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Losing Nature

Lately I have been consumed by loss, and by the notion of loss. Working as a physician for the last two years, my confidence in the durability of health, life, and even community, has eroded. Personally, I was lucky. None of my family or close friends died of our plague, but professionally I watched as countless people we cared for intensely progressed with illness, suffered, and ultimately died....

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Trees Not a Crowd

I’m relatively new to UPEC, but I was very glad to learn that a local group is working on the intersection of people and nature. As a recent graduate of the University of Utah currently employed in the outdoor recreation industry, I tend to think about these issues through the prism of the West’s stressed wildernesses. I spent 6 months of last year working as an outdoor educator in Central Ore...

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Increasing Housing Crisis in Utah

As young people, newly settling into our careers, my partner and I were excited to start the home buying process in Boise, Idaho, one of Salt Lake’s closest neighbors. Our excitement quickly turned to frustration as we confronted the lack of inventory of homes in our price range. When we finally started submitting offers, we were consistently outbid by investors offering thousands of dollars over...

housing in Utah

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Population is Part of the Equation

Happy New Year from UPEC! First, a quick announcement, and then some more substantial thoughts. The latter are longer than usual, but we hope you will give them a decent read, and please always reach out to us with comments and questions. Also, please share this email with your friends! 

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Those Snowy Peaks Have Us Thinking…

If you visit the Wasatch Front for snow-related activities, or, if you have simply lived in Salt Lake for more than a minute, then you have almost certainly experienced the intense traffic that often occurs in our area’s iconic mountain canyons.

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Inland Port Taking Shape South of Great Salt Lake

A multimillion Inland Port is taking shape south of the Great Salt Lake. The original project of 16,000 acres has since ballooned to include a newly planned real estate development and a gargantuan Amazon warehouse. Guided by the Utah Inland Port Authority (UIPA), and with a freshly approved budget of $40 million, Utah’s Inland Port is likely happening — whether we like it or not.

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A Few Thoughts on Immigration

To begin with an understatement, immigration is a highly controversial topic. Most of us are familiar with the contentious cultural and economic debates surrounding immigration policy, and immigration also has multiple tangled and ambiguous connections to population growth and the environment. Immigration obviously contributes to population growth in the United States, though even measuring by...

immigration, population

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