• 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