4. 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
5. 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
6. 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
7. 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
10. 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
12. 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
13. THE TOMORROW PLAN
The Tomorrow Plan will respond to:
– Socioeconomic factors
– The natural environment
– The built environment
14. THE TOMORROW PLAN
Five phase process over 20 months
– Project initiation
– Regional assessment
– Regional vision for sustainability
– Regional sustainability framework
– Sustainability report and implementation
15. OUTCOMES OF THE TOMORROW PLAN
Aligned plans in the region
Increased participation + decision-making
Reduced socioeconomic disparities
Decreased vehicle miles traveled
Decreased housing + transportation costs
Infill + compact development
Improved access
Improved public health
Decreased hazardous environmental threats
Enhanced regional competitiveness
17. 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
18. WHY NOW?
State of Iowa’s increased
commitment to planning in the form
of the Smart Planning Principles
Opportunity to serve as a model
regarding regional planning
Area leaders realize that the region
lies at a crossroads
– Autonomy + collaboration
– Status quo + creating a more sustainable
future
19. 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
20. 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
22. THE TOMORROW TEAM
Governmental, regional planning agencies, nonprofits, and
public + private sector partners
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”
23. THE TOMORROW TEAM
Project
Steering Committee
Project
MPO Staff (INSERT GRAPHIC)
Consultant Team
Technical Public Partners
Committees Input + Comment Committee
25. 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
27. 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)
28. 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?
35. 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?
37. HOUSING COSTS TODAY
* Ratio of median home value to median annual household income
38. 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
40. 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
41. 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
42. 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…”
43. ENGAGING THE PUBLIC IN THE TOMORROW PLAN
Traditional public engagement techniques
– Community meetings
– Stakeholder interviews
– Surveys
– Task forces + focus groups
44. 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
45. 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
47. WHERE IS THE PROJECT TODAY?
Synthesizing public input from project launch event
– Online survey
– Living regionally activity
Preparing for first public outreach series to determine what
are viewed as key resources, opportunities, and challenges
– October 24: Lakeside Center, Ankeny
– October 25: Des Moines Central Library
– October 25: Raccoon River Park Nature Lodge, West Des Moines
– October 26: Windsor Heights Community Center
– October 27: Doanes Park Youth Center, Pleasant Hill
Analyzing data to understand the existing conditions in the
region
