Sustainable development - Environmental impacts of growth and development

How can the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) help Minnesotans make growth and development choices that are more environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable?

This was the question behind an effort by the MPCA to evaluate its programs and activities looking for the best "leverage points" to help improve Minnesota's growth and development patterns. The effort, involving many hours of research and in-depth discussions among environmental professionals, resulted in a document titled the "Framework for Action to Address the Environmental Impacts of Growth and Development."

The framework provides MPCA staff and managers with tangible guidance for adapting current work to support smarter growth and development decisions. Secondly, it incorporates principles of today's "second wave" of environmental protection that help us define our perspectives and work activities more holistically.

Neither the MPCA nor any other agency can dictate solutions to these problems. The MPCA's authority is limited in the arenas examined in the framework, and our work on the environmental issues of growth and development must necessarily consider social and economic factors. Therefore partnerships with others will be key. By articulating a reasonable vision and providing leadership toward it, we hope others will join us to make it reality.

The problem

Population growth and the related expansion of our built communities is a given in today's world. The debate over the "problems" of such growth and development is huge, complex and vigorous, involving social, economic, and environmental dimensions. It is clearly beyond any one agency's expertise or authority. Therefore the framework is in response to the environmental impacts related to a number of growth factors and trends. These include:

• Minnesota's population is growing, with most of the growth concentrated in the Twin Cities and a small number of other population centers and "growth corridors" outside the metro area.
• Land is being developed at an ever-increasing rate. This affects wildlife, forests, streams, lakes and wetlands, and air quality.
• Land in urban areas already served by roads and utilities is passed over for redevelopment, in favor of "fresh" land that exists in seeming abundance at the outer edges of populated areas.
• Roads and highways are becoming more and more congested, increasing pollution and perceived declines in "quality of life".
• Surface and ground water are vulnerable to degradation due to the spread of pollution from human activities associated with growth and development.
• The pace of growth and development is quickening, often moving faster than our abilities to think about or plan for the consequences of individual projects.

Importance of integrated approaches

A key concept in these discussions is the natural "carrying capacity" of our state's waters, land, and air. These media support complex systems of life, the integral parts of which form the basis for the carrying capacity that also supports human populations. Informed decisions on growth and development, therefore, must consider nature's physical, biological, and chemical limits.

An example is surface-water systems. Population growth and related development in a watershed have a variety of environmental impacts. Even though the individual sources of pollution may be small and widely separated, ultimately they accumulate at downstream points. These accumulations, in part, impair affected waters for uses such as drinking, fishing, habitat, or recreation. The carrying capacity of a watershed can be assessed by characterizing the types and points of contaminants discharged to its waters, determining the resulting water-quality impacts, and comparing these impacts to the conditions necessary to maintain ecological health. Therefore, as we further grow and develop, we should consider the carrying capacity implications so we can better anticipate and prevent environmental problems.

Action directions

The MPCA has adopted five broad, cross-program Action Directions to more holistically guide the agency's work. They are:

AD 1. Data and Information. The MPCA is a data-driven agency. Therefore, one fundamental agency role is to collect, analyze, and share data on environmental impacts of growth and development.

AD 2. Education and Outreach. Provide education and outreach to local officials, state and regional agencies, and members of the public on the environmental impacts of growth and development.

AD 3. Planning Assistance. Work proactively and directly with local communities in support of community visioning, integrated planning, decision-making, and policy development, using resources.

AD 4. Financial Assistance and Incentives. Align financial assistance and incentive programs to promote development decisions and projects that are more environmentally protective in the long-term.

AD 5. Regulation. Use traditional regulatory authorities as appropriate to discourage practices and behaviors for which education, planning assistance, and financial assistance and incentives are insufficient motivators for achieving "smarter" growth and development.

In addition, the framework identifies numerous program-specific action steps for five key agency programs:

• basin management,
• wastewater,
• stormwater,
• brownfields redevelopment, and
• air quality/transportation.

The Agency will focus its initial implementation efforts in two or three specific locations in the state. The diagram below will help guide the Agency in its implementation efforts. Our preference is to channel the Agency's work toward the activities on the left side of the diagram because the ability to influence project purpose and design is greater.

>Leverage Points

More information

A full version of the framework for action is available below:

• The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Framework for Action to Address the Environmental Impacts of Growth and Development

To receive a paper copy of this document or if you have questions about the MPCA's involvement in development issues, contact Paul Moss at the MPCA, 651-757-2586.