A Utah group focused on regional planning has spawned similar long-term growth projects around the United States that affect 55 million people, Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. told business leaders in Salt Lake City this past week.

The Coalition for Utah's Future organized Envision Utah in 1997 to create a value system for urban planning along the Wasatch Front. Since then, other states have followed suit, with planning groups that include Southern California Compass, Envision Central Texas and Louisiana Speaks. The groups establish what their community values are and then create plans for how to fix problems.

The Envision Utah model, Huntsman said, has become a calling card of sorts for why Utah is successful. Huntsman served as the second chairman of the coalition before he was elected governor.

Kevin Fayles, spokesman for Envision Utah, said a lot of people don't make the connection between planning and business development.

"You can't separate workforce, housing and transportation and air quality," Fayles said. "No average person thinks, 'My life is better because this is well-planned.' "

Fayles calls the Envision Utah process democracy in action, because community members take part in the visioning process, voice their concerns and eventually vote on the plans.