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DLC | The New Democrat | March 1, 1999
Smart Growth in Silicon Valley
By Greg Larson
Smart Growth has captured the nation's attention
because it makes sense economically, environmentally,
and socially. But in many places it exists as
only a "virtual" solution to the problem of suburban
sprawl. Every day local government officials and business
executives make development decisions affecting
our jobs, schools, and homes -- and the land on which
they all exist. No community wants poorly planned
growth, yet that's what many continue to get.
Few places have growth problems as severe as ours
in Silicon Valley. Since 1992 we've gained more than
200,000 jobs in the Valley but added only 38,000 housing
units. This incredible mismatch has resulted in residential
sprawl on the periphery that strains our
transportation systems to the limit. "Quality of life" is
practically every voter's top concern.
Here at Ground Zero of the New Economy, we're
harnessing new technology and the prevailing entrepreneurial
spirit to tackle the downside of urban
growth in novel, creative, and even "smart" ways.
These are some of the lessons we're learning:
Break down the barriers. Turf wars among government
entities and adversarial relationships between
the public and private sectors guarantee failure. In
Silicon Valley we're breaking down barriers with help
from regional collaborative groups including the
Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, Joint Venture
Silicon Valley, local Chambers of Commerce, and the
Valley Transportation Agency. Officials from Santa
Clara County and the city of San Jose, our two largest
governments, are engaged with them all. The groups'
missions occasionally overlap but that's actually a
plus. In the best spirit of "coopetition,"each group applies
its marginal added value to a given problem, and
it really makes a difference.
Measure growth and its consequences. You can only
manage what you measure. This Total Quality
Management mantra applies to regions as well as
organizations. For five years we have published the
Silicon Valley Index, which quantifies the trends, challenges,
and opportunities we face. Following a year-long
"visioning" process involving thousands of
residents and leaders, we revised the entire index this
year to track progress toward shared regional goals.
Stimulate transit-based development. Communities
throughout Silicon Valley are recycling land along our
light-rail and other major transportation corridors for
higher density residential and mixed uses.
Establish urban growth boundaries. With strong
support from the business community, limits on
growth have become the norm for most Silicon Valley
communities. San Jose first adopted this strategy
many years ago, and just last November Milpitas voters
approved a boundary to give the city stability for
the next 20 years. In addition to regulating growth,
we're buying open space and preserving parks
throughout Silicon Valley using a combination of public
and private funds.
Standardize and modernize. Twenty-seven cities
and two counties in greater Silicon Valley have adopted
a unified building code and related forms. Why
should a firm with offices in three adjacent cities be
forced to struggle with differing interpretations of
rules written to achieve the same end? Meanwhile, six
cities are working with private industry to develop a
computerized Smart Permit system that builds on the
newly standardized regulations. In January the city of
Milpitas issued its first building permit entirely over
the Internet; the resident never had to set foot in city
hall. Soon we will be able to review building plans on-line.
By eliminating waste in the development process,
communities can focus more of their attention on improving
their quality of life.
Upgrade, standardize, and integrate information systems.
Rapid technological advances have finally allowed
us to move previously complex geographic
information systems from stand-alone mainframe
computers to multiple desktops. By adopting common
standards, officials across Silicon Valley will soon have
ready access to a wealth of regional transportation and
land-use information.
By cooperating, measuring carefully, channeling
growth strategically, and pushing the envelope of
technology, the citizens of Silicon Valley are showing
that there are smarter and more effective ways to address
the worst aspects of growth.
Greg Larson is the city manager of Milpitas, Calif.
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