It's a vision for a future in which the central Puget Sound region has clean air and water, open spaces, quality schools and good jobs. Arts and culture are thriving, transportation is clean, communities are healthy, and there are options for getting where we need to go.

Adopted by the region's elected leadership in 2008, VISION 2040 is the long-term strategy for accommodating the expected growth of people and jobs while also enhancing the environment and quality of life in the region through the year 2040.

It has four parts:

• Environmental framework - provides the environmental context for regional planning.
• Regional growth strategy - promotes a sustainable development pattern, in which new housing and jobs are focused within urban growth areas, especially within regional growth centers.
• Multicounty planning policies - provide a common framework for local planning to address the environment, development patterns, housing, economy, transportation and public services.
• Implementation - describes specific actions to achieve the multicounty policies, and a way to monitor progress.