A Visioning Partnership Kevin F. Byrnes, AICP Director of Regional Planning George Washington Regional Commission RiversideQuest:
Regional Population Ranking (of 21 regions)
George Washington Region: Overview 5 local govts., 1,401 square miles 55 mi. from National Capital, 60 mi. from State Capital 3 military bases (all effected by BRAC) 2 nd largest military historical park system in the US, historic downtown 2000 population = 241, population = 309, population = 592,696
Northern Virginia Land Use and Development Trends (1992, 2001, 2005)
Mid-Atlantic Regional Population Growth:
GW …A Region With a New Identity Yet Still A Region Divided between 2 MSAs With Current & Future Commuting Trends That Preclude “MSA” designation Future Population Growth Driven by Positive Net Migration = Future Residents with No Ties to Regional Historical Traditions Local Govts Seeking to Integrate Regional Transportation & Land Use Planning …A Region … That Needs a Common Vision!
Literature & Market Review of Regional Planning & Development Simulation Models…… “Is there something out there that functions like ‘SimCity’ on a regional scale to stimulate public discussion about how the region could or should develop & change?”
GWRC Partnership with Envision Sustainability Tools GWRC approached by Envision to be 1 of 2 “early adopter” US partners to use MetroQuest or RiversideQuest [GWRC & DRCOG (Denver)] GWRC gets discounted software, training & support services GWRC gives program market exposure and provides objective feedback to interested parties as well as user comments to developers for future enhancements
Achieving a Regional Vision 1.Engage state and local elected officials to introduce the RiversideQuest tool, facilitated by Envision 2.Hold public workshops throughout the Region to get public & stakeholder input on Region’s future 3.Develop a regional vision statement from public workshop input 4.Present vision statement to local elected County Boards & City Council, regional stakeholders 5.GWRC adoption of regional vision statement 6.GWRC undertake elements of regional comprehensive policy plan
Kevin F. Byrnes, AICP Envision Sustainability Tools Vancouver, B.C.