Incentives & Regulatory Changes

The "Making Vision Reality: Incentives & Regulatory Change" section of the Smart Growth Strategy/Regional Livability Footprint Project Final Report highlights a number of incentives identified at the public workshops that would enhance the potential for smart growth within the Bay Area and beyond. At the same time, organizations throughout the State (Urban Land Institute, California Futures Network and other non-profit organizations and community groups are pursuing incentives and regulatory reforms at the local, regional and state levels of government. Incentives and regulatory reforms are being sought to support efforts to:

• Increasing the supply of housing and in particular, affordable housing

• Promoting appropriate levels of development and density to support transit

• Improve jobs/housing balance by focusing job and housing development where needed

• Foster the preservation of open space and agricultural lands

The incentives and regulatory reforms are intended to promote good planning practices consistent with the principles of smart growth and sustainable development. Specifically, they are intended to support objectives such as jobs-housing balance and the development of affordable housing near transit.