Vision Statement

Participants in the original New Visions effort grappled with CDTC's forecasts of future conditions -- conditions characterized by a loss of travel options, convenience and reliability. The New Visions principles, strategies, actions, and budget requirements are crafted to produce a very different future.

A broad vision of desired future conditions was represented in the original New Visions plan by the following reflections of "George and Jane", a fictional couple of the year 2015. Respondents to the New Visions Workbook provided strong confirmation that the vision represents a desirable outcome of the next twenty years of public and private actions. At the same time, the respondents and other participants in the New Visions process recognize significant obstacles in achieving the vision.

The year is 2021. George and Jane, life-long Capital District residents, prepare for retirement. They are pleased that they have always had meaningful employment -- and pleased that they have been and still are Capital District residents. According to George, "It's a pleasant place --not too big, not too small, with a variety of attractive, livable communities and cultural opportunities ... and always some new industry emerging to keep the economy perking." They eagerly "talk up" the virtues of the Capital District to friends and relatives who live out of the area.

George can tell you about his years of commuting, but the nightmare traffic jams aren't recent memories. Somehow, he recalls, the "corner was turned" when a combination of events gave him a greater sense of control. He can't say whether it was having direct access to up-to-the-second traffic information that helped, or the Johnny-on-the-spot removal of disabled cars that made the difference. Maybe it was having a transit option that, for George's commute, was actually quicker than driving. Certainly, once his employer allowed him to -- at least occasionally -- work at home on the computer, traffic congestion was less of a stress producer than it had been, although it never did go away. And, of course, in the back of his mind he had always tucked away the option of moving closer to work, where he could walk or bike to work like many of his friends did.

Jane enters her retirement years feeling fortunate that the region's governments and transportation providers long ago overcame many obstacles. They have been working cooperatively with each other and with the private sector to build communities and transportation systems that serve these communities while preserving open space and maintaining good air quality. Developers are eager to do business in the Capital District because they know where the development is desired and they know that the community uses development to knit together a more cohesive community. Jane knows that it took a lot of work on somebody's part so that her granddaughter can bike to the shopping center safely, that it took a lot of work so that the new development fits in with the old. She's often remarked how impressive it is that the new sidewalks and service roads, improved traffic signals and transit service have allowed her community to absorb so much activity without serious traffic problems. Unlike some places they have visited, the development in the Capital District seems intentional -- as if someone knew what he or she was doing!

George and Jane know that their interests will change in coming years. Fortunately, they have a wide choice of activities in the region. Today, the older cities are as vibrant as the suburbs -- each plays a role in the life of the region -- and rural scenes with agricultural and recreational activity are only a few miles away. George and Jane have a range of housing options as seniors, many within walkable neighborhoods, others with transit "feeder" service to main transit routes so that they won't feel isolated if and when they can no longer drive. They're confident that they can continue to live independently and still stay in close contact with their children and grandchildren who live throughout the region.

George and Jane may never know all the effort that went into bringing about the Capital District of 2021 that they love, but they're quite appreciative that all that hard work paid off.

What is remarkable is that, three years after adoption of New Visions, the "George and Jane" vision is more believable than when it was written. There is clear movement towards making that vision a reality, both in terms of transportation actions that are increasing options and in terms of local planning activities that are creating better structure to communities.

As a result, the vision stated above appears even more achievable than when first written. Further, the results of the Travel Task Force indicate that extending the plan to a 2021 horizon should not introduce a significant difference in the challenges faced by the region. In other words, success in achieving the 2015 vision should translate into similar success for 2021 mobility, access and quality of life.