1. General Plan Sustainable Development:
Holistic Sustainability Policy for the City of
Irvine
Montgomery Norton
May 14, 2009
2. Report
Significance
• Social, environmental, and economic challenges
• Cities are key agents for promoting sustainability
• Irvine can continue to be a leader in planning for a sustainable
future.
• Integrating sustainability into the General Plan
• This report may be used to educate staff, community members,
and other cities
3. Professional Report
Objectives:1. Identify best practices in city
sustainability planning
2. Propose how to address
holistic sustainability in the
General Plan
3. Provide strategic process
recommendations to achieve
public participation and
inclusion
4. Identify further
implementation programs and
successful strategies not yet
achieved within Irvine’s
sustainability portfolio
4. Sustainability Policy
in CA
• AB 32: Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006
• CEQA Guidelines (July 1, 2009 to CARB)
• SB 97 (2007)
• OPR 2003 General Plan Guidelines
• SB 375 (2008)
• Water and Sustainability
5. Defining
Sustainability
• Brundtland Commission
– Environmental and Social
Justice?
• The Earth Charter
• Urban Land Institute
– “Developing Sustainable
Planned Communities”
• President’s Council on
Sustainable Development
– “Sustainable America: A New
Consensus”
7. Police Power:
The purpose of local government
• The authority conferred upon the
states by the Tenth Amendment to
the U.S. Constitution and which the
states delegate to their political
subdivisions to enact measures to
preserve and protect the safety,
health, welfare, and morals of the
community.
8. General Plans
• “Identify the community’s land use, circulation,
environmental, economic, and social goals and
policies as they relate to land use and development.”
Source: Office of Planning and Research. (2003). General Plan
Guidelhttp://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/publications/General_Plan_Guidelines_2003.pdfines.
9. Plans vs. Policies
• Environmental / Climate Action Plans
• Energy Plan
• General Plans
• Zero Waste Resolution
• Construction and Demolition
Ordinance
• Implementation Tools/Programs
– Building Code
– Zoning Ordinance
– Housing Regulations
– Development Agreements
10. Quality of Life
City Council’s 4 Strategic Goals:
1. Clean & Well Maintaned Environment
2. Safe Community
3. Economic Prosperity & a Livable
Community
4. Effective Government
Source: City of Irvine Strategic Business Plan (2008)
11. Vision of the City
“The creation of a livable and viable and visually
attractive community through skilled planning and
sustainable development as outlined in the General
Plan.”
13. General Plans
• Inform citizens,
developers, decision-
makers, and other
cities and counties of
the ground rules that
guide development
within a particular
community.
14. General Plans
• The general plan also
serves to: Provide citizens
with opportunities to
participate in the planning
and decision-making
processes of their
communities.
17. EPA: Environmental Justice
• "Environmental Justice is the fair treatment
and meaningful involvement of all people
regardless of race, color, national origin, or
income with respect to the development,
implementation, and enforcement of
environmental laws, regulations, and policies.
• (This) will be achieved when everyone enjoys
the same degree of protection from
environmental and health hazards and equal
access to the decision-making process to
have a healthy environment in which to live,
learn, and work."
18. Social Justice
• “CEQA requires only an
analysis of the physical
environmental effects, not
the social impacts, of a
given action” (Waterman,
2007)
• Access to affordable
housing and employment
opportunities
(jobs/housing balance)
Source:http://egov.ocgov.com/vgnfiles/ocgov/CEO/Do
cs/2009%20Community%20Indicators.pdf
19. Community-Driven
Strategic Planning
• The New Public Service: serving citizens instead
of customers, accountability, value rather than just
productivity, and the citizen as a responsible
participant in the government.
(Denhardt and Denhardt, 2000)
• Grand Rapids 2002 Master Plan project:
Community-Oriented Government
• Civic Discovery: citizens are encouraged and
empowered to identify their own challenges and
form a deliberative process to devise their own
solutions. (Reich, 1988)
20. Community-Driven Strategic Planning
Create a community-driven, strategic planning process that
brings people together to identify , key issues, develop a
vision, set goals and benchmarks, and determine actions to
improve their community.
