About the Center:

The number of people living in North Central Texas has grown by more than 30 percent in the last 10 years and experts predict that this trend will continue. This means that today's population of about 5.6 million people in the Dallas/Fort Worth region is expected to grow to more than 9 million by 2030. This is an exciting time as growth brings new economic and cultural opportunities, but it is also a time in which we must plan for new and unique challenges. 

To prepare for the road ahead, the North Central Texas Council of Governments' Strategic Plan for 1999-2003 called for the creation of the Center of Development Excellence. The Center is envisioned as a comprehensive effort to bring together public- and private-sector experts in the environmental, transportation, development, and information analysis fields to address the regional issues and infrastructure concerns of the future. 

In December 2001, NCTCOG's Executive Board appointed local government and private sector stakeholders to the Development Excellence Steering Committee-a committee charged with advising NCTCOG regarding development issues. As its first assignment, the committee drafted a mission statement and "10 Principles of Development Excellence" to guide the initiative. The "10 Principles" have been designed to address the many issues that will impact the region as its population grows including, but not limited to, transportation, air quality, water supply, and the environment.

Mission:

The mission of the Center of Development Excellence is to promote quality growth in North Central Texas that enhances the built environment, reduces vehicle miles of travel, uses water & energy resources effectively and efficiently, and helps advance environmental stewardship in order to ensure continued economic vitality and provide the highest attainable quality of life for all residents.