Central Minnesotans to get first look at scenarios for regional master plan coordinated by U of M

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/30/2011) —Central Minnesotans will meet to vote on four distinct regional possibilities—four futuristic scenarios—for their region’s long-term sustainable development at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15 at The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes in Baxter, Minn.

The meeting is part of the Central Minnesota Sustainable Development Plan (CMSDP), a two-year, community-led project designed to boost Central Minnesota’s economy, housing, land use and transportation efforts in sustainable ways. The CMSDP is coordinated by the University of Minnesota Regional Sustainable Development Program (RSDP) and the Region Five Development Commission and funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The four scenarios being voted on range in title from “Abundance” to “Doomsday” and represent more than six months of research and community input collected and graphically illustrated by RSDP staff and students. They were created by the CMSDP’s four citizen-based work groups who were asked to identify and address key challenges facing their region—including an aging population; a shortage of affordable housing, transportation options and economic opportunities; and unsustainable land use practices.

Between 150 and 200 community members representing Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties are expected to attend the meeting. The winning scenarios will create a vision, which in turn will determine the policy and action items that will form the basis of the CMSDP. It will be presented to HUD, the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency in December 2012.

“Each scenario represents a distinct future for Central Minnesota, with each requiring a different method of approach,” says RSDP statewide director Kathryn Draeger. “Details of the scenarios have been teased out and will be powerfully illustrated with maps and graphics to provide a very clear look into the future of the region.”

The Regional Sustainable Development Partnerships program is an outreach arm of the university that works to vitalize Minnesota’s five geographic regions by addressing community-identified issues. For details on the CMSDP project, visit www.rsdp.umn.edu.

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• Last modified on November 30, 2011