Eco-City Mapping: Geographic Information Systems For Disaster Planning And Site Selection

Background and Purpose: The Oakland Urban Villages Project (OUV) is a partnership between Ecocity Builders, the City of Oakland, the Western Institute for Social Research and the Oakland Community Action Network. Ecocity Builders is a non-profit organization “dedicated to reshaping cities, towns and villages for long term health of human and natural systems.” Its goals “include returning healthy biodiversity to the heart of our cities, agriculture to gardens and the streets, and convenience and pleasure to walking, bicycling and transit.” OUV will use geographic information systems and community participation to develop an ecocity map of Oakland, support the cities Sustainability targets, address disaster mitigation planning, enhance land-use planning, and develop policy recommendations. This poster will primarily be concerned with creating a foundation for a ecocity map, as way to assist with the siting of a potential “Zero Carbon/Zero Waste” development that will provide affordable housing, jobs and services within walking distance. Methods: Following a review of the literature on both suitability analysis and Ecocity Builders, we prepared an initial project framework for assessment by our clients. The following set of steps were undertaken: Step 1: Create a Base Map in ArcMap 9.1; Step 2: Identify and Delineate Activity Centers by referring to Oakland's zoning regulations and general plan; Step 3: Assess Vitality by ranking the convergence of natural features, services, housing and employment; Step 4: Assess Possibilities for Zero Carbon/Zero Waste Development by subtracting constraints for environmental concerns such as natural disaster areas; Step 5: Reconcile Development Potential With Vitality using a geographic union of map layers. Results: Our most important conclusion, based on our research, is that these four centers -- Rockridge, Golden Gate, Waterfront, and Eastmont -- are the locations worth examining first because they have a good mix of housing, services and transportation options without potential for natural disaster. Conclusions and Implications: First, in determining location suitability, reputation and visual assessment alone, without numerical analysis, can be misleading. While many would expect Rockridge to top the list, Golden Gate and Eastmont are counterintuitive results. However, numerical analysis alone is also not sufficient. A combination approach, of on-the-ground assessment backed by numerical analysis, is the best form of site suitability assessment. First, we would recommend visiting each of the activity centers to confirm the presence of necessary attributes, such as creeks, mixed uses, and vacant land. Second, we would recommend reviewing the sets of vitality attributes and consider potential additions or subtractions, experimenting to see if the vitality rankings of the activity centers change when different sets of attributes are considered. Third, we would recommend, in the longer term, adding two attribute sets to the development potential formula: social equity and political considerations. Making a development just as well as green is of great importance generally, and of particular importance to our clients and the City of Oakland.