Draft MTP/SCS Comments Received - sacog

SCS Health & Equity Metrics August 2011
‐ Compact development can also heighten risk and perception of crime, so SACOG can guide local
jurisdictions to coordinate crime prevention efforts in these cases.
‐ Introducing transit‐oriented development in communities with rich public transit options opens
a risk for gentrification. The MTP/SCS realizes this and is measuring it in their EJ analysis.
Another tool for measurement and intervention is the University of California‐ Berkeley’s Center
for Community Innovation report Mapping Susceptibility to Gentrification: The Early Warning
Toolkit. Additionally we would suggest monitoring the cost of housing + transportation for all
incomes and all community types.
‐ The amount of proposed housing in Developing Communities is concerning in terms of reaching
the goal of not increasing the urban footprint. While increasing the housing to match the
current employment centers in Developing Communities is laudable to decrease VMT, please
develop protocols which prioritize transportation infrastructure for existing urbanization
before Greenfield expansion. Additionally we suggest that investment is not directed away
from existing communities to benefit new development.
Mix of Uses
‐ SACOG focuses, rightly, on the jobs‐housing fit in their discussion of Mix of Uses. We look
forward to the work SACOG is doing on better measuring jobs‐housing fit within 4 miles of job
centers.
‐ We also suggest that SACOG conduct a mapping analysis to measure the proportion of
households that can walk or bike (10 minutes) to meet at least 50% of their daily needs. We
propose that public daily needs be defined as: schools, parks, healthcare institutions and
transit. We propose that private daily needs be defined as: restaurants, grocery stores, food
markets and childcare. Public health literature shows that having goods and services within a ½
mile increases the likelihood that people will use active transport to get them.
Chapter 4 – Budget and Investments
‐ We recommend moving up the timeline for investments in public transit and
bicycle/pedestrian infrastructure improvements. As written in the MTP/SCS, these are delayed
until the later years of this plan, and in order to realize the health benefits as early as possible
from active transport, we believe that these investments should be prioritized. Specifically, we
recommend assessing the cost and timeline for building out Complete Streets network by 2024,
prioritizing Complete Streets and provision of transit on deserving arterials.
‐ Also, with regard to phasing and funding of transit, we suggest that SACOG work with other
agencies and local jurisdictions to support and hasten transit for high‐density arterial corridors,
when sufficient density of homes or jobs has been reached; in order to do this jurisdictions
could defer costly transit capital projects until densities have been reached. Finally,
prioritization of costs should also defer or cancel road construction projects that could trigger
growth outside of urban areas.
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