The Bay Area Greenprint: The Secret Weapon For Addressing Climate Change In The 6th RHNA And How To Use It
Homepage screenshot www.bayareagreenprint.org
As planners embark on finding the appropriate housing opportunity sites for the 6th Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA), it is critical to consider the influence that climate change will have on these new developments, the public health and safety of future inhabitants, and the surrounding ecosystems. Although evaluating the impacts of climate change requires on-the-ground site assessment and thoughtful conversations with neighbors, businesses, and city leaders, there is an online planning tool that can help jumpstart your work in building resiliency into your new housing development decisions. The Bay Area Greenprint is the region’s premiere environmental assessment tool whose user-friendly features are highlighted in a previous post, Bay Area Greenprint - An Exciting and Efficient New Tool for Bay Area Planners. In fact, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) has found the tool so useful that the agency is using the Bay Area Greenprint’s environmental data in their new Site Selection tool to assess the environmental viability of city and county housing opportunity sites, and you can too!
The potential impacts of climate change and the plausible solutions to address global warming are all around us. The Bay Area Greenprint provides a one-stop-shop for climate data across several categories, including Carbon and Air Quality, Water, Agriculture, Urban Greening, and Wildlife that can be applied for both open space preservation and urban infill decisions. Understanding these opportunities and tradeoffs can provide planners with essential strategic direction when considering new development and conservation decisions for the 6th RHNA cycle. As jurisdictions continue to build out in accordance with their general plan, the edge areas of open space around the built-up areas offer a chance to conserve lands for resiliency against the effects of climate change from sea-level rise, for wildlife resiliency, and contribute to carbon sequestration. On the flip side, the infill opportunity sites across the region can play their part in making sure we are creating safe and healthy places for people to enjoy their urban lifestyles even under a shifting climate.
When evaluating the landscape for urban edge housing opportunities, perhaps you’ve wondered about the contribution of vegetation to sequester carbon dioxide and nitrogen oxide? Or you’ve heard the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) has recommended the evaluation of Groundwater Dependent Ecosystems to local groundwater management plans. These new and other Bay Area Greenprint layers can provide a quick evaluation for your project area to ensure new development plans prioritize preserving valuable ecosystems that will be more resilient towards mitigating the impacts of climate change.
Considering the quality of life for new residents is especially challenging to predict under a warmer climate. However, the Bay Area Greenprint offers recommendations to help planners prioritize tree planting to address the urban heat island effect and mitigate air pollution. It can also ensure new development plans incorporate access to parks, bike lanes, and regional trails. Having easy access to outdoor amenities in every neighborhood can help foster community and promote more active and healthy lifestyles as well as reduce automobile emissions. Another important layer in the tool helps inform planners and developers about the threat posed by environmental gentrification that occurs when the urban amenities you plan for in a neighborhood end up leading to the displacement of the existing residents you were trying to help.
This information and much more is just a click away in Bay Area Greenprint! It was created to be a ‘living tool’ that responds to the needs of users and will continue to play this role in the future. Your feedback, thoughts, and recommendations go a long way towards helping other planners with the same questions you’re wrestling with. To learn more about how to take advantage of this free easy-to-use tool, check out the recent Bay Area Greenprint webinar. Feel free to get in touch with Adam Garcia (agarcia@m-group.us) for any questions you might have about navigating this useful environmental planning tool.