The attractive features of the central Puget Sound region, including mountains and waterways, abundant natural resources, and economic opportunities, have drawn people to this region for years. Growth has contributed to the diversity and vitality of the region. Growth has also been marked by the conversion of open space to urban sprawl, inadequate amounts of affordable housing, and overloaded roadways. In 1990, the state Legislature adopted the Growth Management Act as the framework for managing growth in a manner that is coordinated and comprehensive. It has provided the framework for local and regional planning.
Many challenges remain, however.
Forecasts predict that the central Puget Sound region will grow by another 1.4 million residents from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, the proportion of households paying 30 percent or more of their income for housing increased to nearly a third and home ownership declined to 57 percent. With another 1.4 million people, the amount of delay on our freeways and arterials could be more than three times what it is now. From 1984 to 1992, approximately 45,000 acres of natural and open space areas were developed as residences, businesses and streets. The crux of the strategy is to restore connections between where we live, work and recreate, and create an urban environment that is amenable to walking, bicycling and using transit.