Principles of Responsible Development

Over the last 40 years, the environmental movement has defined well what it means to development a sustainable urban environment.  In the Puget Sound region, we need to broaden our understanding of a sustainable environment to include shared economic prosperity for all families.  

In order to ensure that future development and growth do not exacerbate economic disparities and create economic hardship for working families, we urge local governments to adopt the following principals of responsible development.  

• Economic development should have as a primary goal the creation of economic opportunity and the reduction of poverty and economic disparities.

• Public resources, such as land, subsidies and infrastructure, must be used wisely to support development that benefits the most people without hurting the most vulnerable.

• The development process must be transparent and accessible, encouraging substantive community input.


• Policymaking on development must be based on a careful assessment of community needs and the social and environmental impact of proposed projects.