2030 Regional Development Framework Summary

Together, shaping our future

During the 1990s, the Twin Cities metropolitan area gained more population – 353,000 people – than in any previous decade in our history.

Accommodating growth is not always easy, as any of us who has been stuck in rush-hour traffic can attest. And the Twin Cities will keep growing. By the year 2030, we expect the region to add nearly 1 million people – the equivalent of two Denvers plunked down within the boundaries of the seven-county metro area.

Such robust growth is a sign of our region’s continued economic health and vitality. But it will bring both opportunities and challenges:

How do we accommodate growth while maintaining the quality of life for the 2.7 million people who already live and work here?
How do we preserve and revitalize the communities and neighbhorhoods we prize – the buildings, parks, shared spaces and streets that tell us we’re “home” – while building new communities with their own character and sense of place?
How do we capitalize on our opportunities for economic development while preserving our vital natural assets and abundant opportunities for outdoor recreation?

It’s about flexibility, efficiency, cooperation

The purpose of the 2030 Regional Development Framework is to provide a plan for how the Metropolitan Council – in partnership with local communities, builders, environmentalists and others – can guide our region’s growth and shape our future.

In the Framework, the Council emphasizes its commitment to:

Work collaboratively with local communities.
Make the most cost-effective use of new and existing roads, sewers and other costly infrastructure.
Be accountable to the public – by establishing benchmarks for annually measuring the region’s progress toward our goals.

The Framework recognizes that “one size does not fit all” – that different communities have different opportunities, needs and aspirations. But it also reflects the belief that all communities have a shared responsibility to help accommodate the region’s growth in a sensible, cost-effective manner.

It also acknowledges that the Council doesn’t have a monopoly on new ideas for guiding growth and development. Many of the ideas contained in the Framework grew out of efforts already underway in communities throughout the region – from Brooklyn Park to Burnsville and Maplewood to Maple Grove.

Our strategies for success

The Council’s strategies are organized around four policies:

1. Accommodating growth in a flexible, connected and efficient manner.

Supporting land-use patterns that efficiently connect housing, jobs, retail centers and civic uses.
Encouraging growth and reinvestment in centers with convenient access to transportation corridors.
Ensuring an adequate supply of developable land for future growth.

2. Slowing the growth in traffic congestion and improving mobility.

Improving the highway system, removing bottlenecks and adding capacity.
Making more efficient use of the highway system by encouraging flexible work hours, telecommuting, ridesharing and other traffic management efforts.
Expanding the bus system and developing a network of new bus and/or rail transitways, based on a thorough cost-benefit analysis.

3. Encouraging expanded choices in housing locations and types.

Allowing market forces to respond to changing market needs, including increased demand for townhomes and condominiums as baby-boomers grow older.
Preserving the existing housing stock to help maintain a full range of housing choices.
Supporting the production of lifecycle and affordable housing with better links to jobs, services and amenities.

4. Working to conserve, protect and enhance the region's vital natural resources.

Encouraging the integration of natural-resource conservation into all land-planning decisions.
Seeking to protect important natural resources and adding areas to the regional park system.
Working to protect our region’s water resources.

Measuring our region’s progress

Many of the goals and objectives established in the Framework are ambitious. Our success will hinge on the efforts not only of the Metropolitan Council, but also those of local communities and our other regional partners. They also will require the commitment of additional resources – particularly in the areas of highways and transit.

Nonetheless, the Council is committed to monitoring our region’s progress toward the achievement of our goals. The Framework includes a set of benchmarks that will be used to track and measure our progress on an annual basis. See the latest Regional Framework benchmarks (pdf).