Vision California: Calthorpe Associates leads statewide effort
Calthorpe Associates is leading Vision California, an unprecedented effort funded by the California High Speed Rail Authority to explore the critical role of land use and transportation investments in meeting the environmental and fiscal challenges facing the state over the coming decades. It will produce a series of alternative physical visions for how California can accommodate expected growth, and clearly express the consequences of these options. The results will inform decisions about the investments and policies that will drive the state's growth. The Vision California process builds upon the challenges set forth by the 2006 passage of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), the ground breaking legislation that sets aggressive targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG). Meeting these targets will require taking a new direction in how we invest in and develop our communities, transportation systems, and critical infrastructure. The project will provide essential context for the implementation of Senate Bill 375 and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) land use-related greenhouse gas-reduction targets for local governments. It will illustrate and comprehensively measure the role of land use and SB 375-mandated regional “Sustainable Communities Strategies” in meeting CARB AB 32 greenhouse gas targets.