Question of the week:
“How should Flagstaff balance growth and conservation?”
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I would love to see more utilization of current retail space that isn’t being used rather than the building of new spaces. A perfect example is 4th Street and the number of vacant places – yet the city continues to try to go ahead with developers tearing up the land at the intersection of 66 and 4th Street for “hotels, office and retail”.
I simply don’t understand why we don’t use and re-use what we already have. We can certainly balance growth and conservation by utilizing these empty retail spaces!
As we revise the Regional Plan, we should look at the large picture and realize that we are a part of an ecosystem with many interdependent facets. The Policy Framework of the Regional Plan has Elements that address conservation of our natural environment such as “Natural and Cultural Resources and the Environment” , “Water Resources” and “Open Spaces, Parks, Recreation and Trails”, but I think it is time to consider an Element such as “Preservation of Our Ecosystem”. This Element would address the larger picture and the interrelatedness of all the Elements. I suspect this would result in much more conservation of our natural environment than we have seen in the last ten years!
The idea that growth and conservation are two ends of a continuum comes from the experience of an extraction based economy, or a boom-bust cycle of economics that has driven this country from the very beginning. The first step in creating that balance is to combine these ideas so that Growth is an inherent part of conservation. With this in mind this can lead us toward a sustainable economy, one that replenishes and enhances the resources that are inherent to the community. For Flagstaff our resources are numerous: people, clean air, natural landscapes and views, location at a major interstate intersection, local businesses in retail, manufacturing, and services, NAU, NAH, CCC and more.
We must reinvison growth and conservation as sustainable development which can be defined as the following:
Redefines prosperity weighing quality of life, community character and the environment along side economic considerations
Sees true development, in the sense of getting better, instead of getting bigger.
Advocates the long-term stewardship of community resources, ensuring that present actions don’t erode the basis for future prosperity
Pursues self-reliance and a more democratic approach to decision making, representing community -wide interests
Stresses diversity resilience and a conviction that many small efforts work better than a single one size fits all solution.
I would like to see most, if not all, growth happen in infill areas that are already developed but that could be redeveloped in a more useful way.
I would like to see a larger focus on local and worker-owened businesses and social enterprises in Flagstaff as opposed to bringing in more and more “box” stores and corporate entities that do not largely keep their profits in the Flagstaff community or pay our residents living wages. Protection of green space is also important to keep Flagstaff livable, walkable, and bicycle friendly.