(President’s Council on Sustainable Development, 1996)
21. Water and Energy
• Water, (Food), and Energy are interdependent although rarely
integrated in policy (Moresco, J., 2009).
• Considering energy and water together could offer substantial
economic and environmental benefits
• Water-related energy use “consumes about 19 percent of the
state’s electricity, 30 percent of its natural gas, and 88 billion
gallons of diesel fuel every year (Krebs, 2007, p. 3).
22. Water Element
• Recommended inclusion by Office of
Planning & Research’s 2003 General Plan
Guidelines
• Water management covered by 5/7
mandatory elements, but disconnect
between the land use and water planning
functions - water supply nor quality, only
flooding
• Collaboration with water agency’s Urban
Water Management Plan
23. Description Electricity Use (million
kWh)
Natural Gas (milliion
Therms)
Agricultural Production-
Crops
2,996 140
Agricultural Production-
Livestock
1,107 16
Agricultural Services 1,068 38
Source: The California Energy Commission. (2009). http://www.energy.ca.gov/research/iaw/industry/agri.html
Agriculture and Energy
Why is the production crop sector the biggest energy consumer?
Agriculture is the 3rd largest consumer of electricity & natural gas in CA by
industry.
24. Local Sustainability
Policies
• Environmental and
Sustainability Programs Survey
• Gaps:
– Sustainability Element
– Water Element
– Community Sustainable Food
Policy/Program
– Comprehensive Inclusive
Process
– Green Jobs Ordinance/Program
– Green Roofs Program
25. Recommendations
• Process for Product
– Collaboration, Education,
Engagement, Stewardship
• Youth and Planning
• Web-based General Plan (i.e.
Ontario)
• Sustainable Food Policy
• Green Assessment Districts
• Water Element
• Collaborative Resources, Best
Practices
• Regional Cooperation & Planning
• Green Jobs
26. Recommendations, cont’d
• Sustainability must get beyond
planning exclusively for the physical
environment and begin to develop
adaptation strategies that protect
communities from environmental
pollution, food insecurity, and climate
change.
are threatening the stability of an increasingly global society.
through mitigation and adaptation strategies.
can unify the City’s vision around social, environmental, and economically just and sustainable goals.
about how to develop comprehensive and holistic sustainability policies.
1990 levels of GHG emissions by 2020
For the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions or the effects of greenhouse gas emissions.
Mandated CEQA guidelines to address GHG emissions
Reduce VMT’s by redesigning communities, linking housing, land use, and transportation planning to reduce sprawl.
On January 20, 2005, the State Water Resources Control Board adopted sustainability as a core value for all California Water Boards’ activities and programs, and directed California Water Boardsﾕ staff to consider sustainability in all future policies, guidelines, and regulatory actions. (http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/low_impact_development/)
Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generation to meet their own needs
A responsibility to one another, to the greater community of life, and to future generations; founded on respect for nature, universal human
rights, economic justice, and a culture of peace (http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/pages/The-Earth-Charter.html).
Sustainable Development is about interrelationships. A sustainable community balances environmental, social, and economic imperatives from conception through development and maintenance. A community that fosters a healthy relationship between people and nature is sustaianble.
A sustainable U.S. will have a growing economy that provides equitable opportunities for satisfying livelihoods and a safe, healthy, hight quality of life for current and future generations (http://clinton4.nara.gov/PCSD/Publications/TF_Reports/amer-top.html).
“There is no existing Sustainability Element that incorporates a holistic approach (environmental, economic, and social equity); rather many jurisdictions approach sustainability from an environmental perspective” (M. Drouse, 2007, City of Irvine Memo).
