There is certainly room for robust discussion around how best to address a housing crisis that threatens to destroy our economy and quality of life, as it widens the equity gap and puts entire populations deeper into poverty. If we’ve learned anything these past few years it’s that there are no easy solutions.
Even so, I must respectfully take issue with Jeff Montejano’s recent op-ed and his mischaracterization of a new conservation mapping initiative that will provide critical information to effectively plan future transportation and development projects – including much-needed new housing.
The initiative, called SoCal Greenprint, will provide the scientific data needed to make informed decisions when it comes to protecting Southern California’s diverse natural and agricultural resources. This strategic mapping website is being produced by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and will help both public and private sector entities identify priority locations for growth and development that can reduce or eliminate conflicts with sensitive natural areas. Developed in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, Greenprint will assist land owners, developers and local governments to avoid potential litigation by identifying and assessing environmental issues early in the planning process.
Greenprint is not, as some have suggested, a deterrent to new housing, but a tool to ensure that our natural landscapes remain an invaluable asset to the millions of people who call this region home. In addition to desert, mountain and coastal habitats, some of the highest concentrations of native plant and animal species on the planet are found within our region– resources that ensure a robust economy, provide clean drinking water, protect our air and provide countless recreation opportunities.
On a grander scale, if we truly care about where and how we live, understanding and highlighting the benefits of natural lands and waters, access to parks and trails, habitat protection and increased resilience to climate change must be part of our local and regional planning processes.
Greenprint is being designed to do just that, using the best-available scientific data and delivering that information in an easily accessible and publicly available way. Those objectives were a key directive of Connect SoCal, SCAG’s 2020-2045 Regional Transportation Plan/Sustainable Communities Strategy which was approved overwhelmingly this past year by the organization’s Regional Council.
Add it up, the SoCal Greenprint doesn’t increase our exposure to expensive and time-consuming litigation around development and transportation decisions; in fact, it offers the opportunity to mitigate the risk considerably.
As for The Nature Conservancy, this highly respected nonprofit organization was chosen to work with SCAG in the development of Greenprint due to its vast experience in developing similar tools for large-scale regions such as ours. The Nature Conservancy
is uniquely qualified to develop and deliver a product that meets the needs of our six-county region. It also has considerable experience conducting public outreach and working with public and private sector stakeholder groups, like private landowners, representatives from the building industry, state conservation entities, as well as local jurisdictions, county governments and others.
Indeed, thorough public outreach and stakeholder engagement with the private and public sector is key to a constructive regionwide Greenprint, as outreach activities comprise more than 25% of project funding and have included members of the building and development community extensively.
Again, we appreciate a healthy debate, and we don’t pretend to claim that the SoCal Greenprint will solve our housing shortage. But we also strongly disagree with the premise that this data-driven initiative will undermine efforts to build more housing units. Better understanding our conservation and environmental landscape will only help lead to better solutions.
We encourage the building and development community to join with us in this endeavor.
Rex Richardson is president of the Southern California Association of Governments and is vice mayor of the city of Long Beach.
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