CLEARING THE AIR - ONE CITY AT A TIME
Cal Poly students develop community climate action plan to help California city respond to global warming
By Scott Roark
Glaciers melt, oceans sweep higher, temperatures rise and the future of city planning comes to Cal Poly – but not exactly in that order.
Students in Cal Poly’s City and Regional Planning Department have just completed a Climate Action Plan for the city of Benicia, Calif. – a detailed analysis that aims to reduce the city’s greenhouse gas emissions to 2005 levels by 2010 and by 10 percent below 2000 levels by 2020.
This project puts Cal Poly students at the forefront of planning practice, according to Adrienne Greve, assistant professor of city and regional planning at Cal Poly who spearheaded the project with fellow professor Zeljka Howard.
“This is a new type of plan we are developing; climate action plans have not been around that long,” Greve said. “Our students are getting a head start over many other students and even professionals in the planning field.”
The plan was prepared as a class project by 25 undergraduate and two graduate students over a period of six months. Duties were structured to simulate the work of professional planners, exposing students to “real-world” planning situations.
Students traveled to Benicia – a city of 27,916 between San Francisco and Sacramento – to work with city staff and meet with residents in workshops.
Cal Poly City and Regional Planning students conduct community workshops while preparing a Climate Action Plan for the city of Benicia, Calif.
Photos courtesy City and Regional Planning Dept.
The students performed extensive research on climate science, the legal framework for climate planning and city policies and programs. Students also developed a Web site to complement outreach efforts to community members.
Student Scott Kaiser considers himself fortunate for the opportunity to work on the Climate Action Plan, since few professionals have worked on this type of project.
“The project required a new way of thinking about solving a complex issue without precedent,” Kaiser said. “As a result, I feel I have the confidence to go out into the workforce and be successful.”
The plan identifies emissions reduction objectives and supporting strategies for eight focus areas: energy production, transportation and land use, buildings, commercial and industrial, water and wastewater, solid waste, parks and open space, and public education and outreach. Indicators to track progress were identified for each reduction measure.
According to Greve, these plans have become more common in California because of enforcement actions by the Attorney General, a direct result the Global Warming Solutions Act passed by the state legislature in 2006 that seeks to reduce emissions statewide.
“The reality is that if cities do not support the state goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions under AB 32, they risk being sued,” she said.
That’s what led Benicia to contact Cal Poly about developing the Climate Action Plan. The city benefits from Cal Poly’s expertise, and students gain invaluable experience.
The Benecia project is only the beginning for Cal Poly students’ involvement in real-world green planning, Greve said. “This project reinforces our place as a leading planning program on a national scale,” she said.
