Responding to stakeholders in the South Jersey region, Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs at Rutgers – Camden (WRI) was approached to help explore ways to better manage regional development. Under the leadership of WRI, a Regional Development Forum was organized, bringing together diverse stakeholders for candid policy discussions about development issues. The group, comprised of builders, environmentalists, planning experts and policy advocates came together to identify common goals and generate recommendations for improving planning, with special consideration for southern New Jersey, the fastest growing region in the state. The group came to a consensus that a county-centric planning model, entitled Growth Fit.  This document serves to discuss this model, generating the necessary interest to this county-centric plan into legislation. 

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On April 4, 2006, the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs convened the second South Jersey Regional Development Forum. This Forum featured a presentation by Barry Seymour, Assistant Executive Director of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission on Destination 2030: A Vision for the Future.  This presentation provided an opportunity for policymakers and stakeholders at the Forum to discuss in a broader regional context the Growth Fit Model for housing developed by the Builder’s League of South Jersey.

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On November 3, 2005 the Senator Walter Rand Institute hosted the first South Jersey Regional Development Forum which featured a discussion on the Growth Fit Model as presented by the Builder’s League of South Jersey.  This forum was held in an effort to foster open and productive discussions of critical issues facing development in southern New Jersey.  The outcomes of this discussion included: identifying the need for media support and an outreach plan to educate the public about these issues, the crucial nature of further discussions regarding these issues and the need to incorporate environmental issues into this discussion.

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In 2005, the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs completed a Smart Growth Forecast for the counties of Southern New Jersey to assess the effects of urban sprawl in the region.  The study assessed current land use practices in an effort to establish the need for better land use management in Southern New Jersey.  This assessment involves the collection of data and creation of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) maps to illustrate possible development scenarios in the region.

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In 2004, the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs conducted a Smart Growth Forecast for Camden, Gloucester and Burlington Counties in southern New Jersey.  A land use simulation model was developed to enable policymakers, planners, developers and community groups to see where potential new development should take place as well as to assess the extent to which existing urban centers needed redevelopment.  This alternative approach advocates coordinated, comprehensive planning processes that encourage urban revitalization, open space preservation while promoting sustainable economic development.

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Written at a critical time for Camden County, “Toward a Metropolitan Complex: the Camden HUB Smart Growth Report” describes the looming peril of a decreasing tax base and increasing health and social service demands in Camden County.  Dr. Richard Harris, Director of the Senator Walter Rand Institute for Public Affairs, considers the current and impending state of affairs in this report, and offers a sound solution for regional development that employs and conserves environmental, institutional, social and infrastructure resources. Read more on the forecasted state of Camden County and viable solutions for redevelopment.

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The report, “South Jersey’s Views on Sprawl, Development, and Regional Identity,” is based on surveys conducted in 2001, surrounding the issues of suburban sprawl, development and regional identity.  Survey responses from South Jerseyans help to understand the myths related to South Jersey’s identity, and the cycle of valuing open space while urban flight and suburban development increase demands for those lands to be developed. Valuable for its description of South Jerseyans’ values and preferences, click here to read more on the proposed smart growth initiatives for the region.

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Prepared by Rand faculty fellow Robert Wood, this report examines agritourism in the context of New Jersey agriculture and the state’s farmland preservation program. Agritourism—a broad array of activities linking farmers and consumers more directly—is often seen as an important way to answer the question: Once farmland has been preserved, how do we preserve the farmer?  New Jersey has the second largest farmland preservation program in the nation in terms of proportional acreage, but many traditional types of farming in the state are in decline.  The report argues for a synergistic approach to the relationship between agritourism and farmland preservation, making proposals to enhance the potential of each to contribute to the other and thereby contribute to a continuing place for a productive agriculture in the Garden State..

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