 issued the 40-Point WorkforceHousing Action Agenda, which defines specificactions that will be needed at all levels of gov-ernment, as well as in the business community, to address the shortage of workforce housing.

The Chicago region has more than 100,000 acres (40,470 hectares) of industrial land, about29,000 acres (11,735 hectares) of which can be

considered “freight oriented.” Freight makes upapproximately 25 percent of the regional econ-omy, and this land is important not just to theregion but to the smooth functioning of the stateand national economies. Nevertheless, by the1990s, there was no plan to optimize the useful-ness of this land. Meanwhile, Chicago facedgrowth pressures and needed to tap into this landfor development. The Metropolis Freight Plan:Delivering the Goods, a report undertaken byChicago Metropolis 2020, reflects the results of a multiyear study examining the connectionbetween land use and the use of freight for trans-porting goods. The report makes a series of rec-ommendations on how to plan for and invest infreight systems and land use improvements.

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Well-planned industrial land uses that support the

extensive freight facilities in the Chicago region are an

important outcome of the Chicago Metropolis 2020 project.


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The Compass Project

mapped in detail the

2 percent of the Los

Angeles region’s land

in which more intensive

redevelopment will

yield significant

transportation and

environmental benefits.

The Compass Project: Los Angeles, CaliforniaSouthern California encompasses 35,000 squaremiles (90,650 square kilometers). It is home tomore than 17 million people and is expected tohave at least 6 million more residents by 2030.Using Envision Utah as a model, the SouthernCalifornia Association of Governments (SCAG),the largest regional government in the country,undertook the Compass Project to create aregional vision for Los Angeles.

The result of the Compass analysis is known asthe 2% Strategy, in recognition of the fact thatonly 2 percent of the land use in the region had tochange substantially for the entire region to reapthe resulting transportation and environmentalbenefits. For example, SCAG staff projected that(1) $200 billion in transportation improvements over

the next 25 years would reduce vehicle-miles trav-eled (VMT) by about 6 million miles (9.7 millionkilometers) per day, and that (2) land use changeson 2 percent of the region’s lands would havetwice as much impact, reducing VMT by an addi-tional 12 million miles (19.3 million kilometers).Land use changes were projected to yield simi-larly high benefits in the case of traffic delays andair quality (including making it possible for theregion to achieve conformity with national stan-dards for air quality). The 2% Strategy calls forconcentrating mixed-use development near trans-portation corridors, transit stations, and regionalcenters. The strategy has achieved significantlocal support and will be incorporated into theregional transportation plan by 2010.

The “2% areas” have been mapped, and SCAGleaders are now working with municipalities todemonstrate the benefits of implementing this


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regional vision at the local level. Using visuali-zation tools based on geographic information sys-tems, SCAG can demonstrate how “2% areas” in each municipality would look under differentdevelopment scenarios: what the current zoningallows, how much revenue will accrue to localgovernments through different types of develop-ment, and what the return on investment to proj-ect proponents would be. Local governments

that complete station-area corridor plans con-sistent with the 2% Strategy are eligible fortechnical assistance from SCAG, and for prefer-ential treatment for transportation improvementprojects in the regional long-range transportationplan. SCAG has also created a mechanism tobenchmark progress and track success in imple-menting the vision.

Visioning Implementation in Medium-Sized and Smaller Regions

All successful regional visions result in the following:

n The ability to focus growth where growth ismost appropriate;

n The ability to connect growth with transit andinfrastructure investment;

n Predictable, balanced land use regulations thatcreate a level playing field for developers andencourage the development of more vibrantcommunities;

n Sufficient resources to support economic devel-opment, infrastructure investment, and envi-ronmental protection.

These visioning implementation goals can beachieved in smaller regions where visioningbudgets are more limited.

Vision 2000: Chattanooga, TennesseeChattanooga, Tennessee, is an early example ofhow significantly a region can be changed by theimplementation of a regional vision. The visioningprocess began in 1984 and resulted in the imple-mentation of 232 specific initiatives over a nine-year period, a quick turnaround by most standards.Over the same period, Chattanooga gained approxi-mately $2 billion in new investments for projectsand initiatives identified by the visioning process.Chattanooga is thus well regarded as a model ofvisioning and implementation.

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The Vision 2000 project resulted in

investments that dramatically changed

Chattanooga’s riverfront and downtown.


