Climate Policy Toolkit
By
Michelle Rodriguez, AICP, Principle,
Michelle Rodriguez Consulting
www.PlanningSustainableCommunities.com
This
case study features the City of San Diego, who won the United States
Environmental Protection Agency’s 2004 Climate Protection Award in recognition
of its programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from City operations. These
programs were a result of a comprehensive approach at addressing greenhouse gas
emissions in their General Plan.
Table of Contents
The City of San Diego in updating their General Plan wanted to become an international model of sustainable development and conservation. The goal was to provide for long-term conservation and sustainable management of the rich natural resources that help define the City’s identity, contribute to its economy, and improve the quality of life.
Climate change is a growing concern for cities around the world. The burning of fossil fuels, as well as deforestation and other human activities are changing the composition of the atmosphere. As higher levels of greenhouse gases increase global temperatures, there will be changes in rainfall patterns, snow and ice cover, and sea level. The City of San Diego recognized that these outcomes would have significant impacts in terms of water and energy availability, and coastal flooding. Additional, as the temperature rises, there are more human health effects from air pollution and heat stress. As the City became increasingly aware of these risks, they wanted to identify the potential impacts from climate change and address them uniquely. To do that they needed to identify their greenhouse gas emissions and attempt to mitigate the impacts as well as address strategies for adaptation.
As far back as 2002, Staff, elected officials and citizens of San Diego decided that State and local governments needed to take a leadership role in addressing mitigation and adaptation strategies for a changing climate. As a result, the City of San Diego took steps to address climate change impacts at a local level by establishing a Sustainable Community Program in 2002 and completing a Climate Protection Action Plan in 2004.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (US EPA) 2004 International Climate Protection Award in recognition of the City of San Diego’s programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In 2004, the City Council approved five innovative
projects to become Pilot Village demonstration projects for a “City of
Villages” smart growth strategy. The projects seek to promote development that
mixes housing, retail, jobs, schools, and civic uses within walkable communities
that have easy access to transit thus reducing carbon footprint. Having been
approved the goal is to complete construction between 2010-2015.
With the passage of the California Global Warming
Solutions Act of 2006, (AB32), California declared that “global warming poses a
serious threat to the economic well-being, public health, natural resources,
and the environment of California” and requires that the state’s global warming
emissions be reduced to 1990 levels by the Year 2020. AB 32 also directs the California
Air Resources Board to develop regulations and establish reporting and
monitoring systems to track global warming emissions levels. AB32 reinforced
for San Diego the importance of making firm commitments to climate change at a
policy level.
Ultimately, San Diego’s legacy of sustainable development and the impending regulatory framework being defined by AB32 paved the way for the integration of climate change into the General Plan they adopted in 2008.
Throughout the early part of this century, San Diego has taken a leadership role in municipal Sustainability. This leadership laid a solid foundation for their implementation of a climate friendly General Plan.
Since 2001, San Diego’s Green Schools Program has built a better understanding of personal action and responsibility as a cornerstone of environmental protection. The program has focused on interactive lessons and hands-on learning as a means to raise student awareness of environmental issues. Since the program’s inception in 2001, 3,500 students have participated in the program, and more than 41,000 kilowatt-hours of energy-saving community service projects have been completed.
In 2002, the City of San Diego became an early adopter
of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) standard, requiring a silver certification level for all
new municipal buildings and for renovations over 5,000 square feet.
In 2002, the City Council developed and adopted the
award winning San Diego Sustainable Community Program. Through this program, the City has
become the leader in the use of energy efficient technologies, creating
renewable forms of energy, advancing solid waste management, and implementing
alternative fuel programs for City vehicles. Between 1994-2001, the City of San
Diego collectively saved more than 150 million kilowatt hours of energy through
the use of more energy-efficient technologies that consequently reduced more
than 174,000 tons of carbon dioxide, a significant greenhouse gas.
Also included in the scope of the Sustainable Community
Program was the development of specific indicators that allow the City to
measure the quality of the environment. Most significantly, the indicators
track impacts from City operations and community activity, measuring per capita
water and energy use, vehicle miles traveled, and pollution of the air, beaches
and bays. Several of the 40 indicators relate to carbon emissions, for example,
Reduce Traffic Congestion
a) Vehicle miles traveled per capita per year.
b) Percent of newly permitted units that are within .25 miles of a public transit stop.
Pursue Energy Independence
a) KWh consumed per residential account per month.
b) KWh consumed per non-residential account per month.
c) KWh of renewable energy generation within city limits.
Environmental Management
a) Number of municipal facilities in the region certified as ISO 140001.
