Regional Plan for a Sustainable Future

Posted by on January 18, 2010

I am writing to you today to personally introduce the tenets of the Long-Range Plan, which was recently adopted by the Board of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC).

Connections – the Regional Plan for a Sustainable Future calls for protecting 500,000 acres of open space, cutting greenhouse gas emissions by half, and securing an additional $100 million per year in new regional funding to modernize the transportation system. It also focuses on new development and revitalization projects in the region’s 100-plus “livable communities,” pedestrian-friendly, transit-oriented neighborhoods throughout the region that blend residential and commercial amenities.

The Plan was crafted through an extensive public outreach process that included an on-line survey; focus groups comprised of municipal officials, developers, and the general public that identified challenges and barriers to attaining the goals; and public workshops in each of the nine counties in the region.

A multitude of stakeholders ultimately formed the vision of the Plan – including elected officials, business groups, environmental advocacy groups, and the general public – with the intent to be a truly regional guide for the future growth and development of Greater Philadelphia. The Plan contains goals and strategies for action at both the regional and local level.

I encourage you to visit our website at http://www.dvrpc.org/connections to explore the Plan. The website links to a summary of the Plan as well as to the full report. We have put a great deal of effort into making the data and maps that are available on the web user-friendly and hope that you will utilize this resource. Please contact Mike Boyer, Manager of Long-Range Planning here at DVRPC (mboyer@dvrpc.org or 215-238-2848) if you have any comments or questions regarding the Plan.

Thank you for your interest in DVRPC and in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Barry Seymour
Executive Director