Mentioned as a reflection on the original intent and Constitutional directive of Police Power
And, to suggest that States and Cities are responsible for addressing the threats of Climate Change, environmental pollution and degradation, and systems of inequality that our traditional planning (unsustainable) has created and continued to reinforce.
http://www.legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Police+Power
Basically, this is a sustainability directive from OPR about the purpose of the General Plan.
This slide is suggesting the different frameworks through which sustainability is manifest in local jurisdictions.
Land Use Law: advisory vs. binding and enforceable
“Almost all court decisions hold that an adopted plan that is not required and made the ‘governing law’ by state statute or local ordinance is ‘advisory’ only and not legally binding or controlling” (Selmi, Kushner & Ziegler, 2008, p. 209).
The predominant theme in the City of Irvine’s 2000 General Plan seems to be “Quality of Life”, which has been a more historic way of suggesting the principles of sustainability. I think it is time that not only the City of Irvine, but all levels of government become much more explicit in making a “Sustainable” society our goal, vision, and the framework for achieving a healthy, harmonious, and equitable world.
We need to recognize the gravity of our situation and respond with not only mitigation strategies, but also invest in local community sustainable infrastructure and systems as adaptation strategies for the coming social and environmental challenges of climate change, among others.
City of Irvine (2000). General Plan. Retrieved May 5, 2009 from http://www.ci.irvine.ca.us/civica/filebank/blobdload.asp?BlobID=9291.
The vision is for planning and sustainable development, now it is important that the body of the General Plan lays out the concept in full, addressing the holistic trifecta of economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental integrity.
Source: Waterman, R. (2004). Addressing California’s Uncertain Water Future by Coordinating Long-Term Land Use and Water Planning: Is a Water Element in the General Plan the Next Step? Ecology Law Quarterly, 31, 117.
This partial definition by OPR describes the educational component of the development process for General Plan updates.
Source: Office of Planning and Research. (2003). General Plan Guidelhttp://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/publications/General_Plan_Guidelines_2003.pdfines.
This partial definition by OPR addresses the aspects of public participation and inclusive management through shared community decision-making.
Source: Office of Planning and Research. (2003). General Plan Guidelhttp://www.opr.ca.gov/planning/publications/General_Plan_Guidelines_2003.pdfines.
Changes in OPR General Plan Guidelines from 1998 to 2003:
Guidance for addressing environmental justice
Guidance on developing optional water and energy elements
Expanded guidance on public participation in the development of the General Plan
Source: Environmental Protection Agency. (2009). Environmental Justice. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.epa.gov/environmentaljustice/
Where the administrators invited representation by other departments within the city to participate in the governance process and thus establish opportunities of this nature throughout the city government.
Transition Towns
A bill to provide for the conduct of an in-depth analysis of the impact of energy development and production on the water resources of the United States, and for other purposes. Introduced to Congress March 5, 2009, currently referred to Committee.
Source: Moresco, J. (2009). Congress to Examine Link Between Energy and Water. earth2tech. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://earth2tech.com/2009/03/09/congress-to-examine-link-between-energy-water/
Source: Krebs, M. (2007). Water-Related Energy Use in California. California Energy Commission: Public Interest Energy Research Program. Retrieved May 13, 2009 from http://www.energy.ca.gov/2007publications/CEC-999-2007-008/CEC-999-2007-008.PDF.
The agricultural production group requires large volumes of water. It takes large amounts of electricity, for electrical pumps, to move the enormous volumes of water needed for irrigating all of California's crops.Energy and Water Integration Act 2009
I conducted a survey of environmental and sustainability programs of all the cities in Orange County.
Irvine had the most number of programs and policies of any city in Orange County, on which the survey was developed.
The gaps or programs that Irvine is still currently lacking, not necessarily a comprehensive list.
Sanoff (2000), “The concept of community participation is based on the principle that the environment works best if the people affected by its changes are actively involved in its creation and management instead of being treated as passive consumers” (as cited in Passon et al., 2008)
