Smart growth framework to provide insight on creating a sustainable future
After countless hours of collaboration among SANDAG, city and county officials, and involved citizen groups – the much anticipated Regional Comprehensive Plan (RCP) was unanimously approved by SANDAG’s Board of Directors.
The RCP is the strategic planning blueprint for the San Diego region. It 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. In doing so, the RCP balances regional population, housing, and employment growth with habitat preservation, agriculture, open space, and infrastructure needs. The intended result is a sustainable future — one with more choices and opportunities for all residents. True to its name, the RCP is comprehensive in its scope. It looks beyond San Diego’s borders and considers the planning and growth underway in Imperial, Orange, and Riverside Counties as well as in Baja California, Mexico.
At the heart of the RCP is the goal of better connecting San Diego’s land use and transportation plans to promote “Smart Growth” areas. In an effort to combat urban sprawl and unfettered growth, the concept of “Smart Growth” refers to new and redeveloped areas that are compact in nature, situated near existing employment, and offer convenient access to efficient and viable transportation choices and public facilities.
The plan promotes the allocation of incentive funds, such as those generated from TransNet, to cities and communities that follow the RCP’s principles and underlying planning philosophy. TransNet is this region’s ½-penny sales tax dedicated to transportation improvements which will be up for renewal as “Proposition A” in November. Money generated from this tax helps pay for highway, transit, and local street improvements, as well as bicycle and traffic safety projects throughout the region. Specifically, $250 million is allocated to area smart growth projects and $850 million to acquire and maintain open space.
As emphasized throughout the RCP, the need for smart, planned, and more concentrated growth with integrated and reliable transportation, permanent open space, more affordable housing, and improved cross-border collaboration is more critical than ever before as the region continues to grow at an unprecedented rate. San Diego County’s population of approximately three million is roughly equal to the population of the entire state of California a century ago, and 62 percent of the area’s homes were built after 1970. SANDAG is confident that the plan can serve as a bridge to guide the county and its cities to a better quality of life for years to come.
Project Manager:Carolina Gregor
(619) 699-1989