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Vision 2000 was brought about by a diversegroup of citizens who wanted to develop a betterway to make decisions and to create a sharedvision for the region’s future. Instead of relyingon a top-down or bottom-up approach, visioningleaders used a “center-out” approach, an ever-expanding effort to engage a wide range of stake-holders. The focus was not on fixing problemsbut on identifying both the positive and negativeaspects of the community and exploring possibili-ties for the future. Instead of narrowing the scopeof discussion to a few priorities, visioning leaderschose to put every issue on the table and encour-aged community residents to talk about all ofthem. This approach yielded a broad agenda sup-ported by passionate, interested people whocould effect change.

Aside from the physical results of Chattanooga’svisioning effort, the process forever changed thespirit of the community, creating positive energyand a sense of empowerment. In addition, manyof the people who served on task forces went onto become community leaders.

Region 2020: Birmingham, AlabamaAnother example of successful visioning imple-mentation is the citizen-driven visioning effortundertaken in the Birmingham, Alabama, region.Birmingham is a diverse area and a greatlydivided region, with rural/urban and bigtown/small town dichotomies, and underlyingracial tensions. Throughout the region are areasof explosive growth.

The regional visioning effort was started byabout a dozen leaders who saw the need forregional solutions. Very quickly, thanks to a center-out approach to stakeholder involvement,what started as a handful of participants becamea regional growth alliance involving thousands of people.

The results of the visioning process are referredto as the “Three P’s”: place, people, and prosper-ity. The initiative had three key characteristics:

n The visioning effort did not start with anagenda but with a blank slate.

n Visioning leaders made a profound commit-ment to geographical and demographic inclu-siveness.

n Although the effort was citizen driven, round-tables with elected officials were held early inthe process, to ensure government involvement.

Chattanooga’s commitment to preserving its historic buildings is evident in

the “before” and “after” pictures of a downtown restoration project.

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Regional decision making is undergoing a pro-found, albeit slow, change. The adversarial modelof interaction between business, government, andcivic organizations is giving way to more creative,flexible, multifaceted problem solving that isdriven by passion, knowledge, and greater recog-nition of the fact that the regional level is theappropriate scale to address many issues.

Implementation of a regional agenda is bestachieved through transparency and accountability,which build trust and legitimacy among all play-ers. Implementation starts on day one of a regionalvisioning effort and should not be an afterthought.Implementation considerations should inform thecomposition of leadership groups, the scope of thevision, and funding goals.

Implementation is often about removing obstaclesand circumventing gatekeepers. The best way todeal with road blockers and gatekeepers—localofficials, entrenched bureaucrats, single-issueexperts, NIMBY interests, and advocates of “silver-bullet solutions”—is to include them.

Inclusiveness is not an option. It applies to theinvolvement of participants as well as to the scopeof the vision. Inclusiveness with regard to partici-pants allows new regional leaders to be identifiedand ensures that all interests are represented inthe vision. Inclusiveness with regard to scopemakes it possible to integrate issues and solutionsin ways that move beyond professional boundaries.

It is essential to learn to work with, trust, andintegrate both intuitive and informed knowledgeand to accept the notion that existing trends arenot immutable destiny: a new vision can changethe way a community grows and evolves.

Place matters. Residents develop a profoundbond with the geography, people, and culture ofthe place where they have chosen to live. Theyalso want to protect the investments they havemade in their businesses, homes, and families.The love of place is a deep motivational factorand a source of leadership and stewardship forregional visioning programs.

Additional ObservationsGianni LongoACP Visioning and Planning


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John ParrAlliance for Regional Stewardship

First and foremost, visioning efforts should not beconsidered planning initiatives but campaigns forchange. Ultimately, successful visions requiresignificant change in the way large numbers ofpeople think about their regions and in how theyact in their everyday lives. They might begin touse alternative modes of transportation. Theymight begin to realize how important it is to havehousing choices to accommodate all stages of thehuman life cycle. They might understand thenecessity for increasing the availability of afford-able housing in their neighborhoods. Visioning isa campaign to analyze and influence individualchoices on a large scale, and this requires thekind of focused and sophisticated marketing ofideas that is more typical of political campaignsthan of planning initiatives.

Although all regions are unique, they are not fun-damentally different in the challenges they facein forming a regional vision. Each region mustfocus on those strengths that make it unique andon the aspirations of the people who live andwork there. In all regions across the country,there are typically four simultaneous conversa-tions being held about challenges for the future.People are talking about economic factors andabout generating meaningful jobs. They are dis-cussing social inclusion and how to build trust

and relationships. There is a conversation aboutcreating livable communities that will attractinvestment and skilled workers, so that the regioncan be competitive in a global economy. Andthere is a conversation about creating a governingstructure that makes decisions efficiently andcollaboratively to achieve the desired results.Effective visioning integrates these four conver-sations and builds trust as stakeholders takerisks together to implement the vision.

