SEVEN FOR THE SIERRA: Back to the Land with SB375 in Mind

Published on Dec 4, 2008 - 6:21:21 AM

By: Pamela Biery, Velocity7.com

NEVADA CITY, CA - Velocity7, a marketing communications firm in the Sierra Nevada created a mini-site with information on how Sierra Nevada residents can take daily action to preserve, conserve and learn more about the place they live. This month focuses on land use.

How we cultivate, develop and relate to land shapes Sierra Nevada communities, our daily habits and our quality of life. Yes, nature and open space are important, but taking a closer look at sustainability in the design of our communities is a powerful source for change as well. This idea was reinforced last month when Governor Schwarzenegger signed Senate Bill 375. The anti-sprawl bill, by Democratic Sen. Darrell Steinberg of Sacramento, asks California communities to consider climate change development impacts in regional planning, with specific emphasis on car travel reduction.

SB 375 requires the California Air Resources Board to set regional targets by September 2010 for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

"This is the first bill in the United States to align housing policy, transportation funding and climate policy," said Tom Adams, President of the California League of Conservation Voters. "The bill does this by promoting development patterns that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by increasing housing choices, reducing commute distances and reducing congestion."

"By reducing sprawl, SB 375 will give Californians the choice not to drive so much and help meet our AB 32 greenhouse gas reduction targets," said Ann Notthoff, the California Advocacy Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Agreement on SB 375 comes after months of negotiations with cities, counties, major homebuilders, environmentalists, affordable housing advocates, transportation officials, community groups and others.

Architects McCamant & Durrett (MDA) dedicate a significant amount of their architectural practice to green solutions for community planning, including cohousing. "This bill supports the work that planners and architects have been doing in designing, sustainable communities on infill sites with many options for walking, biking or using public transit to stores and other daily needs. It validates the premise of higher density housing improving quality of life." comments Katie McCamant (MDA won silver in the "2008 Energy Value Housing Award," awarded by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), for Nevada City Cohousing.)

Sustainable building is not just about materials, its about revitalizing Sierra Nevada towns into healthy and diverse thriving communities where kids can ride their bikes to school and residents can walk to meet their daily needs. There isn't one solution, but rather a series of land-use prerogatives that allow towns and residents to become less car-dependent.

One aspect to land use is the need for a dramatic shift in community planning. "We often see very powerful community designs, with large sections dedicated to creating on-site infrastructure, allowing residents to walk, shop and play without driving. These visionary plans can get reduced to mere housing developments. We need to be better prepared to embrace something new in housing, which is really something old-like villages-to change how we use our land." states Chuck Durrett, MDA partner.

"With the disappearance of cheap fuel, the interest in environmental sustainability is expanding again beyond green technology in the narrow sense to the encompassing role community design plays in determining our environmental impact," says Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) CEO John Norquist.

Learn more about land use and how to avoid sprawl by visiting www.sevenforthesierra.com . Add Seven for the Sierra link to your site by calling 530.470.9292

For details on cohousing and community planning visit www.mccamant-durrett.com and www.cnu.org.

About Velocity7

Velocity7 provides integrated marketing communication solutions. Learn more about their services and nationally recognized clients by visiting: http://www.velocity7.com or calling 530.470.9292

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