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An Environmental
Perspective on Housing
by Lennie Roberts
Sometimes living in the Bay Area seems close to being in Paradise. I often ask myself — Where else in the country, or for that matter in the world, could one find such a concordance of spectacular scenery, benign climate, myriad cultural and recreational activities, leading-edge research and technology centers, and world-class universities? The people who have been drawn to this region are exceptional as well.
My own roots go way back to the 1860's when it took enormous vision or desperation to come to California. My great-great grandparents brought a bag of silver "to buy land" — 800 acres of ranch land in the Alhambra Valley near Martinez. What would they think today? They would surely be startled and amazed. I doubt their first impression would be — "Oh, Paradise!"
Most of us lament that Paradise is getting crowded. It is becoming harder to get around effortlessly, and the cost of moving here today is off the charts. People who bought homes when prices were "affordable" bemoan today's ridiculous prices, but hold on to their own homes, especially if they were purchased before Proposition 13. The only place they can afford to move is "elsewhere."
Some people have suggested that environmentalists have been too successful, and now we should open up just ten percent of our greenbelt parks and open space for new housing. Is this the right solution?
I don't think so, and here is why.
Build housing downtown instead of sprawling
We should plan our communities so there is housing for all. We can and should promote affordable, attractive, livable housing in downtown areas, along transportation corridors, and within our existing urban boundaries. This would help revitalize our downtowns and locate people where they can walk to neighborhood services, and use convenient, efficient, public transportation.
City Center Plaza Redwood City — courtesy Midpeninsula Housing Coalition |
Add houses when adding jobs
TWe should be doing more to address the jobs/housing imbalance, a root cause of our astronomical housing prices. Cities are all too eager to approve commercial and industrial development and ignore the fact that each new job created will create the need for a home for that worker. As the growth of jobs in the area outpaces available housing, housing prices rise, and workers are forced to live farther and farther away, clogging up the freeways, impacting air quality, consuming energy, and taking precious time away from families. Requiring the creation of new housing commensurate with job growth would be a start towards reversing this trend.
Share tax revenues to encourage good planning
We need to redress the fiscal inequities that have become more extreme since the passage of Proposition 13 in 1978. With little incentive to make balanced land use planning decisions, cities are primarily driven by fiscal concerns. An arms race for tax-lucrative land uses such as hotels and shopping centers encourages cities to ignore the fiscal and environmental impacts upon their neighbors. A state-level solution that would allow sharing of property and/or sales tax, regionally, would help correct these inequities.
Let's talk about carrying capacity
We should be having a public dialogue to discuss the carrying capacity of the Bay Area — and the State. What population levels are supportable, and within what urban footprint, given limited water, energy, and the need to continue to produce food and fiber on our State's fertile agricultural lands? Is it time for Statewide Urban/Rural Boundaries that would promote livable cities while protecting our farmlands and other natural areas? Is there a finite limit to our population growth? What kind of place will the Bay Area be in the next 150 years? Future generations will thank us for grappling with these important questions.
CGF's role in protecting our future
Committee for Green Foothills has been a staunch advocate for preserving our natural open space heritage, a role that is recognized and respected by many decision-makers. CGF has also been involved at the policy level - promoting transit-oriented development, pedestrian-friendly design, and affordable housing as integral strategies to prevent wasteful, sprawling development beyond permanent urban boundaries.
Initiatives such as the Grand Boulevard vision for El Camino — the King's Highway — from San Francisco to San Jose are beginning to shape the Peninsula's future. CGF plans to continue our involvement at the policy level on both "sides" of the green line. CGF's Board will soon be adopting a policy statement to guide CGF's advocacy program. While it is unlikely that CGF will be involved in endorsing specific projects, our voice will continue to be heard promoting progressive land-use and transportation policies.
Who knows, maybe residents of the Paradise of the Future will give thanks for not only the open space legacy, but also vibrant, revitalized cities.
Published April 2006 in Green Footnotes.
Page last updated September 13, 2010.
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