Arizona's Citizens Can Work Together to Move Arizona Forward

Arizona has critical growth related issues that must be addressed on a statewide level. Our unique environment makes it particularly important to address these issues. Yet, Arizona does not currently have effective statewide planning measures and it is unlikely the legislature will address several important statewide growth-related issues. However, this lack of support and acknowledgement from the legislature does not have to result in poor air quality, water shortages, traffic congestion, distressed natural systems and endless sprawl within our state. Arizona's municipalities, counties, tribes, corporations and non-profit organizations can work together to effectively address statewide issues to enhance our quality of life and our economic competiveness.
Unlike other states that have recently begun regional visioning exercises, such as Envision Utah (http://envisionutah.org/) or the Colorado Center for Sustainable Urbanism (http://www.ucdenver.edu/academics/colleges/ArchitecturePlanning/discover/centers/SustainableUrbanism/Pages/CenterforSustainableUrbanism.aspx), Arizona's corporations, non-profit groups, tribes, state agencies, counties and municipalities have already conducted several regional planning exercises and produced volumes of sophisticated and thoughtful materials that address significant areas of our state. Moreover, the sophistication of these envisioning exercises and the materials produced as a result of those exercises, such as the recently published Pima County's "Protecting Our Land, Water and Heritage" (http://www.pima.gov/cmo/admin/Reports/ConservationReport/), rival those of other states and regions. But, Arizona needs a mechanism to convene key stakeholders to identify and prioritize the most pressing growth-related issues facing our state. Further, once those issues are identified and prioritized, the stakeholders need to develop a support system to ensure the successful implementation of visioning and planning documents, including the wealth of existing visioning tools. Past failed attempts show the success of these visioning tools and planning documents often are reliant upon a political and financial commitment from a sponsoring entity that can effectively address state issues and mobilize a committed, active and educated group.

Valley Forward recognizes Arizona is at a critical juncture and it is important an entity be formed to help the diverse interests within the state find common ground to move Arizona forward on economic, social and environmental issues. This entity must help existing stakeholder groups within the state come together to recognize, prioritize and address critical growth related state issues. Accordingly, Valley Forward has recently committed substantial funding and staff resources to help initiate a coordinated statewide coalition of stakeholder groups (including municipalities, counties, corporations, tribes and non-profits) to facilitate inter-jurisdictional dialogue. This dialogue is necessary to develop stronger connections among existing groups so that we can effectively address growth-related issues in our state. Together these organized stakeholder groups can provide a powerful voice that can mobilize to address statewide issues as well as provide support for existing and future local initiatives.
Membership information for Arizona Forward can be found at: http://www.valleyforward.org/about/78/