Summary: Thursday, August 6, 2015 Listeners have probably heard about “green” land use. The idea is that new development should meet rigorous environmental standards, reducing water use, and energy use, and using less land for more development by increased residential densities, coupled with mixed-use development that can make it convenient to substitute a walking trip, or a bicycle trip, for what would otherwise be an automobile trip. Well, one of the nation’s foremost supporters of smart growth, or “green” development, has just issued an important warning. Kaid Benfield, who is associated with the Natural Resources Defense Council, is a nationally-recognized expert on “green” development. Thus, I paid attention when I heard about his most recent article, “Green Sprawl Is Still Sprawl.” I have a link in today’s edition of the Land Use Report blog, found at kusp.org/landuse. If the article sounds interesting, I hope you’ll track it down. While the specific development proposal Benfield reviews is located in San Diego County, the lessons he provides in this recent article are applicable in the Monterey Bay Region, too. One local example of what might be called “green sprawl” is the East Garrison project out on Reservation Road. Location, location, location. It can’t be called “green” if it’s located away from existing developed areas. More Information: Land Use Links Gary Patton’s Two Worlds Blog Kaid Benfield’s Switchboard Blog
