Envision Utah’s Rules of Thumb project, funded by the Utah Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman, connects land use planning decisions to their likely impacts on crime rates, water use, and fiscal impacts. These areas of focus are highly salient for Utah communities’ decisions regarding how to respond to our state’s continued growth.
The project responds to a need identified during the statewide Guiding Our Growth listening tour (2022), where local officials consistently asked for practical information they could use to inform complex growth decisions and policies.
The Rules of Thumb translate research into concise, memorable, and Utah-based guidelines that help planners, elected officials, and community members understand the potential implications of different development choices. These insights can lead to better-informed land use decisions, and can support clearer conversations about outcomes with city councils, planning commissions, and residents.
The guidance is based on a combination of literature review, quantitative modeling, and Utah-based case studies, developed in collaboration with Kimley-Horn, Socio Analytics, Zions Public Finance, and the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute.
Local policymaking, including land use policy, is a complex, participatory practice. Elected officials are faced with an array of considerations and resident preferences when setting policy. These resources can serve as a reference to support data-informed discussions about local land use policy. They may also serve as a springboard for more detailed local analysis.
This resource is made possible by funding from the Land Use Training Fund, administered by the Office of the Property Rights Ombudsman. The role of this organization in administering funding is solely administrative, and does not constitute endorsement, approval, or support of the project, its activities, findings, or associated content.
