In today's edition of the Lakeland Ledger, an article reveals that Polk County is "outpacing both the state and national averages" in terms of population growth. The article provides population estimates and growth percentages for different cities in the county, and compares this growth to other counties in the state.
However, nowhere in this report does Mr. Rufty address the environmental costs of this growth, or whether this type of growth is sustainable and healthy for existing communities.
The so-called I-4 corridor is reported to have experienced the most growth, as it is developing into a bedroom community for employees in Osceola and Orange counties.
Is this something to be proud of?
East Polk is providing cheap land to large developers, and encouraging excessive commutes, suburban sprawl, and the environmental degradation that too much of this state has already experienced.
I understand that not every report will contain an analysis of how rapid growth impacts the environment and the quality of communities, but this article had a great opportunity to do so, and didn't.
Friday, February 22, 2008
Yay, Development!
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1 comment:
BEBR estimates are flawed in that they rely on building permits to predict growth. As we all know after Wednesdays hearing nearly 2 years worth of those permits are still sitting vacant (ie no one actually moved to Polk to occupy them). After the 2010 census there will be more clarity on what growth really was for the decade. Estimates are ok but don't count on them being accurate.
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