Newsletter

As you may already know, last December the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City released a report by the Brookings Institution on growth in Missouri. Entitled, "Growth in the Heartland: Challenges and Opportunities for Missouri," the report says Missouri is just plain not growing very wisely, and that state laws and policies are at least partly to blame.

Missouri is growing at a satisfactory rate, it says, both in terms of its population and its economy. But the growth is happening in a very dispersed pattern, and that is resulting in unanticipated problems, including added public and private costs that all of us have to pay. In fact, the way we are growing may even be putting our state at a disadvantage compared to other places that are developing more carefully.

In other words, we’re sprawling all over the place and it’s threatening our future.

In early April several of us worked with the League of Women Voters to put on a public forum to hear and discuss the report’s findings. We recruited a panel of excellent presenters: Laura Loyacono from the Kauffman Foundation, Commissioner Karen Miller of Boone County, engineer and Kansas City FOCUS project co-chair Leonard Graham, Tim Underwood of the Home Builders Association, and David Warm of Mid-America Regional Council. We also attracted more than 80 citizens—including half a dozen elected officials—from a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives.

All of the presenters expressed concern for the issues raised in the Kauffman/Brookings report and support for action. Especially noteworthy were the words of David Warm. Dialogue on these issues is great, he said, but we really need to get beyond the talk and start taking some action. He went on to challenge the League to take up the task of raising public awareness of the report and building a base of public support for changes in state legislation and state and local policies that would have the effect of helping Missouri to grow "smarter."

Response was enthusiastic, and we’re encouraged to report that the League of Women Voters of Missouri is accepting the challenge. Leagues in other Missouri cities and towns are expected to convene similar events around the state in coming months, and there is talk of eventually putting together a separate organization to work for "smart growth" in Missouri.

The Sierra Club has been working on this "sprawl" issue for years, and we’re encouraged by what is finally starting to happen. Recognizing that our organization doesn’t enjoy universal credibility on all issues, we’re pleased to support the League of Women Voters and other organizations as they find ways to take the lead on this issue.

We encourage you to continue to speak out and let your public officials know of your concerns. And keep in touch with what’s happening through our THB Group website.