This publication appeared as a special advertising supplement in The Sacramento Bee on Monday, March 17, 2003. It looks like a computer game, but the stakes are much higher. The Blueprint Project workshops throughout the six-county region will give local residents the opportunity to become planners through a thought-provoking new software program called PLACE3Ss. The software will speed up the calendar by 50 years to show almost immediately how decisions made today will affect the region tomorrow. The six-county Sacramento Region will change drastically over the next half-century. But exactly how that change will occur will largely depend on decisions made today that will affect our children, grandchildren, and thousands of newcomers to the area. Citrus Heights will host the first in a region-wide series of workshops to incorporate public participation into the Sacramento Region Blueprint: Transportation/Land Use Study that will help determine how the region will meet projected growth through 2050. The Metropolitan Transportation Plan approved in 2002 will put in motion funding for numerous projects that will shape the region. Planning for growth in the Sacramento region is not a new idea. There was a time when Sutter’s Fort sat virtually alone on a knoll amid fields and grazing lands. Today, the view from the Fort is much different. How can we ensure that we build an ample and affordable supply of housing, while at the same time, protect valuable open space, protect our air quality and avoid gridlock on our region’s roads and highways?. The Sacramento Metro Chamber strongly believes that an ample and affordable supply of housing is essential to ensure continued balanced economic growth for the Sacramento region. As we look to add one million people in the next 20 years, local planners will have to decide where will homes be built and what style? How many should be single family homes? Apartments, condos and townhouses? It’s often said that the future starts today. As the six-county region plans for the challenges it will face over the next half-century, there are models of smart growth already in place. Here is a sampling of projects SACOG considers “Shining Examples” of good growth. Good growth promotes a sense of community in new and expanding areas, and also promotes and protects economic vitality throughout the region. As the Blueprint Project process progresses, several principles that are considered good growth practices will be incorporated. The number of jobs in the region will double from 921,000 in 2000 to 1.9 million in 2050. By comparison, in 1950 the region supported only about 100,000 total jobs. Would you know a “grayfield” or “inter-modal center” if you saw one? You’ll hear some terms used in the Blueprint Project that may be unfamiliar to you. These terms are often used by planners to describe types of land or development. Here’s a quick glossary of some key words and phrases you should know: You can help make the choices that determine your region’s future! Attend one of the Blueprint Project workshops in your area. The results of these workshops will be incorporated in the Sacramento Area Council of Governments’ (SACOG) Sacramento Region Blueprint: Transportation/ Land Use Study. The preferred scenarios will be included in the next update to the region’s Metropolitan Transportation Plan			Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) Valley Vision California Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) California Energy Commission California State Treasurer’s Office Great Valley Center Hewlett Packard Company James Irvine Foundation Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) American Lung Association Bringing Regional Issues for Discussion and Group Effort (BRIDGE) Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) KVIE Channel 6 Legal Services of Northern California Local Government Commission Paratransit, Inc. Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce Sacramento County Alliance of Neighborhoods (SCAN) Sacramento Transportation & Air Quality Collaborative Urban Land Institute (ULI)—Sacramento