Below you will find some implications, early indicators, and possible strategic options for each of the North Valley stories.

Go to: The Good Life | Green Rush | Ghost Town | Burnt Back to Basics

What does THE GOOD LIFE mean?

- There is a need for a prototype before developers can make the leap in imagination for urban development

- Identify a forum that can bring the region together by addressing equity issue between local areas

- Overcome old grievances that can divide communities within the region

- A balance can be found between jobs and the environment

- Need to overcome competitiveness and selfishness

- Need to address the water challenge (supply and cost)

- Need to address challenge of high cost of energy

- Need to address affordable housing challenge in the face of in-migration (especially of the more affluent)

- Change can be good

- Fostering civic engagement among diverse groups is critical

- Emergence of creative new regional solutions to water distribution (e.g., watershed-based collaboration)

Possible Early Indicators of THE GOOD LIFE

- Native Americans are better integrated into communities

- An economic summit for the region is held to develop consensus and strategy

- Creation of an I-5 tech center

- “Survival Center” that teaches life/job skills to all

- Significant increases in sales tax revenues throughout the area

- Increase in voter participation

- “Unity Day” brings together different racial/ethnic groups

- Chico and Butte County agree on regional planning board

- Unemployment rate matches state level (instead of being higher)

- Local economy remains strong even during national down cycle, agriculture is healthy

- Enrollment in local higher education institutions increases

- Health care improves in rural areas

- Meth labs cease to exist

- Redding develops booming tourism economy

Strategic Options for THE GOOD LIFE

If a significant number of these early indicators show up in the news, then the North Valley Region would be wise to implement at least some of the following strategic options.

- Create a leadership development and training program for the North Valley to build skills, outcomes, relationships

- Develop a regional water plan/coalition involving diverse stakeholders to represent regions interest to state and federal agencies

- Develop new initiative to improve parenting and life skills and raise kids with higher aspirations

- Improve regional land use and transportation planning between population centers

- Support a voter participation initiative led by regional youth (“The Rebel Alliance”)

- Raise awareness of regional issues

- Plan for economic diversification and environmental protection

- Improve the integration of schools with their communities (e.g., schools as community centers)

- Develop mentorship programs on civic participation and leadership development for youth

- Understand how decisions made today shape the region in 2025

- Make connections between your own choices and options and the region

Back to Top

What does GREEN RUSH mean?

- The reasons people come to the North Valley involve natural resources and they are fragile

- Growth for its own sake may not be good

- Simply fighting the other point of view
is not a solution

- Competition reduces the chance for success

- Even rural communities are part of the global economy

Possible Early Indicators of GREEN RUSH

- Million dollar homes replace farms in Butte County

- Redding sprawls further

- Growing Latino population in Chico, primarily filling lower-wage service jobs

- Beaches along the lakes and rivers have huge use on holiday weekends (similar to Halloween festivities in Chico)

- Record numbers of salmon in North Valley rivers due to increasing resources for watershed protection

- Commuting between Red Bluff and Redding along I-5 increases

- Rising home prices drive some to commute from more remote, rural areas

Strategic Options for GREEN RUSH

If a significant number of these early indicators show up in the news, then the North Valley Region would be wise to implement at least some of the following strategic options.

- Develop cooperative, voluntary regional natural resources conservation plan

- Require developers to pay costs associated with development to ensure community infrastructure

- Encourage regional collaboration to reduce local competition for development and jobs

- Push for campaign finance reform to reduce clout of special interests

- Develop a political coalition to promote North Valley interests in Sacramento

- Restore respect for public officials; strengthen leadership; reduce costs/hassles associated with running for office; consider increased pay for officials

- Consider living wage legislation

- Develop a regional coalition around sales tax initiative for transportation improvements

- Link planning for jobs and housing to encourage balanced growth

- Work toward more equitable distribution of funds to schools regionally

- Develop programs to facilitate better integration of newcomers into North Valley communities

-Understand how the decisions made today shape the region in 2025

-Make a connection between your own choices and the region

-Value the Valley

Back to Top

What does GHOST TOWN mean?

- If Highway 99 is not widened north of Chico, then Chico will become a suburb of Sacramento and less allied to the rest of the North Valley

- Red Bluff never realizes its potential as central to North Valley

- Government jobs are a disproportionate share of jobs in this economy; in this scenario they’d decline

- Young people leave—the region ages and declines

- The region finds it hard to grow

- Rival areas impacted by global affairs

Possible Early Indicators of GHOST TOWN

- Asthma rates increase

- The groundwater table drops

- Asian economy falters

- Butte and Tehama Counties fail to agree on Route 99 improvements

- Terrorism leads to an increase of bunker mentality

- Green line is broken in Chico

- Williamson Act subvention funds no longer go to counties as part of remedy for state budge deficit

- Regional tourism declines

- State budget deficit hits region hard

Strategic Options for GHOST TOWN

If a significant number of these early indicators show up in the news, then the North Valley Region would be wise to implement at least some of the following strategic options.

- Create regional coalition that is capable of representing regional interest to rest of state

- Invest in infrastructure—roads, water, schools—that will support higher level jobs and diversification

- Identify a common cause, a vision, that serves the good of all and galvanizes political will

- Launch a PR campaign—out of the region—to promote and market the region and increase the sense of pride of those within the region

- Offer workshops on win-win solutions/positive-sum negotiation

- Develop dramatic display of the consequences of lowering the level of large lakes and ground water

- Become more proactive rather than reactive

- Promote resource based amenities (i.e. wildflower bike rides)

- Improve education and local workforce

- Diversify the economy

- Be strategic, not oppotunistic

- Build on regional assets to support the region’s unique qualities

Back to Top

What does BURNT BACK TO BASICS mean?

- There is a need to get out of the quick-buck/short-term mind-set

- Beware of deals too good to be true

- Wealth doesn’t solve everything

Possible Early Indicators of BURNT BACK TO BASICS

- Indian gaming casinos record profits as optimism booms

- Housing prices increase as unemployment drops

- Beetle populations thrive in drier forests

- Weirder weather; extreme swings from year to year

- Technology breakthroughs start to allow more farming with less water

- Unemployment drops below state average

- Rapid population growth shifts water to urban centers

- Incidents tied to extremism, intolerance, or racial tension increase

- Prices for water transfers increase

- Salmon runs decline for fifth straight year

Strategic Options for BURNT BACK TO BASICS

If a significant number of the early indicators were to appear, then the following strategic options would be an appropriate response to the increasing likelihood of the Burnt Back to Basics scenario playing out:

- Build trust within the region, especially around water rights

- Convene a Water Forum to start discussions

- Push for common ground between conservationists and timber interests in order to reduce fuel loads and intensity of forest fires

- Strengthen scientific oversight

- More water conservation (e.g., switch from high water demand crops to low demand crops, cities switch to drought-tolerant landscaping)

- Encourage cross-cultural/cross-religion interaction, especially for new-comers

- Understand how decisions made today will shape the region in 2025

- Make a connection between your own choices and regional outcomes

- Value the Valley

Back to Top