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<br />00Qj84 <br /> <br />June <br /> <br />RECEIVED <br />JUft/98 <br />... 191'J <br />COj < <br />M;~EII~~~TER <br />N BOAlla <br /> <br />Memorandum B. <br /> <br />TO: <br /> <br />Committee on Balanced Population <br /> <br />FROM: Legislative Council Staff <br />SUBJECT: Areas for Committee Exploration -- S.J.R. No. 11 <br /> <br />S.J.R. No. 11 directs the Committee on Balanced <br />Population to study the forseeable beneficial and detri- <br />mental consequences of: a continuation of uncontrolled <br />population growth; attracting new industry to Colorado or <br />to certain parts of Colorado; adoption by communities of <br />population growth limits; the stabilization of Colorado's <br />population; the stabilization of metropolitan Denver's <br />. population; dispersal of anticipated new growth away from <br />the Front Range; development of new communi ties or new-- <br />population centers; and continuation of the concentration <br />of new growth into existing Front Range cities. <br /> <br />First-of-all, it is the purpose of this memo to pro- <br />vide a brief background and illustration of the advantages <br />and disadvantages posed by each of these concepts. Sec- <br />ondly, the memo lists various social. economic, and eco- <br />logical factors that could be affected by implementation <br />or continuation of any of the aforementioned policies. <br />Hopefully, the latter may suggest areas for in-depth study <br />and analysis by the committee. Perhaps some system for <br />the expansion, evaluation, and weighting of these factors <br />may be developed by the committee which will provide a ba- <br />sis for policy recommendations to the General Assembly. <br /> <br />I. Continuation of <br />Uncontrolled Population Growth <br /> <br />Front RanQe Growth. An analysis of United States <br />Census data from 1940 to 1970 indicates the formation of an <br />urban strip along Colorado's Front Range similar to the <br />dense population belts of the East and West Coasts of the <br />United States. If projected population figures hold true, <br />I.e., if the state does not direct growth elsewhere, the <br />l4-county Front Range may have a population of 3,364,100 <br />by the year 2000. This urban strip will account for 88.2 <br />percent of the total population of the state at this time. <br />