A high quality environment, including the protection of endangered salmon, is important for retaining knowledge workers and for preventing severe restrictions that will hinder appropriate levels of development. Compact urban developments such as this one in Vancouver, B.C., can reduce sprawl and traffic, and provide residents a single place to live, work and shop. Bellevue is identified as one of several emerging subcities which are evolving into 24-hour markets, making them attractive investment targets. In contrast, Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston are seen as risky places to invest due to a lack of constraints on development. Maintaining our amenities and carefully managing our growth can pay off economically.
Amenities help attract and keep high quality workers.
Our region s performance on sprawl and smart growth is mixed. Of the 12 most populous counties, only King and Snohomish have compact urban growth areas. Snohomish County designated 98 percent of its farmland for long-term preservation, King about 90 percent, Pierce less than 40 percent and Kitsap none. Successful growth management requires transportation planning. The Growth Management Act established the goal of encouraging an efficient multi-modal transportation system based on regional priorities and coordinated with comprehensive plans.