Maricopa County's Parks and Recreation Department now features one of the nation's largest county park systems, with 10 regional parks totaling more than 120,000 acres. In an effort to manage the future needs of residents and the growth of the county the Department decided to update the previous Master Plan for the Park System which was completed over 40 years ago. The Strategic System Master Plan evaluates all aspects of the Department’s management efforts and seeks strong community input into the elements and expectations they have for the system today and in the future.

In step with other organizations, the Greater Phoenix Economic Council (the Valley’s regional public-private economic development organization) published a comprehensive 10-year economic development strategy that codified its change in direction to quality economic development in aerospace, bio-industry, advanced business and financial services, technology, and software. In early 2004, the Governor’s Council on Innovation and Technology issued Building Arizona’s Knowledge-Based Economy with scores of recommendations on venture capital, higher education, collaboration, workforce development, and other topics. Separately, each of these items would have been notable. Taken together, they demonstrate a strong commitment to the growth of a knowledge economy and to the multifaceted approaches needed to develop it.