Raven Society hears ideas for achieving quality growth

By Timothy Hankins
of the Daily Times Staff

As populations continue to grow and the need for more space and resources increases, local communities must find ways to insure quality growth that respects the nature and character of the region. That’s the message that Bridget Jones, executive director of Cumberland Region Tomorrow, brought to the Raven Society during a presentation Sunday at the Blount County Public Library.

Jones said the issues facing a growing East Tennessee are not unique to the area. Communities across the nation are all trying to “figure out how to re-create the future,” she said.

Jones cited statistics from Davidson County to illustrate her point. By the year 2020, that area will be faced with the task of accommodating a 33 percent increase in the job market and coming up with $10 billion in infrastructure to accommodate the increased population, traffic and commerce. Additionally, the area will face the quandary of how to balance economic growth with environmental concerns and quality-of-life issues.

One of the biggest concerns on both of these fronts is lengthening commutes as people live farther and farther away from where they work. This is happening because communities “change the rules for sprawl, throw some gas on it and see what happens,” Jones said.

Jones’ organization has set about trying to address these impending problems by creating strategic planning scenarios for dealing with economic growth. The program is called Quality Growth, and Jones says her group has experienced a great deal of success in using this new way of thinking about growth in Middle Tennessee.

A ‘toolbox’ for growth

The initiative seeks to find ways to encourage economic development while finding alternative ways to manage it. CRT focusses on maximizing the use of existing roads and infrastructure, creating high-quality comprehensive plans and changing building rules to accommodate growth while reducing land consumption, environmental impact and vehicle dependence in the areas affected by increased economic development.

The group has created a new tool called the Quality Growth Toolbox to help other communities leverage what CRT has learned in assisting Middle Tennessee plan for growth. Jones demonstrated the tool and explained how learning the concepts of Quality Growth can benefit any community seeking to grow in a way that maximizes existing resources and communities. Such planning is key to “ensuring the region’s economic vitality through quality growth,” Jones said.

Preservation Award to Stone

The Raven Society also honored Dean Stone, editor of the Daily Times, with the group’s annual Preservation Award. The group chose to honor Stone for his efforts to preserve the unique history of life in Blount County and the East Tennessee mountains.

Booty Miller presented the award. “I’m the one who’s being honored by being allowed to introduce him (Stone),” Miller said. He went on to discuss Stone’s work in his regular column and in his multi-volume series “Snapshots of Blount County History.”

Stone’s work shows “where we have been in Blount County,” Miller said. He also highlighted Stone’s ability to point out the diversity and unique character that the people of Blount County possess. Miller also praised Stone for helping Blount County “prepare for the future by looking at the past.”