Western Issues: Growth

In the rapidly growing West, the Sonoran Institute promotes better growth management, sustainable development, and conservation of wildlife habitat and agricultural lands.

Building from the Best

The Institute’s Building from the Best projects promote and recognize quality design and development that respect community character and the environment.Click below to view and download Building from the Best reports:

Building from the Best - Northern Rockies
Building from the Best - Tucson, Arizona

Growth and Land Use

Both small communities with “amenity” growth and fast-growing urban mega-regions are affecting regional economies in the West. The Sonoran Institute researches these impacts to help inform community decisions and public policies. Click here for more information on the Institute's "smart growth" initiatives.

Western Lands & Communities
A Lincoln Institute of Land Policy – Sonoran Institute Joint Venture

This partnership engages in projects that broaden the information and policy options for improving land conservation, planning and urban form in the West, and it promotes development that conserves land, minimizes impacts to the environment, and uses best practices for community planning and design. Click here to learn more about our Western Lands & Communities initiatives.

Research

The Institute conducts ongoing research on topics such as: growth impacts; the changing Western economy; land-use policy; and the changing role of public lands. Check out our Library to access our research reports.

Other Initiatives:

Superstition Vistas

The Institute in its joint venture with the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy belongs to a partnership of government, private and nonprofit entities working to create a sustainable desert community in the path of growth near Phoenix.

Western Community Stewardship Forum (WCSF)

A partnership of the Sonoran Institute and the National Association of Counties, WCSF offers training and support to assist rural county officials and leaders effectively manage growth through innovative, community-based land-use decisions and solutions.

Western Leadership Institute (WLI)

Complementing the WCSF is the Western Leadership Institute, training to help community members advance collaboration between citizens and government officials and build support for local land-use and conservation initiatives and other stewardship goals that protect the places they love.