MetroFuture is more than a land use plan with maps and charts.  It includes a detailed vision for the future; specific goals and objectives to assess whether the region is moving in that direction; and detailed implementation strategies that will serve as a roadmap for policy, advocacy, planning, and development decisions.

The MetroFuture plan is also accompanied by a computer model of growth in the region, a model that can track changing trends and assess the impact of different policy choices, making it a powerful tool for a future generation of regional advocates inside and outside of government. The website, at www.MetroFuture.org, will supplement the printed plan, providing more detail, advocacy opportunities, best practices, tools, and data. Over time, it will also comprise a “living” version of the MetroFuture plan, updated to reflect arising challenges, successes, learning, and context.

Possibly the most important product of the MetroFuture process so far is the constituency of “Plan Builders” who have developed a much stronger understanding of regional issues through their participation. No single entitiy will be able to implement all the recommendations of the plan; the implementation strategies include recommendations for cities and towns, state government, residents, institutions, and corporations. Going forward, MetroFuture will rely on a network of “Regional Stewards,” operating in both the public and private sectors, to bring these recommendations forward and support their accomplishments in a variety of different settings.