| Summary: |
In a large conference room in downtown Salt Lake City overlooking the city that Brigham Young laid out some 153
years ago, civic leaders gather to begin the process of envisioning the future of their fast-growing region. The city
that was once a precursor to the American dream—each home on a one-acre lot bounded by streets wide enough
for a U-turn by a horse and carriage—has evolved into blocks of parking lots, scattered mid-rise buildings, and sixlane
streets recently punctuated with a new light-rail line. The 150 participants sit at small tables in groups of 10,
armed with detailed maps of the region and seventy “chipsâ€â€”small squares of paper, each representing four square
miles of typical suburban growth. Their assignment: to accommodate the next million people in Salt Lake City by
finding the best way to arrange the chips on the map.
At one of the tables, Utah Governor Mike Leavitt joins a random group that includes the head of a local environmental
group, a major housing developer, a small-city mayor, and other community representatives. First, they lay
the chips side by side in classic suburban fashion. But soon the chips have covered almost all of the region’s dwindling
agricultural land. Then they look for other buildable pieces of land and begin laying the chips on pristine
mountain plateaus, accessible to Salt Lake City only through scenic mountain passes. The participants at the governor’s
table—and throughout the room—soon realize that if the Salt Lake region continues to grow at the current
densities, much of what they love about the Wasatch Front will be destroyed.
So each group takes a different approach. Instead of spreading the chips out, the participants begin stacking them,
one on top of the other—indicating that they are willing to accept higher densities in order to preserve agriculture
and pristine land. When that isn’t enough, they begin laying the chips on top of existing urban areas—in places that
they know are underbuilt or in need of renewal. By the time they are done, they recognize that a different vision of
their future is necessary and possible.
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