The Rocky Mountain Collegian, produced by Colorado State University, brought attention tocitizen involvement and population growth in Fort Collins. Population growth is what I like to consider a “wicked problem”; something that cannot be solved with one magic bullet. Every solution has overpowering and often unwanted consequences.

The U.S. Census Bureau has estimated that over the past four years, Fort Collins has grown by over 8%. Population growth is a serious thing that Fort Collins faces, like much of the Front Range, that has a few options- but again, many consequences.

Solution: Greenbelt Systems
Boulder was one of the first communities to increase sales tax to pay for the locally-funded greenbelt system in 1967. It acquired over 33,000 acres of greenways and mountain lands. Why greendbelts? They act as a natural growth boundary to help define city limits and protect against outward growth.
Consequences: Expanding the already in place Help Preserve Open Spaces program could be costly in multiple ways and many people frown at the idea of increasing sales tax.

Solution: Building Limits
Yet another example coming from Boulder who has limited their building growth to 1 percent per year. It is a rather simple way to limit and control population growth.
Consequences: Even though instituting construction caps seems like a simplistic transition, it would drastically increase the cost of living and competition among builders. Of course the ideal situation is to protect the identity of the community, but at what expense does that become too much? Limiting the number of livable infrastructures would create a much more expensive problem in the end opening up other doors to things that come with expensive and urbanized living.

Population growth is a serious matter that leads to poverty and an increased rate of homelessness. Larimer County has seen a huge increase in poverty, 36.5 percent, compared to the rest of the state being at 26 percent and the nation overall at a 6.5 percent. Most people think that population growth leads to more traffic and higher home prices, which is true, but it can really increase poverty and homelessness rates.

Like stated before, population growth is a serious factor within Fort Collins and Larimer County and unfortunately there is no magic bullet to solve the issue. It is important that voters and community members become aware, stay educated and remain active regarding population growth and what it looks like in the future for Fort Collins. The City of Fort Collins offers a great resource for citizens to express their opinions and make their voices heard. Be sure to check out idealab.fcgov.com/ to get the conversation started! If you’re interested in finding out more information or want to attend events in the future check out the City’s calendar of events.

For the entire article visit collegian.com .