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Our population is changing in ways that will influence the shape of our future growth and
<br />development:
<br />• Our region is aging
<br />rapidly. More than
<br />one in five residents
<br />will be age 65 and
<br />older in 2040,
<br />compared to one in
<br />nine in 2010.
<br />• By 2040, 40% of the
<br />population will be
<br />people of color,
<br />compared to 24% in
<br />2010.
<br />Twin Cities Population by Age
<br />Ages 65+
<br />Ages 25-64
<br />Ages 15-24
<br />•Ages 0-14
<br />307,000 / 475,000
<br />1,579,000 1,624,000 1,644,000 1,750,0
<br />681,000 781,000
<br />384,000 MI 410,000 NO 433,000 1111 457,000
<br />581,000 111 594,000 ■ 623,000 111 686,000
<br />2010 2020
<br />2030
<br />2040
<br />• The region will gain 391,000 new households by 2040, requiring, on average, over
<br />13,000 new housing units a year. With the changing demographics, these new
<br />households are likely to have different housing needs than today's households:
<br />• Only one in five net new households will be households with children.
<br />• Seniors will want housing to fit post -retirement lifestyles, often in walkable and
<br />transit -served areas accessible to services and amenities.
<br />• Significant racial disparities —in income, employment, poverty, homeownership,
<br />education —persist just as our region is becoming more racially and ethnically diverse. If
<br />today's disparities by race and ethnicity continue, our region would likely have 124,000
<br />fewer people with jobs, 186,000 fewer homeowners, 274,000 more people in poverty
<br />and $31.8 billion less income compared to the outcomes if residents of color had the
<br />same socioeconomic characteristics as today's white residents. Unchallenged, these
<br />disparities jeopardize the future economic vitality of our region.
<br />Emerging environmental challenges threaten the continued livability of our region:
<br />• We have long assumed that our region has plenty of water, but we now recognize that
<br />our reliance on groundwater is unsustainable. Increased pumping of groundwater to
<br />support development is depleting aquifers, affecting lakes, streams and wetlands. In
<br />some areas, groundwater levels have been dropping a foot a year since the 1970s.
<br />• Our region is already feeling the effects of climate change as we experience more
<br />severe weather events and temperature extremes. Severe heat waves have stressed
<br />people, agriculture and energy supplies. Increased frequency of severe weather is
<br />already increasing homeowner insurance premiums and repair costs of public facilities,
<br />as the City of Duluth experienced in the aftermath of torrential rains in 2012.
<br />As we approach a half -century of coordinated planning across the region, new planning
<br />challenges and opportunities are emerging:
<br />• Growth is occurring in not only new suburban subdivisions connected to the regional
<br />wastewater treatment system, but also redeveloping parts of the region. This
<br />redevelopment more efficiently uses existing regional infrastructure, but the challenges
<br />DRAFT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT
<br />Last revised: February 21, 2014 3
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