Category: Policy
Wheat Fields or Walkable City for Solano Open Space?
A proposal for a 17,500-acre new sustainable city in Solano County’s rolling hills has locals worrying and dreaming. County voters will likely embrace or reject the resulting “East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative” in November 2024.
Finding the Throughline in Multi-Hazard Planning
As climate hazards multiply, Bay Area communities, local governments, and agencies are searching for ways to address them more holistically.
Shifting Tideline Calls For New Coast Guidance
A little-known tenet of California law may play a key role in preserving the state’s beaches—and the public’s access to them—as sea levels rise. “In a lot of places, the public trust boundary will move landward,” says Awbrey Yost…
All Stories
Wheat Fields or Walkable City for Solano Open Space?
A proposal for a 17,500-acre new sustainable city in Solano County’s rolling hills has locals worrying and dreaming. County voters will likely embrace or reject the resulting “East Solano Homes, Jobs, and Clean Energy Initiative” in November 2024.
Nested Plans Neck and Neck with Rising Bay
Like Russian dolls, Bay Area preparations for sea level rise finally began fitting together this fall.
Finding the Throughline in Multi-Hazard Planning
As climate hazards multiply, Bay Area communities, local governments, and agencies are searching for ways to address them more holistically.
Shifting Tideline Calls For New Coast Guidance
A little-known tenet of California law may play a key role in preserving the state’s beaches—and the public’s access to them—as sea levels rise. “In a lot of places, the public trust boundary will move landward,” says Awbrey Yost…
Women At Coastal Helm Walk the Talk
A record number of women are leading coastal agencies. In this podcast, they share their visions, discuss equity and glass ceilings, and comment on work-life balance.
New Flood Protection Standard for the Peninsula
In San Mateo County, new planning guidance may help cities account for rising seas when approving new developments. OneShoreline’s proposals are stricter than current requirements from federal, state, and local agencies, but those are also evolving. “The intent is to go where we already see regulators are going,” says Makena Wong, a project manager.
Region Reconnoiters on 30×30 Aspirations
Keeping a third of California unpaved may be ambitious in a state where the car remains king, but politicians are coming around. The Bay Area has 117 projects lined up to be counted.
Looking for Justice at the Nexus of Housing and Climate Policy
How housing is built and who it is built for are not only equity questions, but also climate mitigation questions. When people can afford to live near their jobs, their emissions from commuting go down.
How Far Can Metro Harbors Go on Nature-Based Shore Protection?
Typical flood protections rely on engineered structures. But there’s a new push at the national level of the US Army Corps of Engineers to prioritize working with nature. Storm surge plans currently underway in New York, Miami and San Francisco highlight a range of nature-based fixes.
Post-Election Review of Climate Results
The 2022 midterm election saw the passage of various measures throughout the Bay Area to advance California’s climate goals.
Why Napa Planners Nixed a New Gas Station
In April, a developer proposed a new gas station near a busy intersection in the City of Napa. But thanks to footwork of high schoolers, citizens and elected leaders Napa County and a growing number of North Bay cities have set zero-emissions goals for 2030, and declared a climate emergency. As a result, the new gas station was a no-go.
Overhauling Insurance for the New Normal
In the era of global warming, an invisible force, as primal as atmospheric chemistry, is coming to bear on human pocketbooks. Even if you don’t believe in climate change, insurance companies do.