Arizona should take the lead in exemplifying the model for good, strategic planning, from local to counties to state.

Bedroom communities planned for Tucson and Phoenix are only 20 miles apart now, underscoring Arizona’s inevitable continued growth.

Commuter rail, speeding between the two cities at up to 79 mph, is under study.

And Tucson workers are buying homes nearer to Benson, even as folks who work in Phoenix are eyeing planned developments 60 miles to the south.

The Tucson and Phoenix metro areas will collide and merge within a decade, The Arizona Republic reported recently.

All of these realities are obvious as one looks at the vast array of residential and commercial developments popping up all around Tucson, sprawling in every direction.

Thus it is imperative that Tucson and Pima County cooperate in planning and zoning – not only with one another, but also with Pinal, Santa Cruz and Cochise counties.

Likewise, Phoenix and Maricopa County should be coordinating with their surrounding governmental entities.

And the Legislature should examine how an overview can be created, not to dictate local policies, but rather to encourage systemic coordination throughout the state.

Former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt, who also served as secretary of the Department of the Interior under President Clinton, addressed the need for a national vision on planning in his book “Cities in the Wilderness.”

Arizona must not wait, however.

Our state should take the lead in exemplifying a model for strategic planning, starting with cities, counties and entire regions with the full blessing and support of state government.

Rampant growth is continuing unabated throughout the Southwest and especially in Arizona.

Without wise foresight and savvy planning, the very beauty that lures people to the Grand Canyon State will be dissipated if not destroyed.

We urge Tucson, Marana, Oro Valley, Green Valley, Benson and other southern Arizona municipalities, as well as all four area counties, to initiate a regional, collaborative conversation about land use.

A Regional Transportation plan will go before voters later this month, a first in Pima County. Water providers are now regularly collaborating.

Now southern Arizona desperately needs to inject some consistency and cooperation into what have been only local planning efforts.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 1st, 2006 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion. Tags for this post: Immigration, Opinion-Immigration, Opinion-Immigration-World, Tucson Citizen, World. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.