Last year the Cascadia Innovation Corridor Conference made headlines for its 2035 vision for the region which included a proposed high-speed rail line connecting Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver.
This year they have even bigger plans.
In the proposal titled Cascadia Vision 2050, the Microsoft sponsored group envisions the Cascadia Innovation Corridor “mega-region” as a global model for sustainable growth.
High-speed rail is still part of the organization’s aspirations for Cascadia but the 2050 plan focuses around building mid-sized cities between the urban centers that define the region.
The report released this week proposes building hubs for 300,000 to 400,000 people on underdeveloped land throughout Oregon, Washington, and parts of British Columbia to promote sustainable growth.
RELATED: Cascadia Corridor to be Home to World’s First All-Electric Airline
But the goal is not to create bedroom communities for the region’s big cities, which could increase emissions from commuters. Instead, the organization hopes employers will commit to locating in these mid-sized cities so that they can become economic engines on their own.
The group wants Cascadia to become the first mega-region in which local officials solve growth challenges on a regional basis, rather than city-by-city.
Intrigued? Read Monica Nickelsburg’s coverage of Vision 2050 on GeekWire and sign up to participate in the upcoming Connecting The Cascadia Corridor virtual forum on October 9th.