The Capital Region Institute (CRI) announced today the release of two documents designed to assist the region's leaders with growth management and regional quality-of-life issues. CRI will release today a large-format, multicolored map of the greater Sacramento area illustrating population growth from 1900 to date, and also noting land reserved and unavailable for urbanization. The map helps visualize the evolution of population growth in the area and, in a very general way, where it is likely to go. Also released today is a publication titled, "Regional Futures." The publication is a collection of articles authored by experts in their field affiliated with the region's colleges and universities. Articles are wide ranging in their subject matter, ranging from transportation to telecommunications. Each article was competitively evaluated by CRI and selected for its relevance to the issues confronting the multicounty region surrounding Sacramento, California. "These publications are the result of a couple year's work, and the generous efforts of many people," noted CRI Chair, John R. Roberts. "In every case, the effort was built around doing what we can to improve the quality of life in this region as we continue to grow at a rapid pace." "CRI was established to more fully engage the region's colleges and universities in the process of helping address critical urban and regional questions," noted Roberts. "There is an amazing amount of existing knowledge and expertise in this region's institutions of higher learning that can help us set the course to the best possible future for the region." CRI is a unique partnership of the region's higher education institutions, working together to identify applied research resources to address issues of regional growth and quality of life. This work is done in order to inform and assist the region's policy-makers in dealing with the increasingly difficult challenges that come with growth and larger populations. Copies of both documents can be acquired by contacting CRI. Postage and handling charges for the growth map are $2.50, and for the "Regional Futures" report, $10. FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: John R. Roberts, Chair Capital Region Institute 916.264.8245 robertsjr3@aol.com Don Gerth, President California State University, Sacramento 916.278.7737 Brice Harris, Chancellor Los Rios Community College District 916.568.3021 Larry Vanderhoef, Chancellor University of California at Davis 530.752.2065 Larry Welch, Chair Valley Vision c/o Hewlett Packard 916.748.7237 ### 30 ###