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	Coalition for Smarter Growth PRESS RELEASE Thursday, February 03, 2005 Contacts: Laura Olsen, (202) 244-4408
Business Leaders, Developers, Officials and Civic Groups choose to focus new growth near metro and protect our open spaces

See a summary of the results. More information about Reality Check.	View more photos from the event.
At Wednesday’s Reality Check exercise, 300 elected officials and community, environmental, development and business leaders from more than 20 jurisdictions throughout the region participated in a unique one-day exercise to discuss how the region will absorb another 2 million people and 1.6 million jobs over the next 25 years.

“There was considerable agreement that growth should be contained, focused near transit stations, with a balance of housing and jobs,” noted Gerrit Knaap of the University of Maryland in his presentation of the results to over 600 people Wednesday afternoon.

Through discourse and negotiation, all 300 participants proposed alternative growth scenarios by placing LEGO® blocks representing 2 million new residents and 1.6 million new jobs on a grid-covered map of the region. The participants worked in geographically and professional diverse groups of 10 people at 30 separate tables.

“Participants strongly articulated the desire to create more affordable housing close-in, near job centers and to take more advantage of Metro by putting more housing and jobs close to the stations,” noted Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth and a participant. “Nearly everyone recognized the need for more jobs on the east side of the region to reduce commutes and to take advantage of the capacity for growth near transit stations that currently lack development.”

There was considerable agreement that new housing should be concentrated inside the beltway and near transit. Every table increased the amount of housing near transit and almost every table increased the percentage of jobs near transit. As a companion to that, most tables kept nearly all of the region’s future growth within the existing developed areas, the urban envelope designated by the census.

“Some speculative developers have tried to convince elected officials and residents on the edge of the region that they must approve tens of thousands of new houses on undeveloped land, but 300 people representing all interests had a different answer. They found no need to put growth far from existing jobs and infrastructure and instead were able to accommodate 2 million new residents without massive growth in existing low-density and rural areas,” said Laura Olsen, Assistant Director, Coalition for Smarter Growth and a participant.

The sponsoring groups said the results of this work will set the groundwork for needed regional dialogue and future action to accommodate growth in a way that leverages resources, adds value to our communities, and protects our environment and quality of life.

A full report compiling the outcome of the exercise will be released in April. This report will also include tools, indicators and recommendations for value-added planning on the local and regional levels.

The Smart Growth Alliance* and Urban Land Institute’s Washington District Council were lead sponsors of the event, which was co-sponsored by a broad coalition of more than a dozen government, business and educational and environmental organizations from across the D.C. area.

A summary of the results from Wednesday’s exercise are available at: www.smartergrowth.net .

* Urban Land Institute (Washington District Council), Greater Washington Board of Trade, Coalition for Smarter Growth, Metropolitan Builders Council, and Chesapeake Bay Foundation

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