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Chapter 3

THE VISION

Image Credit: Duncan Rawlinson

VISION

3.1 A Shared Place

The Albuquerque area is growing; the area population is projected to grow by almost 50 percent by 2040. Growth presents many choices that can lead down different paths to different futures. Having a common vision helps guide and inform City and County decision-making over time so that we move in the right direction to reach the future we want.

Our community will have the highest quality of life and the greatest range of diverse, vibrant places if we grow as a community of strong Centers connected by Corridors that provide excellent mobility for pedestrians, cyclists, and transit users, balanced with efficient access throughout our community by automobile.

This Centers and Corridors approach to growth requires that we have strong policies that direct development primarily within existing centers, protecting rural areas and single family neighborhoods, and ensuring that development on the edges of our urban footprint is master planned to include Centers and Corridors, in addition to single-family subdivisions.

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Albuquerque's natural beauty and cultural heritage are important to protect.

We are connected to each other through passion and pride for this spectacular region, which is home to so many vibrant cultures and communities. Together, we must make choices to protect all we share, including the stunning natural beauty of the Rio Grande and Bosque, Sandia Mountains, and volcanoes on the West Mesa. As stewards of this place, we must work together to plan our streets and trails, water and energy resources, economy, parks, cultural attractions, neighborhoods, and all other elements that make up the fabric of our community.

We have a responsibility to preserve and protect all we love today and improve quality of life for future generations. Together, we can make decisions that keep us moving toward a vision that will positively influence our lives and the place we call home.

A Vision for Albuquerque & Bernalillo County

As the county and city grow in population over the next 20 years, neighborhoods will be safer and easier places to walk through and between. The positive characteristics that contribute to their unique identities will be protected and enhanced.

The local transportation network will give people a variety of options for traveling safely and efficiently within and between neighborhoods and to Centers and Corridors while protecting the health and safety of those living and working along the corridor.

Centers and Corridors attract private investment and protect rural areas, while offering people housing and easy access to services, employment, and arts and entertainment. New development occurs mostly in existing Centers and Corridors, and neighborhood revitalization is focused in areas that have been neglected.

Signature regional parks and gems of natural features will attract local and far away visitors, sparking economic growth through increased tourism and local investment.

Multicultural heritage and cultures – including rich arts and traditions, historic buildings and landmarks, and rural ways of life – will continue to be recognized and celebrated as assets for revitalizing neighborhoods and building a diverse, vibrant local economy.

The City and the County commit to analyzing the health of our communities and the geographic distribution of our public investments and assets. Where gaps are identified, governments will collaborate with communities, nonprofits, public agencies, and private enterprises to address them.

VISION

3.2 Vision Map

The Comp Plan Vision Map (Figures 3-1 and 3-2) illustrates our desired growth pattern for the city and county in the future, with growth captured primarily in existing and designated Centers and Corridors.

This map updates the Centers and Corridors from 2013 based on public feedback, recent development, and new economic realities. The designations, symbols, and descriptions of Centers and Corridors have been updated to better coordinate land use and transportation and to create vibrant places.

The Vision Map is not regulatory. Instead, it will act as a general guide for specific policies in the Comp Plan Elements (Chapters 4-13) intended to move us toward our shared vision.

3.3 Centers & Corridors

3.3.1 CENTERS

Centers are areas of relatively intense development with a variety of land uses that allow for many different activities. There are five Center types in the Comp Plan, each describing a varying level of intensity and market area. Most Centers have, or will strive for, a high degree of walkability, and are intended to be well served by transit and connected by trails and bike lanes. Other Centers focus on providing job centers where they are needed throughout the region.

Downtown

Albuquerque’s Downtown serves as a regional hub for high-intensity, concentrated employment and commercial activity supported by high-density housing. Downtown serves as the focal point and unifying identity of the Albuquerque area.

Urban Centers

Urban Centers incorporate a mix of residential and employment uses at a lower density and intensity than Downtown. While Urban Centers serve a smaller portion of the region, they also provide a unifying urban identity for the areas that coalesce around them.

Employment Centers

Employment Centers prioritize opportunities for industrial and business districts supported by retail and residential uses. Employment Centers tend to be auto-oriented and need to provide excellent access for trucks and connections to freight networks.