In the past, much change was initiated through atop-down process, whereby experts and opinionleaders arrived at a solution and publicized thenew approach. Today, peer-to-peer networking is more often the avenue of innovation. ULI is agood example of an organization that can be aneffective catalyst for change because of the trustand communication that are built through mem-ber exchanges. Through research and sharing of best practices among its members, and inpartnership with other organizations, ULI cancapture success stories and develop handbooksand tool kits to help practitioners and commu-nities implement new practices. Such resourcesopen the door to regional visioning for commu-nities that might not otherwise have the tools nec-essary to initiate change.


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F o r u m P a r t i c i p a n t sForum ChairRobert M. RhodesOf CounselFoley & LardnerJacksonville, Florida

Forum MembersJohn BaileyDirectorWashington Smart Growth AllianceWashington, D.C.

Frank H. BealExecutive DirectorChicago Metropolis 2020Chicago, Illinois

Cynthia J. BurbankAssociate Administrator for Plan-

ning, Environment, and Realty

Federal Highway Administration

Washington, D.C.

Rex BurkeholderDeputy Council PresidentMetro CouncilPortland, Oregon

Andrew CotugnoPlanning DirectorMetro CouncilPortland, Oregon

Carolyn DekleExecutive DirectorSouth Florida Regional

Planning CouncilHollywood, Florida

Lee EpsteinDirector, Lands ProgramChesapeake Bay FoundationAnnapolis, Maryland

Ann Florie Executive DirectorLeadership BirminghamBirmingham, Alabama

Leonard Forkas, Jr.PartnerMilestone Communities, Inc.Reston, Virginia

John FregonesePrincipalFregonese Calthorpe AssociatesPortland, Oregon

Richard GollisPrincipalThe Concord Group, LLCNewport Beach, California

Robert GrowSenior CounselO’Melveny & Myers, LLPSalt Lake City, Utah

Jay HaileyPartnerLocke, Liddell & Sapp, LLPAustin, Texas

Charles JonesChief Program OfficerWashington, D.C.,

Partnership Office Fannie MaeWashington, D.C.

Shelley LautenProject DirectorMyRegion.OrgOrlando, Florida

Gianni LongoPrincipalACP Visioning & PlanningNew York, New York

R. Randolph Lyon, Jr.PresidentXentury City Development

Company, LLCOrlando, Florida


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Daniel W. MahurinChairman, President, and Chief

Executive OfficerSunTrust Bank, Tampa Tampa, Florida

Maureen McAveySenior Resident FellowULI–the Urban Land InstituteWashington, D.C.

John McIlwainSenior Resident FellowULI–the Urban Land InstituteWashington, D.C.

Robert L. McKim Jr.Vice PresidentPGAV, Inc.Westwood, Kansas

James F. MurleyDirectorCatanese Center for Urban and

Environmental Solutions, FloridaAtlantic University

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Arthur C. NelsonProfessor and Director, Urban

Affairs and PlanningVirginia TechAlexandria, Virginia

John ParrPresidentAlliance for Regional

StewardshipDenver, Colorado

Katherine Aguilar PerezExecutive DirectorTransportation and Land

Use CollaborativeAzusa, California

Stuart L. RogelPresident and Chief

Executive OfficerTampa Bay PartnershipTampa, Florida

Stewart SchwartzExecutive DirectorCoalition for Smarter GrowthWashington, D.C.

Lee SobelReal Estate and Finance

SpecialistU.S. Environmental

Protection AgencyWashington, D.C.

ULI StaffSuzanne CartwrightDirector, Community Outreach for

Land Use ProgramsULI–the Urban Land InstituteWashington, D.C.

Laura ColeExecutive DirectorULI WashingtonReston, Virginia

James DurrettExecutive DirectorAtlanta District CouncilULI AtlantaAtlanta, Georgia

Marta GoldsmithSenior Vice President,

Community OutreachULI–the Urban Land InstituteWashington, D.C.

Michael PawlukiewiczDirector, Environment and

Policy EducationULI–the Urban Land InstituteWashington, D.C.

$ULI–the Urban Land Institute1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W.Suite 500 WestWashington, D.C. 20007-5201www.uli.org

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