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The future of population growth in Utah
April 14, 2021
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Who can forget the global apprehension of 1999? Realizing most of our computerized world used just two digits for every year, starting with 19? What would happen to our bank accounts, power grid, communications systems and everything else when the year was 20-something? The US spent $100 billion to “fix” the Y2K bug, and with very little exception, life went on as usual.
That’s the problem with the future, we really don’t know what to expect. However, thanks to census research and population forecasting, we do know what we can expect by 2050. The Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute has produced long-term demographic and economic projections for the state of Utah and anticipates a population of 5 million by 2050.
LaVarr Webb, at Utahpolicy.com, recently wrote: “The reality is, if we don’t plan for those extra 2 million people, if we don’t begin to put in place the transportation infrastructure, preserve open space, and encourage housing and living options that minimize the need to commute long distances, then life in 2050 is going to be pretty miserable. The air will be dirtier, the highways in gridlock, commuting times will be untenable, and life quality will deteriorate.”
What needs to happen in the next 29 years for a brighter and successful Utah future? The Wasatch Front Regional Council (WFRC) developed the Wasatch Choice 2050 goals. The key strategies are to provide transportation choices, support housing options, preserve green space and link economic development with transportation and housing decisions.
Webb observes: “Utah’s lawmakers, as evidenced by historic levels of transportation funding in the legislative session now ending, understand the need for major infrastructure investment. For the first time in history, a lot of state money is targeted to public transit. Lawmakers understand we won’t be able to build enough freeways and secondary highways to accommodate 2 million more people traveling the same way we do today. Infrastructure investments made today will still be in use in 2050.”
The WFRC explains that green infrastructure planning differs from conventional approaches to land conservation or natural resource protection because it looks at landscape ecology jointly with human geography and demographics. The focus on green infrastructure planning brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to help form a scientific and unified planning approach.
Webb notes that Utah’s state and local governments and infrastructure agencies are planning for 2050, including encouraging policies that will provide a variety of housing options such as walkable urban centers. They recognize the importance of linking transportation with land use planning, housing, and economic development.
Wise planning for today, with an eye toward the future, will ensure Utah will remain a great place to live thirty years from now and longer.
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