San Diego ranks 17th in sustainability survey
By Dave Downey
Staff Writer
Thursday, June 1, 2006 - Updated: 10:07 PM PDT
SAN DIEGO ---- Of the 50 largest cities in the nation, San Diego ranks 17th in ability to function following a natural disaster or during an energy crisis, and to sustain a healthy environment long into the future, according to a survey being released today.
Warren Karlenzig, chief strategy officer for SustainLane.com, the San Francisco Internet-based nonpartisan think tank that conducted the survey, said the group looked at how well cities are positioned, for example, to withstand a gasoline shortage or an earthquake.
The group ranked Portland as the best-prepared large city and placed Columbus, Ohio, at the bottom of its list.
The Oregon city received high marks for having clean air and water, an abundance of locally grown food, a growing public-transit ridership and a deeply entrenched "environmental consciousness," Karlenzig said. Columbus, on the other hand, got dinged for its urban sprawl.
"That's a city that almost completely relies on the automobile," he said.
Elsewhere in the Southwestern United States, San Francisco came in at No. 2, Denver at No. 9, Sacramento at No. 13, Phoenix at No. 22 and Los Angeles at No. 25.
"In the hurried pace of our everyday lives, it is easy to forget that in many respects we have it very good in San Diego," said Jim Madaffer, a city councilman. "Being ranked 17 out of 50 is not bad. We have room for improvement and we are aware of our challenges. We have planning strategies set in motion to address our deficiencies."
However, a regional economist who helps conduct similar surveys questioned the group's methodology.
The ranking was based on air quality, housing cost, commuting habits, use of cleaner energy sources, efforts to conserve energy and recycle garbage, availability of locally grown food, risk of natural disaster, quality of urban planning and the taste of water coming out of the tap.
San Diego scored high for its 53 percent recycling rate and reliance on renewable energy such as wind power for 8 percent of the region's electricity, Karlenzig said. It scored high in urban planning, 11th overall, he added.
But the area was in the middle of the pack when it came to air quality (21st), regional public-transit ridership (22nd), availability of locally grown food (32nd) and natural disaster risk (32nd, mostly due to the nearby earthquake faults), Karlenzig said.
San Diego ranked near the bottom in traffic congestion (37th), commuting habits (44th), tap water quality (44th) and housing affordability (47th), he said.
"A red flag area was commuting," he said. "San Diego had a very high rate of people who drive to work by themselves in their car. About 81 percent drive alone."
By comparison, 3 percent use public transit to reach the office, he said.
"In San Diego, you don't have as many choices," Karlenzig said. "If there are gasoline shortages, some people aren't going to be able to get to work."
Marney Cox, chief economist for the San Diego Association of Governments, a regional planning and transportation agency, said that while the survey is intriguing, it is not as comprehensive as a similar one the association conducted one year ago. That analysis focused on 18 metropolitan regions of similar population size rather than on the 50 largest cities.
"They have some holes in their sustainability component," Cox said, suggesting the survey focuses too narrowly on the environment and not enough on education and jobs. "We think our broader definition of sustainability better captures the components that make up a quality of life."
The association survey focused on "the three Es: economy, environment and social equity," he said. It ranked San Diego County 9th out of 18 selected regions and stressed that, when it comes to equity, the sky-high housing prices threaten future prosperity.
"You can't have groups of haves and have-nots and consider yourself to be sustainable," Cox said.
Cox added that not everything in the online group's survey seems to add up.
"On the one hand, we are praised for our urban planning. But on the other hand, we are criticized for our traffic congestion and the commute," he said. "So it seems to be a little contradictory."
To view the survey results, go to SustainLane.com.
Contact staff writer Dave Downey at (760) 740-5442 or ddowney@nctimes.com.
