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Opinion: Billings can shape its own future

When a leading expert in community planning took a look at Billings, we didn’t like everything he saw:

# A proliferation of strip malls and huge commercial signs.

# New subdivisions gobbling up the valley while downtown struggles and older neighborhoods are ripe for redevelopment.

Gazette Editorial

Among 300 people who gathered Friday for a discussion of visioning Billings’ future growth, there were some points of strong consensus: The group valued green spaces and natural areas, attractive streets and a thriving downtown.

Anton C. Nelessen, who has been working in city growth and neighborhood development for 37 years, came to Billings at the invitation of the Celebrate Bill-ings community partners. He arrived in town on Wednesday and immediately started photographing Billings with his digital camera. On Friday, he shared many of those images – many attractive buildings, some that need work – with Billings people and showed them pictures and computer enhancements illustrating how other communities have taken charge of their growth and development.

Nelessen stressed the importance of committed, knowledgeable leadership, especially in the top levels of government and business. Billings has clout to make development rules stick because it has the market, he said.

An outsider can’t plan a community, Nelessen said. "You’ve got to become your own planners, facilitated by you own planning department."

To create and implement a vision for community growth, requires a lot of listening. Planners need to know what people want and what they think is possible.

Building a livable city

Billings is growing slowly and steadily about 1 percent a year, so a vision for growth needs to be realistic – taking into account changing needs but not overreaching what is needed and what the community thinks is affordable and possible.

We agree that Billings has marvelous potential for growing up as a livable city. We recognize that quality of life is what brings people in and keeps them here. We want that Montana city lifestyle with safe streets, good schools, parks and outdoor recreation, arts and urban amenities. But a beautiful, livable community won’t just happen. Community members must decide what they want our city to be and work to make it happen.

Let us take Nelessen’s challenge seriously: "Seize the opportunity to make life here exceptional."

Copyright © The Billings Gazette, a division of Lee Enterprises.

http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2002/12/23/build/opinion/editorial.inc

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