About RUCS
Since starting the Blueprint project in 2002, the Sacramento region has taken a new approach to addressing transportation, land use and air quality issues. The Rural-Urban Connections Strategy is a look at the region's growth and sustainability objectives from a rural perspective. In the same way that Blueprint is an economic development strategy for urban areas, this project will be an economic and environmental sustainability strategy for rural areas.
The SACOG Board of Directors participated in a workshop on rural issues in January 2008, and worked in Land Use and Housing Committee meetings to get the project underway. The Committee and staff identified rural challenges and opportunities in five broad topic areas:
- Land Use and Conservation: Policies and Plans that Shape Rural Areas
- The Infrastructure of Agriculture: Challenges to the Production Process
- Economic Opportunities: New Ways to Grow Revenue
- Forest Management: Firing up Economic and Environmental Value
- Regulations: Navigating Federal and State Environmental Guidelines
These challenges and opportunities were developed with input from local agriculture, planning, economic development, and environmental representatives to help the region better understand the unique issues in rural areas.
SACOG is assembling working groups around these core topic areas to help further understand what is currently happening around our region, identify rural challenges and expand on our unique opportunities. Through the working group process, SACOG will work directly with rural stakeholders, citizens, businesses and public agencies to form strategies that enhance agriculture and rural economies, resource conservation, recreation, quality of life, and regional sustainability. This work will broaden the region's understanding of how land use and transportation investments affect rural areas.
Since kicking off the project, the SACOG Board is participating in a series of agriculture fieldtrips to help the SACOG Board of Directors learn about agriculture operations in the region.
The series included the following agricultural tours:
- April 17 - Sutter & Yuba counties
- September 18 - Yolo County
- October 24 - El Dorado County
- November 13 - Placer County
- Spring 2009 - Sacramento County
