What’s New
California Sues San Diego Over Emissions
Forbes – January 24, 2012
By Erica Gies
California’s Attorney General Kamala D. Harris and the Sierra Club individually announced today that they are joining a lawsuit against the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The lawsuit challenges SANDAG’s 2050 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy and was filed in the San Diego Superior Court in November 2011 by the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and the Center for Biological Diversity. SANDAG is the first agency to develop a regional transportation plan since California passed a law in 2008, SB 375, requiring such plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions via compact land use and transportation planning.
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San Diego and SB 375: Lessons from California’s first Sustainable Communities Strategy
By Eliot Rose, Autumn Bernstein and Stuart Cohen.
On October 28th 2011, the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) approved the first sustainable communities strategy (SCS) under Senate Bill 375, California’s groundbreaking regional planning law. The plan was the subject of intense scrutiny by stakeholders, state agencies and others. A new report (pdf) takes a comprehensive look at the plan and analyzes why it didn’t achieve the GHG reductions that many hoped it would. The report also provides information on the important ways in which the plan represents a departure from business as usual, and where are the opportunities for improvement.
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Lawsuit challenges regional transportation plan
Del Mar Times – November 29th, 2011
SANDAG’s Regional Transportation Plan would increase sprawl and pollution and worsen climate change, while ignoring the need for public transit, according to a lawsuit filed Nov. 28 in San Diego. The lawsuit, filed by the Cleveland National Forest Foundation and the Center for Biological Diversity challenges the San Diego Association of Governments’ 2050 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Link to article
Let the marathon begin: San Diego adopts California’s first SCS
By Autumn Bernstein, Stuart Cohen, and Eliot Rose - October 28, 2011
Many SB 375 watchers have opined that the law’s success will require a “marathon, not a sprint” since the inertia of existing transportation and land use plans is so powerful. But as others have pointed out, the challenges faced by our communities and our planet are so great we simply cannot wait that long. Today’s approval of the first-ever sustainable communities strategy (SCS) in San Diego, shows how true both statements are.
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Sustainable San Diego Issues Criticism of SCS/RTP
Sustainable San Diego, a coalition of community groups and residents, issued a sharp criticism of the region’s long-term transportation plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy. In a press statement released yesterday, the group says, “the Regional Transportation Plan and accompanying Sustainable Communities Strategy set for adoption by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) on October 28th, is essentially more of the same policies which place street and road improvements ahead of investment in transit. ” Click here to download the entire press release. In addition, Housing California has expressed a number of concerns with the current plan, including the fact that the transportation needs of low-income communities have been overlooked. Download their statement here.
Attorney General Raises Legal Questions About San Diego SCS
In a letter to the San Diego Association of Governments, the California Attorney General’s office states that, “…our review of the DEIR for the RTP/SCS has revealed some significant legal problems… We believe that SANDAG has the ability to correct these problems and improve the RTP/SCS, which will benefit not only the San Diego region, but will help to set the standard for other Metropolitan Planning Organizations across California.” Click here to download the comment letter.
Regional Overview
• The San Diego region includes 18 cities and an unincorporated area, with total population of just over 3 million residents. By 2050, however, the population is projected to be over 4 million.
• According to the 2000 census, when asked how they arrived to/from work, nearly 74 percent of San Diegans said that they drove alone. An effective Sustainable Communities Strategy will improve transportation systems and encourage well-planned communities that take advantage of existing infrastructure and transit corridors.
• San Diego is the first region in the state to include a Sustainable Communities Strategy in its Regional Transportation Plan.
Quick Fact
According to the San Diego Association of Governments, to achieve its 2020 goal of a 7% reduction in GHGs, a resident could do one of the following:
• Telecommute to work one day a month
• Carpool two days a month
• Bike or walk instead of driving 10 miles a week
• Take the bus instead of driving 12 miles a week
When will the first Sustainable Communities Strategy be adopted? What are some other key milestones?
• The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) adopted its Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy, the first in the state, on October 28, 2011. Read an analysis on our blog.
What are the SB 375 GHG reduction targets?
• 2020: 7% reduction from 2005 level
• 2035:13% reduction from 2005 level
To get involved and learn more, see the websites of partner groups below. Contact ClimatePlan for help getting connected
Regional Resources
San Diego’s Green Dividend
By Joe Cortwright, for Move San Diego – September 2009
Despite the common belief that improving the environment is at odds with growing the local economy, San Diego stands to gain a $1.35 billion annual green dividend by reducing vehicle travel.
Link to report
Smart Growth Simulations for the San Diego Area
By SANDAG
Link to webpage
Click here for ClimatePlan’s complete Resource Library
What They’re Saying
“As a San Diego planner and developer with over 15 years in the industry, I support the goals of SB 375 to connect transportation and land use policies to meet the needs of a growing region. Our industry is committed to developing communities that are healthy, that hold their value, and improve the quality of life in the San Diego region. SB 375 provides the framework and incentives to support building sustainable communities.” Stephen M. Haase, Vice President – Forward Planning, Baldwin and Sons”
Partners in the Region
Endangered Habitats League
Move San Diego
Natural Resources Defense Council
Sustainable San Diego
TransForm
Walk San Diego
