Call for Regional Coordination of Land Use and Transportation
It appears a consensus is forming among local governments that building more livable and sustainable communities is an immediate priority. At a conference in San Francisco yesterday, elected officials from across the Bay Area, along with business, housing, development and transportation groups, called for a coordinated land use and transportation planning strategy to account for the nearly two million more people projected to live in the Bay Area by 2035.
Click to enlarge: "Smart spots" for development identified in Grow Smart Bay Area report Jeremy Madsen, Executive Director of the Greenbelt Alliance, presented the Grow Smart Bay Area plan and challenged regional leaders to adopt its principles to accomplish sustainable growth, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve quality of life for residents. The plan emphasizes infill development in transit-rich areas, and identifies seven "smart spots" that the Greenbelt Alliance says could accommodate 4/5 of the region's 25-year growth.
In a panel following Madsen's presentation, regional leaders, including San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed, pledged to work to implement the Grow Smart Bay Area vision. Will Fleissig, a developer with Communitas Development in San Francisco, expressed optimism that the political environment and demographic trends were auspicious for more sustainable growth.
"I think that we all have to admit there are some tectonic policy plates that are converging," said Fleissig.
He said that an aging population and the trend for young people preferring urban neighborhoods bodes well for increasing transit-oriented development. "Where are the x and y generation people going to want to live? They don't want to live out in the suburbs. It's just not going to be the case."
San Jose Mayor Reed described the plan's vision in terms of San Jose's economic survival. "My challenge as mayor is to make sure San Jose stays the capital of Silicon Valley, and Silicon Valley remains the innovation center of the world," said Reed. "So that's a pretty big task considering that we have to continue to create jobs and we have to continue to make room for the people who are going to hold those jobs."
Reed said that San Jose had already managed to grow its population by half a million people in 30 years, and was prepared to do so again. "We have added about 500,000 people" without significantly expanding the city's boundaries, Reed said. "This plan, the elements of this plan, are things we've had success with already in San Jose as we added those 500,000 people to our city. So we will be working around those elements again."