Activity Centers

Activity Centers incorporate a mix of residential and convenient services at a neighborhood scale, serving neighborhoods within a 20-minute walk or short bike ride.

Village Centers

Village Centers serve rural or semi-urban areas. They provide a variety of shopping opportunities and gathering spaces for events such as festivals, markets, and street fairs.

VISION

3.3.2 CORRIDORS

Corridors describe the mix of uses and transportation connections within walking distance (about one-eighth to one-quarter mile) of a major street. The Comp Plan highlights a network of five different Corridor types with different policy objectives for street design, transit service, and development form. This range of Corridor types balances the street system by ensuring access to Centers by walking, biking, and transit. Commuter Corridors prioritize automobile travel to ensure efficient cross-town movement for vehicles and trucks.

Premium Transit Corridors

Premium Transit Corridors are intended to be served eventually by high-quality, high-capacity, high-frequency public transit (e.g. bus rapid transit). These Corridors are planned for mixed-use and transit-oriented development within walking distance from transit stations at strategic locations along the corridor.

Main Street Corridors

Main Streets are lively, highly walkable neighborhood streets lined with local-serving businesses.

Major Transit Corridors

Major Transit Corridors are anticipated to be served by high frequency and local transit (e.g. RapidRide, local, and commuter buses). These Corridors prioritize transit above other modes to ensure a convenient and efficient transit system.

Multi-Modal Corridors

Multi-Modal Corridors should encourage the redevelopment of aging auto-oriented commercial strip development to a more mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented environment and focus heavily on providing safe, multi-modal transportation options.

Commuter Corridors

Commuter Corridors are higher-speed and higher-traffic volume with routes for people going across town (e.g. limited-access roadways). These Corridors accommodate faster and longer trips for personal vehicles, commuter bus service, and often bicycling.

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Image credit: City of Albuquerque

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Image credit: Bernalillo County

Downtown's KiMo Theatre and the unmistakable flavors of New Mexico.

VISION

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Figure 3-1: Countywide Vision Map

VISION

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Figure 3-2: Metro-focused Vision Map

Guiding Principles

Guiding the Vision

The Guiding Principles are a major outcome of public engagement efforts. They represent the most prominent themes voiced by community members in 2015 and provide a community- and value-based framework for the Vision.

These six principles capture our values and aspirations as a community and underlie the goals, policies, and actions in each element of the Comp Plan.

STRONG NEIGHBORHOODS

New development creates desirable places to live and encourages diverse housing and amenities, while respecting the unique history and character of each neighborhood.

MOBILITY

Residents have improved options to move throughout Albuquerque for work, school, recreation, and services.

ECONOMIC VITALITY

The local economy supports a mix of market activities and promotes financial security for all residents.

EQUITY

All residents have access to good public services, a range of housing options, and healthy places to live, work, learn, and play.

SUSTAINABILITY

Natural and cultural resources are protected and conserved to build a future that is physically, environmentally, and socially sustainable.

COMMUNITY HEALTH

All residents are protected from harm where they live, work, learn, and play. Everyone has convenient access to healthy food, parks and open space, and a wide range of amenities and services.

VISION

3.4 Comp Plan Elements

Chapters 4 through 13 contain the Comp Plan Elements, which provide policy guidance to the City and County by topic. Background & Analysis – the first section in each chapter – discusses current conditions, trends, and best practices. Goals, Policies & Actions are laid out in the second section of each chapter. Items relating to both City and County are marked as [ABC], City as [A], and County as [BC]. Where sub-policies are not marked, they follow the main policy’s marking.

Chapter 14 Implementation provides a matrix of implementation actions taken from policies in each Element, as well as strategic actions that the City and County should take to catalyze progress toward the shared Vision and performance measures to track implementation efforts over time.

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CHAPTER 4:

COMMUNITY IDENTITY

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CHAPTER 5:

LAND USE

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CHAPTER 6:

TRANSPORTATION

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CHAPTER 7:

URBAN DESIGN

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CHAPTER 8:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

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CHAPTER 9:

HOUSING

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CHAPTER 10:

PARKS & OPEN SPACE

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CHAPTER 11:

HERITAGE CONSERVATION

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CHAPTER 12:

INFRASTRUCTURE, COMMUNITY FACILITIES & SERVICES

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CHAPTER 13:

RESILIENCE & SUSTAINABILITY

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CHAPTER 14:

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN