Place

Bounded by the ocean on one side and the Everglades on the other, land for human settlement has now become a scarce resource, contributing to escalating housing costs that many residents cannot afford. Over the past several decades, new growth has been accommodated in large-scale communities built at ever lower densities. In addition, traffic congestion has increased with the population, polluting the environment and causing massive delays for commuters.

It will be difficult, if not impossible, to sustain that pattern of development as 2.5 million more people are added to the region. The challenge of growth will come not only from increasingly limited supplies of available land, but also from the cost of providing both new and existing development with adequate infrastructure. Sustainable development requires that population growth be accommodated in ways that enhance, not degrade, the natural and built environments for future generations.