The Rocky Mountain West, an area where people were content to let others do what they pleased with their land, is moving towards increasing growth controls as the region's population explodes.
"'Plan' and 'zone' used to be treated as other four-letter words uttered in some parts of the West, but as waves and waves of newcomers fill up subdivisions that are popping up all over the region, land-use efforts are gaining ground in new areas of the West and are being revamped in areas that have had such plans in place for decades.
The desire for suburban living that arose in the 40s and 50s has turned into the desire for a place of one’s own, usually in exurbs."
Efforts in Idaho, Colorado and Montana are all trying to cope with the growth in suburban and exurban communities that are increasingly dotting the landscape.
Read the full story: Population Gains Eat Up Available Land in the West
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City of Rosemead
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One Hundred Miles
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The Architects Foundation
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Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority