What’s New
Coughable vs. walkable Stockton
Stockton Record – June 5, 2013
By Michael Fitzgerald
If a city’s design can help to make its citizens healthier or unhealthier, then Stockton is killing us. As our environment reporter wrote this week, three out of 10 San Joaquin County residents are obese. Two out of 10 have asthma. And roughly one out of 10 has diabetes. Of course, city design is not the sole culprit. But design matters.
Link to article
Smart growth can boost city finances, too
Stockton Record – May 26, 2013
By Alex Breitler
Build smart, save money. A national coalition that advocates for “smart growth” says denser, more compact communities save money by building less infrastructure and spending less on future police and fire protection, while also earning more tax revenue across a smaller area.
Link to article
Regional Resources
Paths to Prosperity for the Southern Sierra and Southern San Joaquin Valley: Capitalizing on the Economic Benefits of Land Conservation and Compact Growth
Prepared by Adam Livingston, Sequoia Riverlands Trust for the Southern Sierra Partnership
The purpose of this Report is to contribute to land use decisions in the Southern Sierra and Southern San Joaquin Valley by making the economic case for land conservation and compact growth. After providing an overview of current development patterns, the Report uses academic literature, case studies and local data to examine the economic benefits that could be produced by a more sustainable pattern.
Download the report(4MB pdf)
Seizing the Opportunity: Using the San Joaquin Valley Sustainable Communities Strategies to advance health, sustainability, and shared prosperity
This document, endorsed by two dozen organizations, outlines the benefits for Valley communities of adopting a strong Sustainable Communities Strategy and suggests a number of strategies for success. Download the document
A Home for Everyone: San Joaquin Valley Housing Preferences and Opportunities to 2050
By Arthur C. Nelson for the Council of Infill Builders
The report analyzes housing trends and consumer preference surveys and finds that continuing business-as-usual Valley land use policies will leave empty-nesters and first-time renters and buyers underserved.
Learn more and download the full report here.
Download a fact sheet on the report here.
Saving Farmland, Growing Cities: A Framework for Implementing Effective Farmland Conservation Policies in the San Joaquin Valley
By American Farmland Trust
This report analyzes current efforts by Valley communities to preserve farmland and makes concrete recommendations to help stop farm and ranch land in the Valley from being inefficiently subdivided into housing developments and mini-malls.
Learn more and download the report
Fact Sheet: Understanding SB 375 & Sustainable Communities Strategies
By ClimatePlan
What does SB 375 do and what is a Sustainable Communities Strategy?
Download this fact sheet to learn the basics.
Fact Sheet: Sustainable Communities for the Valley
By ClimatePlan
This 2-page handout explains what’s at stake as the Sustainable Communities Strategies are developed in the San Joaquin Valley. How can communities benefit from a good SCS?
Download this fact sheet to learn more.
Review of environmental justice and equity analysis methods in the San Joaquin Valley
By Alex Karner and Deb Niemeier, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis
This document provides a summary and analysis of the environmental justice and equity analyses performed as part of all 2011 regional transportation plans completed by the eight metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) in the San Joaquin Valley. It also discusses supplementary environmental justice-specific documents produced by two MPOs.
Link to the analysis
Putting the Pieces Together: A Status Update and Overview for the Sustainable Communities Strategy of the San Joaquin Valley
From the San Joaquin Valley Regional Policy Council
There are a lot questions about the three-letter acronym “SCS” that has us all wondering what is it and what does it mean for the San Joaquin Valley. Hopefully this “layman” summary will answer some of those questions.
Download the fact sheet
Land of Risk/Land of Opportunity
By UC Davis Center for Regional Change
This report uses an innovative new tool, called the Cumulative Environmental Vulnerabilities Assessment (CEVA), to identify the locations and populations within the Valley that are at greatest risk and that require immediate protection.
Link to report website
Download Full Report
Vision California: San Joaquin Valley Regional Results
By Calthorpe Associates, October 2010
This analysis assesses the economic, energy, health, and land impacts of different ways to accommodate the San Joaquin Valley’s expected growth. Scenarios were developed to reflect a range of land use choices, from a business-as-usual future based on past trends to more compact options, including those represented by the regional Blueprint plan.
Download the Regional Results Summary
Groundswell San Joaquin Valley
Groundswell’s purpose is a to educate the public and encourage citizen participation in local land use decision making to foster growth that strengthens the economy, conserves resources, causes less pollution, demands fewer tax dollars and better serves the region’s diverse population.
Learn more at groundswellsjv.org
Fact Sheet – San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
By Coalition for Clean Air
Link to website
California Agricultural Land Loss and Conservation: Basic Facts 2009
By American Farmland Trust
Download the PDF
Achieving Sustainability in California’s Central Valley
By UC Davis Sustainable Transportation Center – July 2009
This report assesses the capacity of the Central Valley’s cities to manage the economic, social, and environmental problems associated with expected rapid population growth in a sustainable manner,offering alternatives to sprawl and automobile-dependent lifestyles.
Download the Report
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Quick Fact
More centrally located homes can dramatically reduce household driving and utility costs. By building new homes in areas that are already close to jobs, services, and amenities, Valley households could spend $3,600 less per year on auto-related costs and utility bills by 2035. (Vision California Rapid Fire Model, San Joaquin Valley Regional Results, Calthorpe Associates).
Regional Overview
• The eight counties that make up the Valley include a population of just over 4 million people. The population is expected to grow to more than 7.5 million residents by 2050.
• The San Joaquin Valley is often referred to as California’s heartland. It is also the fastest-growing region in the state and the hardest hit by the economic downturn.
• Communities in the Valley struggle with poor air quality and rising levels of childhood asthma, obesity, and diabetes. Improving air quality in the Valley will be one of the most significant benefits of successfully implementing SB 375.
• Because the San Joaquin Valley is updating its travel models, and because the first Sustainable Communities Strategy is not due until 2014, the SB 375 GHG reduction targets for the Valley are placeholders to be revisited by the Air Resources Board in January 2013.
• Each COG is currently working to develop scenarios that will help inform the target revision. These scenarios are expected to form the basis of the Sustainable Communities Strategy scenarios.
Which agency develops the Sustainable Communities Strategy?
There are eight Councils of Government (COGs) in the Valley that are responsible for regional planning. The COGs will be coordinating and working together, but ultimately each will be responsible for developing its own Sustainable Communities Strategy. SB 375 does allow them to join and do a multi-county Sustainable Communities Strategy.
Fresno Council of Governments, www.fresnocog.org
Kern Council of Governments, www.kerncog.org
Kings County Association of Governments, www.countyofkings.com/kcag
Madera County Transportation Commission, www.maderactc.com
Merced County Association of Governments, www.mcag.cog.ca.us
San Joaquin Council of Governments, www.sjcog.org
Stanislaus Council of Governments, www.stancog.org
Tulare County Association of Governments, www.tularecog.org
What are the SB 375 GHG reduction targets?
• 2020: 5% per capita reduction from 2005 level
• 2035: 10% per capita reduction from 2005 level
* These targets will be revisited at the Air Resources Board meeting in January 2013.
When will the first Sustainable Communities Strategy be adopted?
• The first SCS for the Valley is scheduled for adoption in 2014.
• However, each COG is already working to develop a scenario that will help inform the target revision taking place in late 2012, and these scenarios are expected to form the basis of the Sustainable Communities Strategy scenarios.
To get involved and learn more, see the websites of partner groups below. Contact ClimatePlan for help getting connected.
What They’re Saying…
“Agriculture is such an important part of the San Joaquin Valley’s economy, but farmland is shrinking at an alarming rate. SB 375 is a step in the right direction for the Valley. By focusing new growth within existing city centers, we can preserve valuable farmland and use less water. We owe it to future generations to protect our most precious resources.” – Jeff Steen, citrus grower in the Lindsay-Strathmore area.
Partners in the Region
American Farmland Trust
California Coalition for Rural Housing
California Rural Legal Assistance
Catholic Charities – Stockton Diocese
Central Valley Air Quality Coalition
El Concilio
Fresno-Madera Medical Society
Fresno Metro Ministry
Latino Community Roundtable
Local Government Commission
Sierra Club – Tehipite Chapter
Sierra Nevada Alliance
