Smart Growth Resource Library

Regional Conservation Priorities

The Washington Smart Growth Alliance has published Regional Conservation Priorities 2008: A Call to Action, a juried list of programs and projects in the Washington, D.C. are that offer the most promise or of the highest urgency in promoting sustainability in the National Capital Region.

From the report: By the year 2030, the National Capital Region is expected to increase by 2 million people and over 1.6 million jobs. In the face of concerns about climate change and rising energy costs, the prospect of this growth raises serious questions about the patterns of land use and development in this region. Many are wondering if the typical suburban growth patterns we continue to experience are sustainable, especially over the long term. The region is touted for its ''walkability'' due to a growing number of walkable neighborhoods, particularly around transit stations. Yet, our metro area's ''carbon footprint'' reflects the continuing suburbanization and increase in the vehicle miles each of us travels to reach our destinations—the places where we live, work, play, study, worship, shop and recreate.

The Alliance's programs seek to promote the overall sustainability of our region by encouraging smart growth alternatives such as compact and infill development that can be more affordable for our citizens in the short term and more sustainable over the long term. At the same time, it is clear that smart conservation—preserving working open space, parkland or natural areas and restoring green components of urban environments—can help shape growth patterns over time, as well as enhance land stewardship, air and water quality, and quality of life.

The goal of the Regional Conservation Priorities List is to promote conservation initiatives that contribute most to our future quality of life. Each year an independent conservation jury reviews numerous nominations and selects those few projects or programs that offer the most promise or that are of the highest urgency.

16 pages (1.6mb); available online as a PDF document at the resource link below.

Resource: http://www.sgalliance.org/documents/RCPL_2008.pdf

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