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What are the Issues Facing Our Region?
  • Our region's population is projected to nearly double by 2050. Successfully accomodating this population growth will require North Texans to collectively address many important issues. The following issues represent a selection of those being considered in Vision North Texas. Click on each issue for a list of some of the many facets contained in each larger issue.
    • Community Form
      • Development form of the region (sprawl vs. compact)
      • Land use patterns within the region
      • Location of mixed use, more intense development centers
      • Preservation and reclamation of natural and agricultural areas
      • The definition of ‘community’ – physical, online, etc.
      • The region’s cultural and arts assets
      • The opportunities for revitalization or sustaining the vitality of developed
        communities
      • The potential for creation of new communities or areas of development within
        the region
      • The opportunities and challenges facing communities of various types (core
        cities, inner tier, outer tier, separate)
    • Demographics
      • The amount of growth expected in North Texas
      • The changing character of the people who will live here and the households they
        will live in
      • The income mix of future households
      • The aging of the population
      • The impacts of immigration (legal and illegal) on the region
      • The values and interests of the ‘millennials’ and other generational trends
      • Global demographic trends (such as the growth of the 3rd world middle class and
        male population in China)
      • The mobility of residents and stakeholders
    • Economics
      • National and global economic trends
      • The amount of job growth expected in North Texas
      • The industry sectors expected to contribute the largest share of jobs and
        economic value in the region
      • The types of jobs that will be in highest demand in this region
      • The location of major employment centers within the region
      • North Texas’ role in the national and global economy
      • The region’s economic competitiveness compared to other regions
      • The economic viability of agriculture
      • The nature of work, and the ‘office of the future’
      • Economic operation of ‘mega-regions’
    • Education
      • The anticipated skill sets future residents are expected to have
      • The ability to have a workforce with skills needed by the businesses of the future
      • Alternatives in the way education and training are delivered
    • Energy
      • The price of gasoline
      • Availability of energy resources to meet the demands of residents and businesses
      • Economics and availability of alternative energy sources
      • The potential for energy conservation within the region
      • Changing opportunities for energy production within the region
    • Environment
      • Anticipated air quality in the region
      • Climate change and its effect on the region
      • Anticipated water quality in the region’s lakes, streams and rivers
      • Availability of sufficient supplies of water
      • Extent and role of the urban forest in the region
      • Greenprint analysis (framework results)
    • Governance & public policy
      • Federal policies and funding programs for infrastructure, housing and other
        urban issues
      • Proliferation of jurisdictions within the region
      • Identification of the attractions that succeed only at a regional level
      • Effects of ‘globalization’
      • Methods to address the competition for resources in the region (natural, energy,
        financial, etc.)
    • Health
      • Food availability
      • Obesity
      • Health improvements that lengthen life
      • Ability of the region to be a center for medical research, health care & ‘health
        tourism’
      • The system of health care provision and its funding (in the region and nationally)
    • Housing
      • The housing stock available in the future that already exists today
      • Anticipated housing stock, in terms of housing type and location
      • Market demands for various types of housing based on future household
        characteristics
      • Need for (or lack of) affordable housing
    • Infrastructure
      • The infrastructure networks that will be constructed based on current plans, and
        their ability to serve anticipated growth (roads, transit, water, etc.)
      • Changes in patterns of transport for freight and goods
      • Anticipated traffic congestion and related costs to the region
      • New transportation options
      • Definition of other regionally-significant infrastructure components (such as
        those related to health or education)
      • Opportunities to use natural systems to provide ‘green infrastructure’
      • Availability of natural resources (such as water) needed to meet demands of
        residents and businesses
    • Innovation and Resilience
      • The region’s ability to lead innovation and to take advantage of innovative
        discoveries
      • The region’s ability to adapt and to be resilient in response to unanticipated
        changes
    • Security
      • Global conflict and its impact on this region’s people and businesses
      • Management of the world’s food supply
      • Issues of identity theft
    • Technology
      • Changes in computer & communications options
      • New materials production
      • Nano- and bio-technology
      • Effects of technology on social and work interaction

View the Presentation Below to Learn More About Selected Issues Facing North Texas

 

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