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HOW SHOULD MINNESOTA GROW?
Land development as usual? Or smarter techniques in tune with the times? You choose.

New smart growth Web site launches in the Land of 10,000 Lakes

(October 23, 2009) Minneapolis—Land of what? Jammed freeways? Paved-over paradise? Tree-lined streets? Taking trains to new jobs? Nature preserves? Historic town centers?

Minnesotans stand at a pivotal moment. The world has changed. A troubled economy, energy insecurity, climate change and big demographic shifts are forcing a new direction. For 60 years our communities were designed for maximum driving, with great distances separating our daily activities. Now we must go another way.

LandOf.org is a new web site designed to navigate that path. The Web site offers case studies of best land practices around the country. It guides viewers to smarter rules, regulations and policy recommendations that match the demands of our times. It offers advice on how to engage the public in these decisions, never losing sight of the fact that an enlightened public will set our course.

“This is not something we do begrudgingly—this is where the economy is headed,” said Steve Berg of MinnPost and local writer. “Demand will require that we grow this way. The market is on our side.”

Planners, developers, lenders, city councils, state policymakers and ordinary citizens can use LandOf.org to discover the smart, smarter and smartest ways to grow—whether in cities, suburbs, small towns or the countryside. The aim is to help Minnesota’s best future to come true.

LandOf.org is a map to the next Minnesota. We will show how our communities can adapt to living patterns that are more efficient, better for our health, better for our planet’s wellbeing, better for our country’s security and prosperity.

The Web site is an information salon open to everyone—and to all points of view. Made possible, in part, by a grant from the McKnight Foundation, LandOf.org sees the future not as bitter medicine forced upon us, but an opportunity to live in greater harmony with our environment and one another. Our treasured Land of 10,000 Lakes can be better than ever if we make smart decisions.