PRINCETON, NJ-Some groups insist that the first step in solving a problem is admitting that a problem exists. In a similar fashion, business leaders in New Jersey say that to plan things out, it helps to have an actual plan. That was the mantra at an event here on the university campus called Building ONE New Jersey, which was co-chaired by representatives from PlanSmart NJ and the New Jersey Regional Coalition.

“We have a failure of planning,” said Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno, referring to the lack of direction that the state gives to businesses and municipalities when it comes to economic development. Right now there are “too many people telling too many people to do too many disparate things.”

Many speakers pointed fingers at sprawl as a main culprit that created blighted cities across the state. The state isn’t doing much about that, contended Guadagno, who had harsh words for the Office of Smart Growth. “They’re not doing their job by any measure,” she said, promising that the entity’s responsibilities would soon fall under her jurisdiction.

Even developers that are more than eager to build anything anywhere should be weary of sprawl, said Joseph McNamara, director of New Jersey Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education Trust (LECET), which represents workers in the construction industry. “Our industry does recognize that sprawl in the long term really hurts our industry because it hurts the economy,” he said.

McNamara also stressed the need to improve the state’s infrastructure in order to strengthen the economy and said that there needs to be more of a focus on greening building in inner cities to help attract businesses. “Economic development and the environment aren’t mutually exclusive,” he said.

Part of the planning process needs to involve more affordable housing, contended David Rusk, an urban policy consultant. But not without conditions. “It must create a win-win situation,” he said. “It must be fair for for-profit homebuilders.”

He suggested giving developers free land, in some cases, to build units with more density. And for commercial builders, the suspension of development fees in low-income areas can help attract more jobs.

Ron Sims, deputy secretary of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, said part of the key to successful urban communities is building areas with suitable green space and access to public transportation. Either way, he insisted, his agency is going to be more involved in the country’s development projects. “There’s going to be a lot of rebuilding of this country over the next 30 to 40 years,” he promised.