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2040 <br />Thrive '=P Proposed Policy Direction <br />To advance the five outcomes, working within the three principles, the Council has identified a series of policy directions <br />in Thrive. Detailed policies implementing the Thrive policy direction will emerge and be formally adopted in the Thrive <br />systems and policy plans: the Housing Policy Plan (summer 2014), the Transportation Policy Plan (late 2014), the Water <br />Resources Policy Plan (summer 2014), and the Regional Parks Policy Plan (early 2015). <br />Stewardship: <br />■ Prioritize protection of and minimize impacts to <br />natural resources; <br />■ Focus on maintaining existing infrastructure — <br />wastewater infrastructure, highways and bridges — <br />rather than expanding to serve new areas; <br />■ Strategically invest in new infrastructure capacity <br />that supports land use patterns; <br />■ Expand alignment of wastewater, transit and other <br />infrastructure investments with local land use. <br />Prosperity: <br />■ Foster the conditions for shared economic vitality <br />by balancing major investments across the region; <br />■ Deliver cost-effective wastewater treatment and <br />efficient transportation that reduces costs of doing <br />business here; <br />■ Provide amenities and great places that attract and <br />retain businesses and workers; <br />■ Reduce the cost differential between <br />redevelopment and greenfield development sites; <br />■ Inventory industrial land across the region to <br />preserve the best sites for jobs; <br />■ Partner to develop a shared economic <br />competitiveness strategy. <br />Equity: <br />■ Invest in the creation and preservation of racially - <br />integrated, mixed -income neighborhoods across the <br />region; <br />■ Use transportation investments to improve access <br />to opportunity; <br />■ Preserve a mix of housing affordability along the <br />region's transitways and create new affordable <br />housing close to jobs and education; <br />■ Convene leaders to develop shared investment <br />strategies in racially -concentrated areas of poverty. <br />Livability: <br />■ Provide transportation choices that reduce the <br />financial and time cost of transportation; <br />■ Preserve natural resources and support outdoor <br />recreational opportunities through the regional <br />park and trail system; <br />■ Communicate the regional bicycle network to <br />promote bicycling for transportation and <br />recreation; <br />■ Align resources to support transit -oriented <br />development that creates great places. <br />Sustainability: <br />■ Promote the wise use of water through expanding <br />water conservation and reuse, increasing aquifer <br />recharge; and rebalancing surface water and <br />groundwater use; <br />■ Continue sustainability practices in the Council's <br />wastewater and transit operations; <br />■ Offer leadership, information and technical <br />assistance to local governments to support climate <br />change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. <br />Integration: <br />■ Align and leverage all of the Council's divisions, <br />roles and authorities to address regional issues; <br />■ Coordinate Council activities with partners and <br />stakeholders across and throughout the region. <br />Collaboration: <br />■ Convene conversations to address key regional <br />issues; <br />■ Provide expanded information and technical <br />assistance to support local planning and <br />decisionmaking. <br />Accountability: <br />■ Monitor performance against key regional <br />indicators; <br />■ Adjust and revise policies as necessary. <br />Last revised: October 23, 2013 <br />For more information about Thrive MSP 2040, visit thriveaSP.org <br />To share your reactions and comments to these outcomes, principles and proposed policies, <br />e-mail the Council at thriveMSP@metc.state.mn.us <br />