As part of the sustainable communities program, in 2002 San Diego established a partnership with the Cities for Climate Protection (CCP) Campaign, which is a program administered by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI). To date, more than 800 local governments worldwide participate in the campaign, including 30 cities and counties located in California. CCP calls on municipalities to proceed through five milestones to reduce their contribution to climate change:
To reach the first milestone the city conducted a GHG inventory. The inventory revealed a 30% increase in carbon contributions from 1990 - 2004. An increase in population over the period resulted in increased vehicle miles traveled and thus transportation related emissions and energy use. Also during that same period there was a significant reduction in waste related carbon due to a successful methane recovery program. The city operations had a 10% reduction in carbon, from a reduction in waste and transportation, although there was an increase in employees during this period. Energy use increased because of the number of new in use had increased. The energy used per square foot for lightening and HVAC-systems significantly decreased, but the energy-intensity of each office due to computers, printers, and other technical equipment requiring electricity increased.
With the GHG inventory in hand, San Diego setout to
develop a Climate Action Plan. San Diego’s Climate Protection Action Plan was
completed in 2005, and from a goal was set of reducing greenhouse gas emissions
by 15 percent by 2010, based on 1990 levels.
When it came time to embed their abundant climate change efforts into the cities policy frameworks through the General Plan, the City of San Diego decided place their climate language policies into Conservation Element rather than throughout their plan. They picked the conservation elemen because conservation is the planned management, preservation, and wise utilization of natural resources and landscapes. San Diego’s resources include, but are not limited to: water, land, air, biodiversity, minerals, natural materials, recycles topography, view, and energy. Over the long-term, conservation is the most cost-effective strategy to ensure that there will be a reliable supply of the resources that are needed now and in the future.
Guiding Principles were established for the update to the General Plan and including one for “a clean and sustainable environment”, which set the tone for subsequent climate policy and program development.
The City of San Diego adopted specific climate change and sustainable development goals as part of their General Plan amendment, as follows:
As part of their process the city formed a scientific Ad Hoc Advisory Committee as a means to improve the GHG Emission Reduction Action Plan within the City organization and to identify additional community actions. To more closely reach the 2010 target for the community, there was a call to action by the Advisory Committee asking the largest 100 companies in San Diego commit to actively reducing the GHG emissions associated with their energy, water and transportation operations, The Advisory Committee also recommended that the City of San Diego do more as an organization through policies and practices to reduce the volume of GHG emissions. As a result, greenhouse gas emissions reductions were specifically and strongly addressed in the General Plan update.
Through the General Plan update, San Diego was able to
tie policies and procedures to these goals in ways that support the development
of a more sustainable future in San Diego. One of the key ways that this was
achieved was through the City of San Diego General
Plan Action Plan. The General Plan Action Plan arranges implementation
measures consistent with the structure of the General Plan and assigns
timelines for implementation of actions to General Plan policy and the
responsible departments. The Action Plan is intended to be an integral part of
the City’s budget and finance process.
An annual progress report will provide an opportunity to evaluate
progress on implementation measures and provide updated information on funding
of implementation actions.
Based on the role transportation plays in their GHG emissions, The City focused on the City of Villages launched under the Sustainable Communities Program to direct compact growth in limited areas that are served by transit. Compact, transit-served growth is an efficient use of urban land that reduces the need to develop outlying areas and increase an urban form where transit, walking and bicycling are more realistic alternatives to automobile travel. Reducing dependence on automobiles reduces vehicle miles traveled, which in turn, lowers greenhouse gas emissions.
The General Plan included a village propensity map identifying areas with the characteristics for future villages. A competition was held for five innovative Pilot Village demonstration projects for the City of Villages strategy of smart growth in San Diego. The projects that were selected are dispersed throughout the city and represent a variety of approaches and styles that will demonstrate how Villages can revitalize existing neighborhoods while retaining their individual character. There were a variety of incentives to complete construction within three to five years, which include:
Policies which address local GHG mitigation strategies in San Diego are integrated within the General Plan. Specifically, the city adopted the following policies.
(CE-A.2). Reduce the City’s carbon footprint. Develop and adopt new or amended regulations, programs, and incentives as appropriate to implement the goals and policies set forth in the General Plan to:
(CE-A.5). Employ sustainable or “green” building techniques for the construction and operation of buildings.
Develop and implement sustainable building standards for new and significant remodels of residential and commercial buildings to maximize energy efficiency, and to achieve overall net zero energy consumption by 2020 for new residential buildings and 2030 for new commercial buildings. This can be accomplished through factors including, but not limited to:
Together, this collection of policies and others
support and promote the adopted recommendations outlined in the City’s Climate
Protection Action Plan. The City continues to investigate additional steps that
can be taken to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, identify adaption goals,
and curb the impact of climate change at the local level.
Aside from specific climate change related policies,
There are many issues related to climate change that are addressed through-out
the General Plan via cross-cutting policies and include: energy efficiency,
urban heat island effect, waste management and recycling, water management and
supply, land use, transportation and greenhouse gas emissions. The City did an excellent table cross
referencing these main issues to the various Elements of General Plan and
identifying the section and policy number for easy reference.
