Admit it, most of us take the easy choice. We use our debit cards instead of cash because it’s easy. We email and text rather than make phone calls because it’s often more convenient. And many of us drive to most everything, even if we know that using all that gas is bad for the planet. We do it because we typically don’t have an easy choice aside from driving. But what if it was easy to get around without driving—and you could help the environment at the same time?
The kind of neighborhood you live in does a lot to determine your transportation options and thus your daily environmental impact. More and more people—not just millennials—want to live in neighborhoods where we go about our normal activities (ie. commute to work, pick up groceries, see the dentist, go out with friends) in a convenient and environmentally thoughtful manner.
Neighborhoods containing a mix of homes, businesses, and public spaces, where it’s safe and convenient to walk, bike, or access public transit, are examples of low-carbon neighborhoods. Unfortunately, that’s not how the majority of our Bay Area neighborhoods are built — but we’re working to improve that.
Change takes time. Housing developers are in some ways no different than the rest of us—they too do what is easy. They are well versed in building this ‘old style’ of car-dependent suburban sprawl. Additionally existing, and often outdated, public policies favor sprawling development patterns over more sophisticated low-carbon infill projects.
How can we effect change at this municipal level? What can we do to motivate cities and towns to move forward, start building smarter neighborhoods and stop outward sprawl? That’s where Greenbelt Alliance steps in. 
Greenbelt Alliance collaborates with cities, counties, developers, organizations, and communities, to shape policies and plans that will create more low-carbon neighborhoods here in the Bay Area.
In just the past year, we have shaped several local neighborhood plans to include more homes—especially ones that are affordable for low- and middle-income families—that are built in a people-centric manner as opposed to car-centric. The plans in Mountain View, Oakland, and San Jose are great examples of how the Bay Area can continue to move forward towards a more convenient and low-carbon future. These types of communities are thriving economically. People are supporting them both with their purchasing power and by asking cities to grow in a smarter, more innovative way; proving that we can have our cake and eat it to. By championing smarter growth we are safeguarding our natural habitats, farms, and ranches from impending sprawling development.
If you think this sounds like a big job, you’re right—and we’re going to need some help. That’s where you come in. We need residents to be champions for their neighborhoods. And if that sounds intimidating, don’t fret—Greenbelt Alliance has your back. Part of our mission is to make it easy for you to become an advocate. We guarantee that when you speak up for smart low-carbon neighborhoods, you’ll find that many people tend to agree with you.
So how can you help? This year, we’re working to see that development planning in Sunnyvale, Walnut Creek, and other cities happens in a low-carbon manner. For example, in San Jose we are partnering with the City to get more community members involved in the planning processes for up to 70 “urban villages” throughout the city.
To start advocating for smarter, low-carbon neighborhoods, sign up for our email list. We’ll get you up to speed with what’s going on around the Bay Area and have you well on your way to being the champion your local community needs.
###
Jeremy leads Greenbelt Alliance in addressing a single challenge: how the San Francisco Bay Area handles growth. He directs the organization’s policy and advocacy work, which shapes the rules that govern growth throughout the region.
Jeremy came to Greenbelt Alliance from The San Francisco Foundation, where he helped launch the Great Communities Collaborative and supported social equity, affordable housing, and smart growth efforts around the Bay Area. Jeremy served as Field Director at both Greenbelt Alliance and for Washington state’s Transportation Choices Coalition. He coordinated fair trade campaigns for the Washington, D.C.-based Citizens Trade Campaign, and ran get-out-the-vote efforts for candidate and ballot measure campaigns. After graduating from George Washington University, he earned a master’s degree in Environmental Studies from the University of Oregon.
###
Microsoft is proud to support Greenbelt Alliance’s Urban Village project in partnership with the City of San Jose.
