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now <br /> THE <br /> M UN <br /> E U I U Z!i <br /> OF PLACE <br /> "Smart growth"and"new,urbanism"---or, at the other end of the political spectrum,"open" development— <br /> whatever you call it,evexyone is talking about how to achieve sustainable development.But what do these concepts <br /> mean for chamber executives working to increase the economic vitality and quality of life of their regions? <br /> One school of thought holds that sustainable development should be attained by coordinating real estate devel- <br /> opment,architecture,urban planning and public-private partnerships;another believes that communities should <br /> develop in a more laissez faire way using a low-regulation approach to development. <br /> Whichever school of thought you subscribe to,the nature of economic development has changed,necessitating <br /> a review of current land use planning practices.Not so long ago;economic development was mostly focused on <br /> recruiting businesses to locate in your community. But today,economic development has become firmly con- <br /> nected to place and the environment.Therefore,before we can have sustainability,we mast understand how to <br /> create goad places to live and work;in other words,a good quality of life for all, <br /> "Quality of life"was once just a buzzword used as the calling card of the local neighborhood activist.As mea- <br /> sured by the quality of our neighborhoods,our cities and our regions,quality of life has now become a bottom-line <br /> factor for many business decisions. <br /> Why? Business decisions continue to be driven by competition. And competition is more and more about <br /> recruiting the best talent—people who have the luxury of living and working wherever they desire.Accordingly, <br /> attracting the best and the brightest means that companies must also provide access to an attractive quality of life <br /> in addition to merely providing competitive compensation.Economic development therefore is inextricably tied to <br /> sustaining quality of life,fundamentally creating the concept of sustainable economic development. <br /> By Scut Pvlikov, AICP, CNU <br />