This past December, City Council and our economic- development partners heard from one of the country's leading experts about how to build a collective regional economic-development strategy, and Dr. Feser's work has already spurred significant action toward making El Paso the most competitive city in the Southwest.
While no "magic bullet" exists to make this region more prosperous and economically viable, Dr. Feser offered the following:
"It is essential that policies governing economic and physical development work in concert; good land use planning and urban design will yield amenities that many skilled workers increasingly demand, build quality infrastructure that companies need to be successful, and manage public-service costs. However, the connection between the two areas of intervention must be articulated clearly in the context of an overall regional economic-development strategy.
"Failure to do so is undermining El Paso's initiatives and progress in both areas."
Enter Plan El Paso. For almost two years now, the city's Planning and Economic Development Department, along with Dover Kohl & Partners, one of the country's leading planning firms, has worked to wholly rewrite the city's Comprehensive Plan.
Through one of the most expansive planning processes in a generation, Plan El Paso gathered the ideas and aspirations of thousands of El Pasoans. Over 20 citywide meetings were held in various neighborhood centers and libraries, approximately 150 stakeholder
And over the past six weeks as the plan closed in on adoption, we worked to include several more great recommendations from the El Paso Greater Chamber of Commerce, the El Paso Water Utilities staff, Fort Bliss staff, the Canutillo ISD, and many neighborhood associations.
Plan El Paso offers ideas for the revitalization of our urban core. Other policy recommendations include increasing our tax base through traditional neighborhood design, preservation of our open space while planning for future infrastructure needs, increasing our transportation options in an era of increased oil demand and price, improving recreational amenities, developing walkable schools, and continuing our successful relationship with Fort Bliss.
The link between our built-environment and our physical and mental health is also clearly stated in the plan.
Increasingly, El Paso's historic competitive advantages -- comparatively low-wage labor and land -- are less an asset as industries relocate outside the United States. Today, companies compete for quality human capital and the new race among cities is to provide the high quality of life which attracts and retains skilled labor.
In short, Plan El Paso aims to do just that: Set a foundation for economic prosperity that nurtures an atmosphere of innovation, increases quality of life that can attract -- and retain -- national and international talent and increases our region's prosperity.
However, this foundation will require a sustained commitment by all El Pasoans.
In 1925, the City of El Paso adopted the second comprehensive plan in the country. Between its founding in 1873 and the adoption of the 1925 plan, El Paso progressed from a frontier village to the most prominent city in the Southwest.
With the 1925 plan as a cornerstone document, El Paso would in time have the highest per capita income in the region, the tallest concrete buildings, showpiece public parks, and one of the nation's best mass-transit systems.
Almost 100 years later, Plan El Paso offers the same opportunities. Let's seize this moment.