Building Climate-Friendly Communities

Vital Stats

Mountain View, CA

people helped1700000
People Doing It 50

The Problem

The Bay Area expects a surge of 1.7 million new people over the next 25 years. Most of the recent growth has been an outward expansion of our cities. Outward expansion refers to building more isolated homes that are located further from jobs, shops, and public transportation options. Upward growth is a better option than outward growth. Upward growth concentrates investments in existing neighborhoods, which will maintain the charm of our cities, reduce crime, shorten commutes, and make housing more affordable. Building Climate-Friendly Communities focuses on using smart land-use planning to enhance existing neighborhoods and create communities where residents will not need to depend on their car for basic, everyday needs, reducing greenhouse gas emissions. With the single-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California from passenger vehicles, this is necessary to meet reduction goals set out by AB32 and SB375.

Plan of Action

The success of Building Climate-Friendly Communities depends on active public engagement and support. The Loma Prieta Chapter is working to educate and engage its 18,000 members along with the general public with a simple call to action: speak up for smart development in your community. Our strategy is to build our Cool Cities Teams in 8 priority cities: Daly City, San Bruno, Millbrae, San Mateo, San Carlos, Redwood City, Mountain View, and San Jose. In 2010 we're organizing events to educate residents on the importance and benefits of smart development, connecting them to other residents through their local Cool Cities Team, and equipping Cool Cities members with the tools they need to be successful advocates for smart development in their city.