Understandably, there seems to be a lot of confusion about the efforts surrounding The Tomorrow Plan, Capital Crossroads, and DART Forward 2035. All three of these are regional plans for the future of Central Iowa. The projects have coordinated leadership and share resources at all levels. Their schedules and workplans are aligned for a seamless, fully complementary effort to chart the course forward. So of course they are easy to mix up! While the common goal of positioning Central Iowa for a vibrant future unites these efforts, each plan has a unique purpose, timeline and boundary:
Purpose:
The Tomorrow Plan is an in-depth, comprehensive regional plan for Greater Des Moines. It is guided by a holistic sustainability framework that looks for strategic points of overlap among systems—the built environment, natural environment, economic development, social equity, and resource flows. In comparison, Capital Crossroads is a vision strategy for the region that focuses on economic development and workforce issues, and DART Forward 2035 is a blueprint for redesigning the entire transit system for Greater Des Moines. The Tomorrow Plan will go hand-in-hand with the Capital Crossroads and DART 2035 visions.
Timeline:
The Tomorrow Plan looks out to the year 2050, while Capital Crossroads is a five-year strategic vision. Some of the initial Capital Crossroads recommendations are being pursued by working groups that are looking well beyond the initial five-year time horizon. As its name implies, DART Forward 2035 provides transit services planning to the year 2035.
Boundary:
The Tomorrow Plan encompasses the boundary established by the Metropolitan Planning Organization, encompassing seventeen communities in parts of four counties. Capital Crossroads has a broader geographic area that radiates 50 miles from the Iowa State Capitol. DART Forward 2035’s boundaries are established by the Regional Transit Authority and include nineteen cities in and around Polk County.
Another unique linkage between these plans is my participation on the committees of all three plans! Call me crazy! I much prefer overly ambitious! As Polk County Supervisor for the 5th District, I serve as the Chair of The Tomorrow Plan, Tri-Chair of Capital Crossroads and am currently Chair of DART.
Hopefully, the information provided here will stimulate your curiosity to delve further into one or all of the plans and spur you to become involved in this exciting process, particularly the work that has just begun on The Tomorrow Plan! Future presentations will be coming to your neighborhood or business soon. Keep checking back to The Tomorrow Plan website for those dates and times.
The Tomorrow Plan is an unprecedented opportunity for the Des Moines region to be at the national forefront of sustainability and regional planning. There is no better time than now to become engaged in the work that promises to change the course of the future within our community!
Hopefully, the information provided here will stimulate your curiosity to delve further into one or all of the plans and spur you to become involved in this exciting process, particularly the work that has just begun on The Tomorrow Plan! Keep checking the website for the schedule of future presentations, “like” us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter to access updates and
further information.
Angela Connolly is a Polk County Supervisor for the 5th District, she currently serves as the Chair of the Tomorrow Plan, Tri-Chair of Capital Crossroads and Chair of DART.
