Jul. 5--Akey element of successful strategic planning is to not allow immediate -- and sometimes inconvenient -- details to distract you from considering the bigger picture and longer view.

Keeping this perspective and utilizing hardearned wisdom is particularly difficult in what appears to be a crisis. But sometimes, that really is the best time to re-examine what you are doing and take bold steps to improve your situation in the future. It has been difficult this year for forward-thinkers and long-range planners to get anyone's attention about preparing for millions of additional people moving to the East Valley and other parts of Arizona. Local governments have been focused on squeezing their budgets in response to the recession and a sudden drop-off in housing construction and other property development.

That change was reflected in a latest population estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau last week, as the pace of growth in local communities has slowed dramatically since June 2007. But the census estimates also point to an underlying concern that this slowdown is only temporary, and we can expect a new surge of incoming residents once the economy turns around.

This can be seen in the fact while growth has come to a near halt in older and more mature cities such as Mesa and Chandler, younger communities with more vacant land continued to expand at a rapid clip. This included Queen Creek at nearly 9 percent and Gilbert at 5 percent, the Tribune reported Wednesday. Clearly, there's still plenty of interest in those areas where market forces point to shiny new possibilities.

Mesa Mayor Scott Smith noted that the overall slump gives local communities an opportunity to catch up on infrastructure projects and other needs when they just couldn't keep pace earlier this decade.

This also is an opportunity for all of us to review what we have learned from that experience, both good and bad, and be better prepared for next time. Such strategic efforts already are under way in places such as Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport and Superstition Vistas further to the east.

The East Valley can't afford to allow this important work to lag, and we should look for other areas where can we rely on past experiences to guide our future actions.

-----

To see more of The Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.eastvalleytribune.com.

Copyright (c) 2009, The Tribune, Mesa, Ariz.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.