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Industry Applauds Utah’s Urban Planning

The American Planning Association highlighted Utah cities and towns in the October issue of their monthly trade magazine.

According to the article, Utah is a study in contradiction: “with few people living in the mountains and desert valleys, it's one of the fastest growing states.” From City Creek to the Wasatch corridor, light rail and limited water resources, Utah sees opportunity even as challenges present themselves.

Said writer Allen Best, “To understand the puzzle, you must peel back history, to July 1847, when the first band of Mormons, fleeing persecution in the Midwest, arrived in what was then Mexican territory. Led by their prophet Brigham Young, the group sought sanctuary in the desert valley bordered by mountains and the vast body of brackish water that we know today as the Great Salt Lake.”

The comprehensive story starts in Salt Lake, historically boasting 10 acre blocks and streets that are 120 feet in width, but Salt Lake Mayor Ralph Becker says it’s the contemporary commitment to preservation, protecting the environment and a focus on healthy lifestyles that sets the state apart.

“It feels like we are moving ahead by leaps and bounds in the planning arena,” said Mayor Becker.

Said Best, “You don't have to be Mormon to live in Utah, but neither can you understand the state without understanding its first leader and town builder, Brigham Young.”

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