The MPO has recently updated the business-as-usual scenario (a.k.a. trend model) to predict where people will live and work between now and 2035 for 10 counties in Middle Tennessee, including the 7 counties included in the MPO's planning area. The model's predictions take into account current land use policies, land development regulations, and each parcel's relative attractiveness to future growth.
Forecasting future growth using alternative growth scenarios (i.e., growth patterns), will enable the MPO to assess the implications of the anticipated growth by comparing outcomes of scenarios using a variety of solutions to fix the perceived problems of congestion, land consumption, infrastructure costs, etc. Analysis of those factors will be available in Spring 2010.
