San Diego County will be home to nearly 4 million people in 2030. We will need 230,000 housing units and related services to meet the demand, increasing pressure on our natural areas, energy and water consumption, and adding to traffic congestion.
By the year 2030, San Diego County will need an additional 230,000 housing units to meet our housing needs
Source: SANDAG, 2010
San Diego County is home to more kinds of native animals and plants than any other county in the continental United States, and leads the nation in the number of indigenous species at risk.
Source: The Nature Conservancy, 2009
Past Land Use Decisions Still Affect The Region Today
Decades ago, San Diego, like many other metropolitan areas, was growing as if there was unlimited land and unrestricted energy and water supplies. Land use patterns have changed significantly within San Diego County as vast tracts of land were consumed for mostly single-family homes, impacting local habitats, reducing agricultural lands, and absorbing small towns into the metropolitan region we see today. Public transportation could not compete with the allure of the automobile, and homes and jobs grew further apart, driven by cheap gasoline and the appeal of quiet, clean, and spacious communities.
Consequently, our past land use decisions are felt every day: San Diegans spend 100% more time in traffic delays and almost 300% more in travel delay costs today than they did in 1988. Compounding the issue, San Diegans do not enjoy a public transportation system that easily takes us to our many destinations. Housing affordability is also affected by past land use decisions. San Diego ranks 44 out of 50 for affordable housing against other large metropolitan areas.
Simply adding more growth rings around the metro region will not solve, but will only exacerbate, the sprawl challenges facing San Diego unless we change the way we plan for the future.
Walking less than a mile per day reduces the odds of obesity by 5%, and another 5% for every 2/3 of a mile walked after the first.
Source: Frank, L., 2006
http://www.equinoxcenter.org/research-topics/land-use/overview.html
