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SANDAG tracks region on livability trends
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   the rEgion
 

SANDAG tracks region on livability trends Smart Growth

SANDAG has developed a dynamic performance monitoring system to gauge the effectiveness of efforts to improve the region’s quality of life and sustainability.

Based on information collected as part of the Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP) Baseline Report for Performance Monitoring, the region is moving in the right direction in a number of areas:

  • Nearly one-third of new housing units built in 2005 are in smart growth opportunity areas;
  • Ninety-nine percent of new housing built in the region in 2005 are located within the San Diego County Water service area;
  • Transit ridership has outpaced population growth (17% versus 13%);
  • Crime has decreased;
  • Beach closures have declined;
  • Air quality has improved;
  • The workforce in San Diego is increasingly well-educated; and
  • The share of the region’s energy produced from renewable resources has increased significantly.

Nonetheless, the report indicates areas for improvement:

  • The region continues to experience a serious housing affordability issue — only nine percent can afford a median priced home;
  • Congestion on most roads and freeways as well as total hours of delay per traveler have increased during the past ten years;
  • Many water bodies have some degree of pollution;
  • Several beaches are losing sand; and
  • Job growth has been concentrated in low-wage industries.

Adopted in 2004, the RCP serves as a strategic planning blueprint for the San Diego region to better balance population, housing, and employment growth with habitat preservation, agriculture, open space, and infrastructure needs.

The plan provides a broad context in which local and regional decisions can be made that foster a healthy environment, a vibrant economy, and a high quality of life for all residents.

“The RCP is really a comprehensive summary of where we are today, and where we want to be tomorrow,” said Coleen Clementson, SANDAG Principal Planner. “To measure our progress in implementing its strategies, we’ve worked with numerous stakeholders to create a set of 39 unique performance indicators or measurements.” These indicators provide the foundation for the performance monitoring effort.

Many of the paradigm shifts proposed in the RCP are focused on long-term results and will take years to develop, fund, and implement. The baseline report is a valuable tool to assess the existing situation, and provides a starting point against which future improvements can be measured.

Assessing the region’s future

The key to our quality of life is consistent, long-term improvement. A critical issue is providing enough homes to meet the demand created by projected job and population growth. Increasing the housing supply will go a long way toward improving housing affordability in San Diego and reducing congestion caused by out-of-area commutes.

Major challenges cited in the baseline report include: how to use the small amount of land designated for residential development; how to protect our natural environment; how to maximize urban redevelopment and infill opportunities; and how to coordinate these revitalization efforts with our current and future transportation networks to maximize mobility.

The Smart Growth Concept Map — a strategic initiative stemming from the RCP — will serve as a vital tool in promoting smart and mixed-use development, which should aid in addressing these concerns.

From an economic perspective, the baseline report indicates that while our workforce is increasingly well-educated, job growth has been concentrated in low-wage industries. Overall, our standard of living is growing very slowly, and we have not made sufficient progress in reducing poverty.

In the years ahead, the RCP Baseline Report for Performance Monitoring will promote collaborative successes, and provide the data necessary to identify areas for improvement. Results also will be linked to other SANDAG efforts, such as the Regional Transportation Plan, Regional Economic Prosperity Strategy, and Regional Energy Strategy.

Project Manager:
Coleen Clementson, Principal Regional Planner
ccl@sandag.org, (619) 699-1944