Pat Quinn, Governor
|
|
|
|
||
|
Pat Quinn, Governor |
|||
|
|
In
metropolitan areas across Illinois, developed land area has grown
far more rapidly than population. City, suburban and rural residents
are concerned about the impacts this “sprawling” development
has on their quality of life -- including issues such as traffic
congestion, increased infrastructure costs and its fiscal impacts,
loss of open space and farmland, air and water pollution, redevelopment,
and declining urban schools. While
the debate continues over whether these past changes in the landscape
are good or bad, a more important question remains: What does the future
hold and how should we adapt? This requires an ongoing assessment of both
our values and our understanding of how the world works. What outcomes
do we care about? What policies will help achieve these outcomes? The
Future Landscapes Project provides local stakeholders the
technical assistance, forum, and tools for assessing these complex
regional growth issues. This project will not pre-define “good” or “bad” growth,
but will offer regional stakeholders the opportunity to evaluate
urban growth patterns and consider if that is consistent with the
needs and wants of the local residents. We
are using innovative computer model, called LEAM (Land use Evaluation
and impact Assessment Model), to examine and comprehend the complex
relationships between what drives growth, where growth is likely to
occur (under a variety of scenarios), and the potential positive and
negative impacts. The products of LEAM model runs are a series of scenarios;
GIS maps or movies that show the transformation of the landscape for
a particular region as a product of various policies and their associated
economic, social, and environmental impacts. Peoria-Pekin Future Landscapes Project St. Louis Metro East Future Landscape Project LEAM |
|
| Department of Natural Resources |
