Our Commitment to Advancing Racial, Social & Climate Justice
We are witnessing horrific acts of senseless murders, police brutality, and racial injustice against Black people in America. Greenbelt Alliance acknowledges the heart-wrenching pain and outrage. We stand in solidarity with the Black community in the fight for lasting change to cease this country’s perpetual systemic racism, violence, and injustices. My colleagues at Greenbelt Alliance and I have been reflecting on the underlying systems that perpetuate racism—in particular in our own fields… Read More
Climate Smart Steps for Bay Area Cities
In the past few years, there has been a change in our understanding of the need for climate protection and equity, alongside widespread awareness of rapidly increasing economic inequality. This new understanding and awareness also include recognition of the growing threat of natural resource scarcity and depletion, influenced by the climate crisis and driven by natural limits alongside a growing population. One of the most important ways to make an impact on… Read More
Affordable Housing Month Debrief
Last month, Greenbelt Alliance was proud to collaborate with local partner organizations Livable Sunnyvale and the Santa Clara Community Advocates to host educational webinars as part of Affordable Housing Month. The topics covered, “Building Equitable and Resilient Climate Communities” and “Why is El Camino Real Good for Affordable Housing” drew nearly a hundred attendees, many of them local residents motivated to engage in dialogue around what it takes to secure an environmentally… Read More
Press Release: Greenbelt Alliance Endorses New Mixed-Use Master Plan CityWalk Bishop Ranch in San Ramon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE San Ramon, CA—Greenbelt Alliance has endorsed the proposed CityWalk Bishop Ranch master plan. “The CityWalk Bishop Ranch Master Plan is the kind of climate-smart development that we need in the Bay Area to meet our housing goals, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and make sure that local residents are able to stay and thrive in their own communities as housing costs rise,” says Greenbelt Alliance Executive Director Amanda Brown-Stevens. Bishop… Read More
Advocate for Bishop Ranch CityWalk in San Ramon
Greenbelt Alliance is proud to endorse CityWalk by Bishop Ranch in San Ramon! We applaud their commitment to stormwater management best practices, developing drought-resistant parkland, and wetlands that will introduce qualities supportive of ecological diversity. Every city in the Bay Area must play their part to increase the housing stock to make sure the local workforce can afford to live close to jobs, schools, and services — spending more time with family… Read More
The Value of Public Space
Thanks to those of you who joined our webinar where we discussed The Value of Public Space with our guest Ghigo DiTommaso from Gehl. In our thirty minutes together, we explored how our relationship to public space has changed due to COVID-19 and how we can use these observations to build a more equitable future. Watch a recording of the webinar here. For those of you who were not able to join,… Read More
Greenbelt Alliance Endorsed: CityWalk Bishop Ranch Mixed-Use Master Plan
Greenbelt Alliance is pleased to endorse the proposed CityWalk Bishop Ranch Mixed-Use Master Plan in San Ramon, CA. We applaud their commitment to stormwater management best practices, developing drought-resistant parkland, and wetlands that will introduce qualities supportive of ecological diversity. The CityWalk Mixed-Use Master Plan will provide 4,500 units on 111 acres, alongside a 169-key hotel, and 170,000ft2 of creative office/retail use, with 15% of the units designated for low or very-low… Read More
Climate & Wildfire Resiliency Update
As we face another dry winter and a long wildfire season ahead, Greenbelt Alliance is delving deeper into the ways that we can help our growing communities become more climate and wildfire resistant. Greenbelt Alliance has been advocating for climate-healthy growth within existing cities and towns and the protection of our greenbelts for decades. We are now entering an era when the climate crisis makes this solution a matter of life and… Read More
Spring 2020 Priority Development Area Call for Letters of Interest
Submission Window Open Through May 31, 2020 As the Bay Area builds more housing to accommodate the updated RHNA numbers, Plan Bay Area is working to make sure this housing is prioritized in the right places. More than 70 city and county governments have voluntarily designated some 170 locations around the Bay Area as Priority Development Areas (PDAs). PDAs are areas within existing communities and typically are accessible by one or more… Read More
Housing on the Way in the North Bay
Around the Bay Area, more homes are getting built every day. It will take time to fill the need for homes that everyone can afford, but there is relief on the horizon. Here in Sonoma County where I do most of my work in the North Bay, more than 18,000 new places to live are in the pipeline within existing cities and towns — not including the rebuild of 5,000 homes lost… Read More