Although the Bay Area promotes green and sustainable living,  there are communities, specifically those next to the Port of Oakland and I-880 that are afflicted by poor air quality.  Because of the large industry in this area, in 2008 West Oakland was deemed a priority for sustainable urban development in order to reduce the amount of green house gasses in the area.

This all seems like a great thing right?  Reduce the amount of CO2 emissions, build sustainable, green housing, promote green living….etc.  However, according to arecent study by the Oakland’s Pacific Institute and a group known as the Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative, the Bay Area’s efforts to build sustainable communities may actually threaten the health of Bay Area residents in the short term.

Why?  Because in order to redevelop this area, there needs to be new construction and with new construction comes more pollutants.  Thus decreasing the air quality even further.  Of course, in the long run, this will have a positive impact on the residents in west Oakland, but  the short term air quality will be sacrificed.

Bay Area smart growth is all about creating affordable housing that promotes walkable, bikable communities that reduce the impact on the environment and consume less energy.  But in order to get these communities we will have to endure the construction phase.  As with everything, there is a cost.  I feel though that it is worth the short term decrease in air quality over the next 10 years in order to be able to breath easy for the next 100 yrs.  What do you think?
Thanks toen.wikipedia.org andtriplepundit.com  for the photo.