Some of the key crosscutting policies that relate to
climate change include
(CE-A.3) Conduct “regular monitoring of the City’s Climate Protection Action Plan”
(CE-A.13) “Employ green building techniques to achieve net zero energy consumption by 2020 for new residential buildings and 2030 for new commercial buildings”
(CE-A.5). “Coordinate City energy planning program with federal, state and regional agencies.”
(CE-I.2). “Maximize energy efficiency, use of clean renewable resources, and demand response”
In addition, the General Plan Land use and Community Planning; Mobility; Urban Design; and, Public Facilities, Services and Safety Elements include greenhouse gas reduction and climate change adaptation goals. The policy language in these elements relate to sustainable land use patterns. Alternative modes of transportation, energy efficiency, water supply, wild fire, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfills.
Examples of these policies include:
(CE-D.1). Implement a balanced, water conservation strategy as an effective way to manage demand by: reducing dependence on imported water supplies; maximizing the efficiency of existing urban water and agricultural supplies through conservation measures/programs; and developing alternative, reliable sources to sustain present and future water needs.
(CE-I.5). Support the installation of photovoltaic panels, and other forms of renewable energy production.
(ME-A.2). Design and implement safe pedestrian routes. Collaborate with appropriate community groups, and other interested private and public sector groups or individuals to design and implement safe pedestrian routes to schools, transit, and other highly frequented destinations.
(ME-B.8). Support efforts to use alternative fuels in transit vehicles to help implement air quality and energy conservation goals.
The City also adopted a resolution to install 50 Megawatts of renewable fueled energy generation, on public and private buildings, within the City of San Diego by the end of calendar year 2013. They also agreed that all new City facility construction and remodel projects over 5000 square feet to include at least 10 percent renewable fueled electric generation with a primary preference for solar systems.
In 2007, the city also adopted a regulation that requires City departments to consider products that have a lesser or reduced effect on human health and the environment when compared with competing products that service the same purpose. The primary goal of the program was to promote the practice of responsible purchasing choices that are cost effective and reduce the impact of such purchases on public health and the environment. This program works in concert with other City Departments and partners in the community to provide guidance that helps decrease the environmental impact from City operations. An accompanying education program was established to address characteristics of environmentally preferable products including: alterative energy source, bio-based, biodegradable, compostable, high recycled content, low toxicity, low volatile organic compounds, pollution and waste reduction, recycled, repairable, resource efficient, and reusable. The City also adopted a permit streamlining and fee waiver for buildings incorporating certain energy conservation measures.
Something unique that San Diego did in their general plan amendment was to focus on community plans as a tool for change. Larger cities often create policy documents for specific geographic areas within the city’s boundaries. The city of San Diego calls its community-based policy documents either community plans or precise plans or specific plans. Because of the size and diversity of the communities in the City of San Diego, there are more than 50 planning areas that are addressed through specific community plans. In San Diego, community plans are designed to support the General Plan and, as such, are written to be consistent with the policies and recommendations of the other parts of the General Plan.
To provide guidance on the framework and content for these specific community plans, a draft Land Use Element was prepared to identify the community plans as key components of the General Plan. The policies that make up the General Plan and the more than forty community and land use plans constitute the Land Use Element of the General Plan.
The adopted community’s specific and precise plans address the development of land within the City of San Diego’s jurisdiction, providing more detailed land use, design, roadway and implementation information than what is found at the general plan level. The structure recognizes the diversity of each of San Diego’s community plan areas while allowing the General Plan to focus upon citywide development issues. All of the City’s adopted land use plans must be consistent with the overarching goals, objectives and policies of the General Plan.
Although community plans will be updated or amended to reflect the goals and policies in the General Plan, the opportunity exists for each community to be the "architect" of its own distinct identity.
To support the realization of these plans, and to help recognize participation by the citizens, the City established a Climate Protection Champion Award program. The awards recognize the outstanding contribution of dozens of local companies and individuals who can inspire others to take up the cause of recycling and environmental protection. The Program encourages businesses, non-profit organizations and academic institutions to reduce global warming emissions. To provide information and resources to enable climate protection throughout the city, the City of San Diego Sustainable Community Program website offers resource information to educate and raise awareness about personal impact and action, energy conservation, water conservation and urban heat islands.
The major challenge faced by San Diego involved developing the General Plan Action Plan. Because San Diego is large and its communities are diverse in terms of land use, natural features and demographics, defining this action plan required significant effort. In order to monitor the progress and effectiveness of General Plan implementation measures, an annual report will be prepared and used to measure advancement toward specific goals and policies of each element and made available to the public. The annual report is used to develop a long-term evaluation of the General Plan and to determine the need for updating any element or policy. The Action Plan is intended to be an integral part of the City’s budget and finance process. In completing this plan timeframes are assigned (short-, mid- and long-term) as well as responsible department.
Comments