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possible, two significant and inextricably linked factors—density ofhabitation and employment, and public transit that effectively linksthe two—must be present. As habitation and employment in urbanareas become more concentrated and integrated, and as peoplehave the opportunity to increasingly rely on public transportation,walking and cycling, consumption of fossil fuels declines, asillustrated in Figure 2. Looking at the figure below, it is apparentthat American cities (clustered to the upper left) have the lowestdensity and highest annual per capita usage of fossil fuels.
LOW-DENSITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE BAY AREA
Since most growth in the Bay Area is occurring in outlying areas,the majority of housing developments consist of what John King,author of the San Francisco Chronicle article, “Urban CentersSlow to Turn Green,” terms “Brentwood-style sprawl” instead offocused urban development and rejuvenation.
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Urban Emeryvillegrew a respectable 20 percent since 2000, adding 1,400residents for a total population of 8,282. During the same time,suburban Brentwood’s population grew a whopping 76 percent,from 23,302 to 40,912, according to figures compiled by theCalifornia Department of Finance.
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In King’s opinion, this trend exists because of the lack of anintegrated Bay Area government that can coordinate developmentagendas and allow development in certain areas while keepingit away from others. Some local neighborhoods thus forcedevelopment away from their homes, which results in consumptionof open space and continually pushes growth further from thecity and urban core areas. This also causes longer commutes thatconsume more fossil fuels.
INCREASING DENSITY: CONSTRAINED BOUNDARIES ANDTALL BUILDINGS
According to David Owen, the key to New York’s relativeenvironmental sustainability is its compactness:Manhattan’s population density is more than 800 times thatof the nation as a whole. Placing 1.5 million people on a60-square kilometer island sharply reduces their opportunitiesto be wasteful, and forces the majority to live in some of themost inherently energy-efficient residential structures: apartmentbuildings.
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For many who think of sustainable environments as being vastopen stretches of natural habitat, Owen provides a contrastingAccording to a study by the Association for Bay AreaGovernments, the Bay Area’s projected growth patternsperpetuate low-density development. This means an ever-increasing reliance on the private automobile and thus, fossilfuels. The Bay Area’s population is slated to increase by over 16percent from 2000 to 2020, with most of the growth occurringin outlying, relatively non-urban regions, as shown in Figure 3.The County of San Francisco itself is expected to grow only onepercent, bringing its total population to about 800,000.
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According to this report, Solano County is forecast to growthe fastest, increasing 36 percent to approximately 0.5 millionpeople. Contra Costa and Santa Clara Counties are expected togrow to 1.2 million (a 24 percent increase) and 2 million (a 15percent increase) by 2020.In order to reverse the Bay Area’s tendency toward low-density,private automobile-reliant development, and disproportionatelyhigh fossil-fuel consumption, San Francisco must first recognizeits opportunity to improve as a sustainable region. Then it mustimplement strategies to be a leader in high-density, public transit-reliant, fossil fuel-sparing development.
FIGURE 2: Relation between urban density and annual petroluse per capita
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0%10%20%30%40%50%
G r o w t h P e r c e n t a g e
CountyFIGURE 3
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Bay Area Growth by County, 2000-2020
S o l a n o S o n o m a C o n t r a C o s t a N a p a S a n t a C l a r a A l a m e d a M a r i n S a n M a t e o S a n F r a n c i s c o
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