Debate growth- From The Wichita Eagle

They cut a lot from my letter. But I guess we just go with what we get:
Here is an important letter I wrote to The Wichita Eagle:

Some time ago, an Eagle editorial lamented that Wichita’s population is growing too slowly (June 5 Opinion). Actually, planners in this area need to consider debating the whole concept of a “growth economy.” We need to consider moving to a “maintenance economy,” or what I have called a “controlled growth economy.”
This debate rose up in Germany in the late 1970s with discussions on “sustainable living.” Europeans can’t really afford the kind of growth we have here. They have way less open land and less resources. The idea is to find ways to sustain the population and conserve the use of these resources.
There are some U.S. cities that have limits on urban sprawl. In California, San Jose and about a dozen other cities have already adopted some form of a growth boundary to limit new development and prevent urban sprawl. Though they get a lot of criticism, the people who move there claim the quality of life is better.
Growth-based economies require resources that have to expand, and keep expanding, in order to work. That means more power (gasoline, electricity), more land, more building of structures, more water, more sewer, more roads, vehicles and everything else we need to live. All these resources will run out eventually. And that day is probably sooner than most people realize.
It’s time to begin the debate about a policy change that has to be faced sooner rather than later.
STEVE OTTO, MAIZE