Commissioner District 4 El Paso County, Colorado Colorado Springs, Colorado
This session will focus on two case studies: 1) El Paso County Master Plan in Colorado, and 2) Fayette County Comprehensive Plan in West Virgina. Both counties, while very different, represent vast environmentally rich regions, from Pikes Peak, the highest summit of the southern front range of the Rocky Mountains, to very recently dedicated New River Gorge National Park and Preserve that stretched along 53 miles of some of the nation’s best white. One county is expecting to grow by more than 250,000 people by 2050, the other is looking to leverage tourism to bolster local quality of life. These case studies show how the natural environment was established as a top priority during the engagement process and how suitability analysis, asset and influence mapping, procedural modeling and visualization was utilized to direct new development and investment in a manner that protects and enhances regional environmental features, ecosystems, and assets, while accommodating projected growth. As stewards of the natural environment, environmental justice demands that these precious resources be protected and available as a benefit for all. The case studies will highlight how effective, data-driven decision-making can ensure that growth and development can be done in a responsible and equitable manner.
Identify environmental and ecological assets, features, and geographies that need to be protected as development and growth pressures occur in a county or region.
Utilize suitability analysis, GIS, procedural modeling, and visualization to effectively target strategies for conservation and development.
Provide the nexus between planning policy, community values, and targeted land use strategies to create consensus for action on issues of vital environmental importance.
