It’s important to plan for our future – locally, regionally, and across all our borders. That’s why we have developed the Regional Growth Forecast to help guide the 2021 Regional Plan and its Sustainable Communities Strategy. The forecast lays out how the population is expected to grow by 2050, while also giving clues about how our population’s needs and lifestyles may change over time. Using this information, other key data, and public input, we work with our stakeholders to create a balanced, connected, and efficient transportation system that will meet our future needs as a region. While working with the local 18 cities and County of San Diego, we are making strategic plans that will accommodate the projected jobs, housing, and population changes for the future of all residents.
Sustainable Communities Strategy
By law, the Regional Plan must include several elements, one of which is the Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS). As required by state law (SB 375), the primary purpose of the SCS is to show how development patterns and our transportation system will work together to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions for cars and light trucks, providing a more sustainable future for our region. The SCS also analyses environmental justice considerations, compliance with Title VI and federal civil rights, and public participation. In 2018, the California Air Resources Board established 19% per capita GHG reductions targets for 2035 for each region in California per Senate Bill 375.
Every four years, regions across the nation are required by federal law to update their plans. The 2021 Regional Plan includes an updated SCS that reflects the new regional vision and further encourages sustainable development, including transportation infrastructure that supports our future development patterns and meets our GHG reduction goals. The vision is anchored in the 5 Big Moves, which design these strategies to work together. In addition to infrastructure investments and land use decisions, the 5 Big Moves are linked to critical policy areas that will inform the programs and technologies for implementation:
- Climate Action Planning
- Climate Adaptation and Resilience
- Curb Management
- Electric Vehicles
- Fix It First
- Housing
- Land Use and Regional Growth
- Transportation Demand Management
- Transportation System management and Operations
- Value Pricing and User Fees
- Vision Zero
