Promoting a smarter way to grow
 
             

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1000 Friends of Minnesota encourages sustainable development patterns that conserve farmland, forests, and natural resources and that promote healthy, liveable communities. Through its Growing by Design program, 1000 Friends assists communities that are experiencing development pressures to plan for a successful future in a way that balances growth with conservation.

  • We believe that citizens should have choices in how their community grows.
  • We encourage citizen input at all levels of the planning process.
  • We promote planning for a diversity of land uses, housing, people, and transportation choices.
  • We believe that growth patterns and neighborhood designs should build a sense of community.
  • We encourage communities to plan for sustainable development and not just let development happen to them.

1000 Friends encourages communities to put their visions and plans into action, by updating their zoning ordinance to be consistent with smart growth and land protection.  This includes:

  • Updating other ccomponents of the zoning ordinance to be consistent with an updates comprehensive plan.
  • Protecting areas that are sensitivie to development
  • Implementing other land protection tools, such as an agricultural preservation program, planned cluster development ordinances, open space preservation, shoreline protection areas or establishing a purchaes or transfer of development rights programs.

Current Projects in our Growing By Design Program:

Balanced Growth Implementation