Spokane county leaders held their third meeting on growth management today, following the development freeze they instituted in April. The entire board of Spokane County Commissioners, Spokane City Council and Mayor are using the meetings to facilitate conversation.
This meeting focused on learning about smart growth, a term thrown around by city and county leaders when they started their year long growth moratorium. Christopher Zimmerman of Smart Growth America was flown into Spokane to assess the growth situation here.
Zimmerman: “People in compact connected areas in general have greater economic mobility, than their peers in sprawling areas. People in more compact-connected metro areas spend less on the combined expenses of housing and transportation. People in compact-connected areas have longer, healthier, safer lives.”
He went on to say Spokane has a walk-ability score of 43 on a scale of 100, with the best walking score (96) in the city’s center. He says the pattern of development in a city will affect the economy and personal lifestyles.
The meetings will continue throughout the year. Citizens with input can email growingspokane@spokanecity.org
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