[Vision2020] MCA meeting on June 9

[Bill London]

> General meeting of the Moscow Civic Association
> Monday, June 9, 2003

> Smart Growth, envisioned as part of the future of Moscow, touches a sensitive
> nerve in many members of the community.  At least, it appears to,

> judging by the attentiveness and active participation among the 87 citizens
> who attended the June general meeting of the Moscow Civic Association.  This
> meeting was the first of a series entitled Smart Growth for Moscow.
>  Professor Vic Getz, a doctoral candidate and visiting assistant professor
> in environmental sociology and gender at University of Idaho, discussed
> methods of analyzing the health of a community.  Getz noted that the usual
> yardstick, Gross Domestic Product, measures only money changing hands.  (For
> example, GPI goes up when crime rate rises, necessitating the building of
> more prisons.)  Getz proposes using instead a new measurement system
> developed in Alberta, Canada, the GPI, or Genuine Progress Indicators, in
> which indicators used are elements of the quality of life in a community:
> jobs, health care, sustainable growth, schools, etc.
> Crysta Falcon, a University of Idaho graduate student in architecture, gave
> a presentation on Moscow neighborhoods, using as examples the U of I campus,
> downtown, and the area around Rosauers market.  Illustrating her study with
> many slide photographs of these areas, Falcon discussed such features of a
> neighborhood as walkability, a range of different housing opportunities, a
> neighborhood focal center, and green spaces.
> Joel Plaskon, Moscow City Planner, informed the audience about the new
> Economic Development Collaboration, which includes representatives from the
> Economic Development Council, Moscow city government, Latah County
> government, the University of Idaho, Palouse Clearwater Environmental
> Institute, the Moscow Chamber of Commerce, Gritman Hospital, Moscow School
> District, and Moscow Civic Association. The group has already had one
> organizational meeting. Plaskon stated that the Moscow Civic Association
> should be a participant in this effort, and invited the MCA to send three
> representatives to the meeting on Tuesday, June 17.
> Several audience members asked questions and made suggestions, including Tom
> Hudson, who suggested that the studies be started with the work generated
> and developed in a two-day Moscow Community Retreat in 1998, in which about
> 400 people participated. Members of the audience suggested that community
> brainstorming be a part of the effort, including a survey to define how
> people feel about Moscow and what we value that we do not want to lose.
> This will provide a context for Smart Growth planning.
>  The next general meeting of the Moscow Civic Association will be Monday,
> July 14, at 7:30 PM at the 1912 Building.  The subject will be Smart Growth
> in Moscow: the Role of the Arts.  The Association invites all interested
> community members to attend.
>
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