Lessons in Building a Better Community, One Voice at a Time

Abstract

Keywords: Community, civic engagement, land use, transportation, futureSilicon Valley Community Foundation is located in the heart of the San Francisco Bay Area and is a short drive to the campuses of companies like Google, Facebook, and Apple. Companies like these have made the region a leader in the global economy and a hub of innovation. The region is home to a diverse population of more than 7.3 million people, a number expected to grow by 2 million over the next 25 years (Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 2010). Where will these people live and work? What impact will they have on our air, water, open space, commute time, and climate?These were some of the questions the community foundation was grappling with as part of an extensive community input process that began in 2007. In that process, the community foundation brought together hundreds of leaders from government, academia, nonprofit, business, and philanthropic institutions to discuss ways in which the community foundation could bring its full range of approaches, besides grantmaking, to bear on an issue to maximize community impact. At the time of the merger that created Silicon Valley Community Foundation, the board of directors envisioned the organization would have a large enough presence to be a true force in triggering social change by sharing knowledge, raising awareness, and galvanizing support for issues of local concern; convening private-and public-sector leaders in the region to share ideas and identify solutions; and initiating policy discussion on the county, state, and national level. In fact, the very structure of the merged organization reflects this with a department dedicated to community leadership work.Despite the recession, there have been far more jobs than housing units in Silicon Valley. Since 1980, the area has seen a 45 percent increase in jobs, while the housing supply increased only 24 percent (Silicon Valley Community Foundation, 2010). This imbalance drives up an already high cost of living and pushes workers who cannot afford homes into outlying areas many miles from their jobs. Instead of vibrant, diverse communities with a range of housing and employment options, the shortage of affordable housing fuels crushing commutes, which drive up greenhouse gas emissions and leave many workers with little real connection to the communities where they work or live.The community foundation also learned that while land-use planning is geared toward improving a community's quality of life, local residents - particularly those who are low-income, are immigrants, or are people of color - are often disengaged from the planning process. Local governments - along with developers, planners, and other public agencies - typically design growth plans without much public engagement despite requirements that they incorporate public input. They often work hard to engage the public, but fail to do so successfully. Furthermore, many community-based organizations lack the technical knowledge inherent to land-use and transportation planning or the understanding of best practices. As a consequence, plans often do not have well-informed public input. This lack of public participation in the creation of plans for community development can have significant and lasting impact because these plans are typically set for 10 to 20 years and drive most, if not all, of a community's public investments and physical growth.Mandating Sustainable Growth PlansIn 2008, the California State Legislature passed SB 375, which tied state transportation money to land-use decisions by requiring the creation of sustainable regional-growth plans. The intent of the law was to reduce transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions by expanding efficient public transit and encouraging transit-oriented development.The community foundation recognized that it had a unique opportunity to help shape local and regional planning efforts and to encourage residents to get involved in the design of their communities. …