What Happened?
Treasure Island, just outside of San Francisco, is on a path to sustainability by 2020 when new developments and business projects will require significantly less energy to thrive.
The Goal
The International Resource Panel and the United Nations Habitat project recently conducted a study on selected cities worldwide that are demonstrating innovative strategies toward more sustainable operations. The case studies highlighted offer inspiring guidance on how to reduce a city’s carbon footprint while simultaneously boosting economic activity and residential satisfaction.
Researchers explored the island community in San Francisco which was originally a naval air base. Within the next seven years, local officials plan to add 6,000 new residential and commercial properties, and ensure at least 50 percent of the power consumed by the city will be from renewable resources. The municipality is adopting:
- Solar electricity
- Solar water heaters
- Rooftop photovoltaics
- Urban design that ensures buildings are accessible to walkers within a 15 minute stroll from the San Francisco ferry terminal
How It Will Go Down
San Francisco decision makers are interested in redeveloping and upgrading existing infrastructure to expand the former military base into an eco-friendly sanctuary for residential expansion. The strategy is an integrated approach to redevelopment so as to cause minimal disruption to current residents and natural habitats. The stages of change include:
- Multiple housing units to increase population size by 2020
- Artificial wetland to support natural wildlife
- Water treatment, wind power and expansion of green space to increase renewable resources
- A marina for alternative transit
- Small shopping sector to expand economic opportunities and support residents
The city established a sustainability plan to outline how the changes will be made and what efforts will be in place to protect existing resources. The plan focuses on environmental stewardship, community development and economic vitality of each major move, as well as lays out the achievable goals through the different stages of redevelopment. City officials are working side-by-side with private development teams to make the changes affordable yet sustainable.
Lessons Learned Thus Far
The researchers discovered the plans for Treasure Island originated in 2000 but no moves were made until 2012. Therefore, the lessons from the study focus on preparation such as:
- Testing of sustainability proposals must be accomplished in a time-efficient manner to accelerate the decision-making process
- Plan out broad infrastructural network to ensure there are connections between renewable resources, buildings and residents so self-sustainability is achievable
- Make environmental standards binding and establish fines for delayed payments or lack of productivity to keep the project on track
San Francisco Takes The Cake
Not only is the city working on the redevelopment of its Treasure Island, but the San Francisco hospitality industry is also embracing eco-friendly practices. TripAdvisor recently placed San Francisco at the top of the list for cities offering environmentally-conscious accommodations based on standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council, the United Nations Environment Program and Energy Star.
Eco Innovations
At the local level, municipalities are adopting solar power and wireless vehicle charging to reduce carbon footprints.