Agenda - Parks and Recreation Commission - 10/09/2014

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capacity or authority of any single jurisdiction or institution. Additionally, it involves providing technical assistance and enhanced information to support local planning and decision - making. Accountability For the Council, accountability includes a commitment to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of our policies and practices toward achieving shared outcomes and a willingness to adjust course to improve performance. Acting accountably means: a) adopting a data - driven approach to measure progress, b) creating and learning from Thrive indicators, c) providing clear, easily accessible information, and d) fulfilling the Council's mission. Thrive's Additional Directives for the 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan Thrive articulates a long -range vision for the region. The vision aims to foster and contribute to the five desired outcomes through the use of the three principles described in the previous section. While the focus in Thrive is on the overarching vision for the region, Thrive provides directives for the 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan. Thrive specifies that the Council will collaborate with the Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission, regional park agencies, and state partners to: • Expand the Regional Parks System to conserve, maintain, and connect natural resources identified as being of high quality or having regional importance, as identified in the 2040 Regional Parks Policy Plan • Provide a comprehensive regional park and trail system that preserves high - quality natural resources, increases climate resiliency, fosters healthy outcomes, connects communities, and enhances quality of life in the region • Promote expanded multimodal access to regional parks, regional trails, and the transit network, where appropriate • Strengthen equitable usage of regional parks and trails by all our region's residents, such as across age, race, ethnicity, income, national origin, and ability Regional Growth and Demographics By 2040, our region is projected to be home to almost 3.7 million people, a gain of 824,000 residents from 2010. Such robust growth is a sign of the region's economic health and vitality. With this growth will come new jobs, greater racial and ethnic diversity, expanded economic opportunities and increased tax revenues. Accommodating growth poses challenges, however, as the increasing public concern about traffic congestion demonstrates. Although there is still open space and available land in some parts of the region, the additional population and the systems that will serve it will make expanding or even preserving space for parks and trails more challenging.