"Anchorage 2020," the comprehensive plan designed to serve as a policy guide for future development of our city, is just coming off the printing press -- and already it is in need of updating.

As explained in its prologue, the purpose of Anchorage 2020 is to balance protection of aesthetic values with the community's revenue base. The plan provides a framework for decisions "about land use and transportation, as well as public facilities, economic development, housing, and other public issues that are vital to a healthy and livable community."

Until Sept. 11, this broad statement of purpose appeared to cover the community's top priority needs. But after the terrorists struck and our nation entered what may be a very long conflict against international terrorism, it is apparent that our master plan fails to emphasize the most critical need of all: domestic security and emergency response.

Across our nation today, cities like ours are busy reassessing vulnerabilities and capabilities, and taking steps to change that which we can. Providing for the safety and security of citizens is the primary purpose of government. The police officers, firefighters and other municipal employees who provide this service in Anchorage are among the best in the nation. Our city's emergency operations and communications center, the emergency training we provide employees, and our investments in state-of-the-art equipment place Anchorage among the safest communities in America.

One potential vulnerability, though, is our basic infrastructure. Our utilities lack sufficient redundancy to adequately serve all neighborhoods. If a section of a primary electrical transmission line, natural gas pipeline or fuel storage line were destroyed, many homes would find themselves without power, possibly for an extended period of time. On our hillsides, there are no waterlines to serve homes or provide water hydrants. The ability to fight fires in these areas is dependent on fire engine tanker trucks.

Furthermore, in a disaster, some residents would find they have no adequate escape routes, because their neighborhoods have only a single entry/exit road, often a narrow one. A computer simulation conducted this summer demonstrated that given the right weather conditions, a fast-moving wildfire on the Hillside could trap thousands of residents and destroy a half-billion dollars worth of property.

The access problem is not limited to the hillsides, either. Anchorage urgently needs new east-west and north-south thoroughfares to move people across town to safety. Expanding basic utilities, improving roads and providing security zones around the Port of Anchorage and other important facilities are matters that deserve greater consideration in our land-use policy decisions.

Public discussions and debate about land use in recent years have tended to center on jobs and economic benefits versus quality of life considerations and environmental protection. Generally, participants have been limited to business interests promoting development and environmental groups arguing to save habitat. The only members of the general public that participate are those who live in the affected neighborhoods. Security considerations, unfortunately, often have taken a back seat in the discussions. Our challenge is to balance the interests of neighborhoods, developers and environmentalists with what's in the best interest of the whole community.

In the months ahead, the municipal government will be working with state and federal agencies to secure funding to provide increased security and readiness to respond. Our emphasis will be on improving our basic infrastructure. I have directed the municipal manager to assemble key executives from various departments to identify specific security-related land-use objectives that should be added to Anchorage 2020.

No one knows whether terrorists will strike our city, just as we don't know whether another major earthquake will hit. But we do know that we owe it to ourselves and our families to do all we can to be prepared for the contingency.

George Wuerch is the mayor of Anchorage