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PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT

The historic Bruntland Report defined sustainanable development as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."  This report was the first official documentation to address the critical importance of how man's current planning and development philosophy is indeed linked to his long-term survival.  The needs of both present and future generations are logically based on the following two fundamental concepts:

  •     The fair and just intergenerational allocation and use of natural resources.
  •     The preservation of biological systems function across time.
The concept of sustainable development is fairly new in our country, but has nonetheless attracted a great deal of attention in the past decade due to the realization that the natural resources and available usable land on this Earth are very finite, valuable, and sometimes fleeting commodities.  The need for comprehensive regional planning and development have never been greater in NW Indiana than today.  Communities must set aside their selfish politics and come together as a region if we hope to preserve and improve the resources, natural habitat, quality of life, and overall attractiveness of our area.  We can apply sustainable development in NW Indiana to many disciplines - including but not limited to sustainable construction, sustainable architecture, ecologically sustainable development, green building, resource efficient construction, and long-term strategic transportation planning. 

The motivation for sustainable development is to reduce resource consumption and waste and to protect the function and biodiversity of natural systems.  The desired outcomes are to have national and international societies consume energy, water, materials, and useful land space at a replenishable rate - a rate that can be maintained indefinitely while ensuring that natural systems are protected and healthy human habitats are created.  The goal of sustainable development is to reverse the course of destruction of natural systems, planetary pollution, the depletion of non-renewable resources, and the unsustainable use of renewable resources.  The largest barrier to overcome is that of creating a "good quality of life" for the inhabitants of the Earth by protecting the environment, while at the same time promoting responsible economic development and jobs.

The Northwest Indiana Regional Planning Commission (NIRPC) is the recognized planning and development agency for NW Indiana.  The commission's planning area is strategically located at the southern tip of Lake Michigan and represents an integral part of the greater Chicago metropolitan area.  The commission's planning area is comprised of the three participating NW Indiana counties ... Lake, Porter, and LaPorte.   One of the most important designations NIRPC has received is that of Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for northwestern Indiana.   MPO's are responsible together with state departments of transportation and public transit operators for carrying out the transportation planning process for urbanized areas.

NIRPC is highly involved in the region's sustainable development strategies concerning air, land, water, and transportation issues.  Please visit the NIRPC website at www.nirpc.org to get the full picture of the many physical and information services the agency provides. 

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Comments:  Ellen Szarleta
Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity