Land Use
Protected: The Journey to Sustainable Land Use
PCL is committed to promoting efficient and sustainable use of California’s land resources. As California’s population grows, how we use our land will determine whether we are able to meet our climate and equity goals in time. PCL’s work at the Capitol and with our allies is important in establishing sustainable land use as a priority for the Legislature. You can read below about our proposed strategies of how we can improve our land use and our accomplishments so far.
Promoting Infill Development
Infill is a word often referenced when discussing California’s housing crisis. But what exactly does it mean? Infill refers to the practice of reusing urban space or repurposing urban buildings for housing. People mostly consider housing as being built in the suburbs but there are advantages to developing housing on unused urban lots. From a homeowner’s perspective, infill housing is located within walking distance from name necessities, including public transportation centers, which, in turn, helps reduce traffic in the area. Urban housing also tends to have access to good schools, better utilities, and more job opportunities [1]. From a state perspective, infill housing greatly decreases city sprawl as it encourages the reuse of urban land instead of developing land outside of city boundaries. As mentioned previously, infill also helps reduce traffic congestion and VMTs due to its proximity to jobs and amenities, which reduces GHG emissions from vehicles and helps California reach its climate goals. Infill housing comprised 20-35% of new housing built in the 1990s and recent studies have found 500,000 sites across California that can be developed for infill housing [2].
Though infill development is a good idea on paper, there are some challenges involved with implementing this idea. One problem is getting developers interested in building infill housing. Most infill lots are already developed and very small, averaging 0.4-0.2 acres. it is harder to develop and design housing on smaller lots, especially in a way that does not clash with local architecture. Because these plots have already been developed, developers must first demolish old buildings and test the area for contamination before beginning to build. Another issue is that infill inadvertently causes displacement and gentrification by increasing property values by having a higher density of housing. PCL is actively working on promoting anti-displacement policies in the Legislature that establish affordable rent and just cause eviction in order to counteract this issue. Our most recent work focuses on promoting AB 1482, a measure to limit rent increase to no more than a 5% increase per year [3]. Other anti-displacement strategies include condominium conversion regulations, job preservation training, and community benefits [4].
[1] Pros and cons of High density housing, MetroTex Blog
[2] John Landis, Heather Hood, and Chris Amado, The Future of Infill Housing in California: Opportunities, Potential, Constraints, and Demand Infill, UC Berkeley College of Environmental Design
[3] California Today Summer 2019 “Tenant Protection is Smart Growth Policy”