Abstract

An Actor based model to create a 50-year growth plan.
Track: Urban and Regional Planning
Authors: Joshua Greenberg

The Envision Skagit 2060 is a project that seeks to create a 50 year plan that accommodates expected growth while still maintaining or improving many of the qualities that make the Skagit region special. As part of the planning exercise, an actor based spatial model for the region was created by researchers at the University of Oregon. The Envision model allows different future projections of growth based on policies from current regulations and also representing the policy desires of different advocacy groups. These different future projections can then be compared to each other by using indicator variables developed by local experts. The Envision model is also very helpful by providing data that can be used to visualize what specific areas might look like in 50 years when certain policies are enacted. The use of the Envision model was an extremely useful tool in creating the final 50 year plan recommendation.