Stream the first episode in our podcast's new series on the future of housing in Utah

Check out the first episode in the Your Utah, Your Future Podcast's new three-part series on the future of housing in Utah!

Whether you're currently a homeowner, looking to buy a home, or even a renter, we've all felt the impacts of the current housing shortage and affordability crisis facing our state. To understand the current market though, we first have to understand how we got here in the first place.

In this episode, we sit down with the experts to dive into the factors that have led the housing market to where it is today, including:

• Historic trends that led to our housing deficit
• Natural constraints new development faces 
• Impacts of resident opposition to new development
• Labor & supply shortages from the Covid-19 pandemic
• Influence of our state's growth on the housing market  

Click on the links below to check out Part One today!

Special thanks to our expert guests featured in this episode: 

Ted Knowlton, Deputy Director at the Wasatch Front Regional Council, Chris Gamvroulas, President of Ivory Development, Dejan Eskic, Senior Research Fellow with Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, and Mallory Bateman, Director of Demographic Research with Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute

ICYMI: Envision Utah at the National Conference on Earthquake Engineering

The Wasatch Front has a high chance of experiencing a magnitude 6.75 or greater earthquake in the next 50 years. But, as many Utahns were reminded in the 2020 Magna earthquake, Utah’s buildings and infrastructure are not yet prepared for an earthquake of that size. That's why last month Envision Utah helped bring the 12th National Conference on Earthquake Engineering to Salt Lake City. 

Envision Utah joined Governor Spencer J. Cox for the keynote presentation to address the state of seismic safety in Utah and help kick off the conference. 

Envision Utah also led a breakout session to address the challenges for improving seismic resilience and the importance of bringing a diverse group of stakeholders and citizens together to explore issues, create buy-in for solutions, and make progress on otherwise intractable issues. Speakers and panelists included:

• Brad Wilson, Speaker, Utah House of Representatives
• Jerry Stevenson, Executive Appropriations Chair, Utah Senate
• Jessica Chappell, Engineering Manager, The Haskell Company
• Ryan Beck, Vice President of Planning, Envision Utah
• Jason Brown, Vice President of Education and Communications, Envision Utah

The conference provided an opportunity for researchers and practitioners to share the latest knowledge and techniques to better understand and mitigate the damaging effects of earthquakes, especially in Utah.

For more information check out Envision Utah’s Disaster Resiliency project here →

Check out Envision Utah featured in Fostering Conversations with Utah Foster Care

Recently our Early Learning Project Manager, Travis Allred, sat down with Utah Foster Care to talk about how parents can help be brain builders for their children using the Vroom App. 

Did you know that 80% of a child’s brain is developed between birth and 4 years old? In partnership with the Bezos Family Foundation, our early learning team is working to empower all Utah parents when it comes to helping their children develop and be successful.

As a caregiver, you can help your young children build neural connections through Vroom, a free app that turns everyday moments into brain-building activities. Vroom gives you bite-sized, science-based tips that help you give children a great start in life.

Check out the episode below and download the free Vroom app today!

Join the Envision Utah team

Envision Utah is hiring! We're looking for a Development Director to join our team.

Think you would be a good fit? Send us an application!

In the News

The Salt Lake Tribune

Nearly everyone living on Utah’s Wasatch Front relies on water delivered via three major aqueducts built in the 1950s, an era when little attention was paid to seismic risks. Envision Utah talks about the risks these aqueducts face and how to move forward. 

KJZZ 14

Once Utah's old prison is relocated, money and employment are anticipated to soar. Envision Utah talks about putting together the plan for the incoming development at the point of the mountain, a job which our VP of Planning, Ryan Beck, says will be significant.

Utah Business

Envision Utah talks about tackling the challenges regarding the state's growth after the report “Utah Long-Term Planning Projections,” recently published by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute, outlines how Utah’s continued economic growth and diversification will drive net migration to the state.