SAN DIEGO, September 23, 2021 - Today, Climate Action Campaign (CAC) unveiled a new report—Solving Sprawl: Building Housing for a Sustainable and Equitable San Diego—at a press conference with advocates and elected officials. This report provides critical recommendations to address the intersection of two major crises in our region: the climate emergency and housing unaffordability.

The San Diego region is experiencing, along with the rest of the world, an accelerating climate crisis. Just last month, the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released another groundbreaking report, which the UN Secretary General called a “Code Red for Humanity”. Unfortunately, the San Diego region is not on track to hit existing targets, let alone zero out emissions. The biggest culprit: emissions from cars and trucks due to urban sprawl and lack of investment in biking, walking, and transit.

In addition to the climate crisis, San Diego is also facing a severe lack of affordable housing, contributing to a historic homelessness crisis. In 2020, only 26% of residents could afford to buy a home in San Diego County, and today, average home prices have only increased, approaching 1 million dollars.

As Climate Action Campaign’s new report shows, San Diegans don't have to choose between building housing for our workforce and tackling the climate crisis. The Solving Sprawl report outlines the following strategies to address the twin housing and climate crises:

Build More Homes In Existing Cities by increasing housing density near jobs and transit, funding affordable housing projects in all neighborhoods, and better use of public land.

Invest in Existing Communities and Prevent Displacement by preserving existing affordable housing, and creating programs to stabilize rent and empower tenants.

Promote Equity, Justice, and Health through programs that promote homeownership, healthy climate resilient homes, and good jobs.

At the press conference announcing the new report, Brenda Garcia-Millan, lead author of the report, said, “The climate crisis and housing crisis are some of the biggest threats to public health and our future, but we have the solutions, and we call on our elected officials to lead with these strategies.”