The absence of a region-wide vision for conservation, development, and public investment has become an increasingly central concern of the Region’s leaders. For the past two to three decades—the last regional plan was completed in 1974—local and regional actions have occurred without the benefit of reference to a larger policy or planning framework. Important decisions regarding the location and pace of development, investments in economic development, the extension of sewer and water service, improvements to parks and major public facilities, and investments in transportation infrastructure have been made without a clear sense of how individual actions influence the Region’s livability and economic vitality.