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MDF Policy No. 3: <br />Regional shopping, employment, cultural, entertainment, governmental and <br />high -density residential facilities should be clustered in centers <br />convenient to the metropolitan transportation system. <br />This is the Council-s concept of major diversified centers. The MDF takes no <br />further steps to make them happen and, in fact (with perhaps the notable <br />exception of Southdale), they did not develop. There are major concentrations <br />of commercial development, but they did not occur in the same areas as the <br />major retail centers (the centers of the Council-s diversified centers). <br />MDF Policy No. 4: <br />A choice of living and working opportunities in the Region should be <br />available to everyone. Opportunities should be increased for low- and <br />moderate -income persons to live in the suburbs, and middle- and upper -income <br />housing should be developed in the central cities. <br />Council housing policies have attempted to make housing available in the sub- <br />urbs where jobs are likely to be, but the Council has no policies that discuss <br />how to develop working opportunities for the poor or the possibility of getting <br />jobs near where they live. <br />What conclusion is to be drawn from the Council-s "economic development" <br />experience under its current policies? The Council recognizes the importance <br />of the regional economy to the well-being of the Region-s residents, but has <br />not been willing to follow through and explicity encourage economic development <br />in the face of other demands and pressures. <br />With this discussion paper, the Council is making economic development impacts <br />a relevant factor in its decision -making process. The Council is proposing <br />economic policies to help the Region achieve some of the goals discussed in the <br />attached policy paper. First, it is necessary to give economic development <br />more visibility in the MDF areawide policies. The policies discussed above are <br />reordered and rewritten in the "Proposed Policies" section. New, more explicit <br />policies are proposed as well. The proposed policies reflect the increased <br />visibility of economic development impacts. <br />29 <br />