The 11 topics of the vision:
Each of these topics is vitally and independently important, but none stands alone. For instance, how much we drive, what we drive, how we build homes, and how we produce energy will all impact our air quality. How we design communities will affect how much we spend on housing and transportation, as well as how much water we use. And how we perform on each of the 11 topics will determine the strength of our economy. This vision examines these topics and how they interrelate to explore what the future will be like for ourselves and future generations.
Our experts deliberated the best ways to address these issues for the state, developing a number of strategies and studying their resulting outcomes. These strategies and outcomes were presented to Utahns in the "Your Utah, Your Future" Survey. This survey was taken by a record-shattering 52,845 Utahns, more than any other community visioning project ever undertaken.
A NETWORK OF QUALITY COMMUNITIES
Restoring the fabric of village, town, and urban centers will significantly improve the convenience of living in Utah as our population grows. Centers bring destinations closer to people, making it convenient to drive short distances, take public transportation, walk, or bike. Building a network of quality communities is a robust strategy with significant benefits for almost every topic Utahns ranked as being important to our future.
2. HOMES, BUILDINGS, LANDSCAPING, AND CARS OF THE FUTURE
While Cornerstone One deals with how our communities and urban areas are organized, Cornerstone Two concerns the kinds of homes, buildings, landscaping, and vehicles that make up those communities. Technologies and efficiencies exist today, and are improving every year, that can reduce air pollution; save money; make our homes, buildings, and infrastructure more resilient to disasters; and conserve water.
3. A THRIVING RURAL UTAH
Rural communities in the state have their own varying opportunities and challenges. Though 90% of Utah consists of rural private and public lands, the vast majority of Utah’s population, and the focus of much of Utah’s prior visioning effort, is in the urbanized Wasatch Front and back. As Utah’s population nearly doubles by 2050, however, we need to ensure that rural Utah thrives, while still maintaining its rural heritage. Utahns resoundingly support having a balance of uses for our public and private rural lands in order to foster thriving rural economies.
4. PEOPLE PREPARED FOR THE FUTURE
Utahns believe everyone deserves an opportunity to receive a high-quality education that prepares them to participate in the workforce and in society and that maximizes their individual potential. The purpose of our effort is to improve education across the state by (1) facilitating the collaboration of groups already working in education, (2) helping the public understand and support the specific strategies that will yield the best outcomes in education, and (3) working with stakeholders to implement key strategies.