The Greening of Mobility in San Francisco
San Francisco has witnessed a flurry of interest in alternative transportation during the last fifteen years. Much of this interest has been inspired by grassroots movements to envision a new kind of city and act on that vision to foster a “politics of po
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The Greening of Mobility in San Francisco Aaron Golub and Jason Henderson
In a democracy there is simply no reason to adopt major changes in policy as a result of scholarly studies or technical findings. There is every reason, however, to adopt policies that respond to vocal and persistent interest groups that demonstrate they have staying power in the political arena. Whether or not cycling catches on in America will depend upon the success or failure of grassroots movements like the one that is now thriving and growing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Martin Wachs, University of California at Berkeley, 19981
an Francisco has witnessed a flurry of interest in alternative transportation during the last fifteen years. Much of this interest has been inspired by grassroots movements to envision a new kind of city and act on that vision to foster a “politics of possibility.” This chapter explores the launching of two successful green mobility initiatives: the expansion of the city’s bicycle transportation program and the launching of a citywide car-sharing service. The impacts of these initiatives have been profound, affecting not only travel, parking, and automobile ownership, but also the planning code of the city of San Francisco. These developments point to the important role mobilization by grassroots activists and
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M.I. Slavin (ed.), Sustainability in America’s Cities: Creating the Green Metropolis, DOI 10.5822/978-1-61091-028-6_6, © Island Press 2011
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social entrepreneurship played as prime movers behind the city of San Francisco’s green transportation initiatives.
Why San Francisco? The City by the Bay occupies 47 square miles on the northern end of the San Francisco Peninsula bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west, San Francisco Bay to the north and east, and the peninsula cities and San Jose to the south. Its beautiful, hilly topography and stunning views and beaches are a blessing and a challenge: they’ve created a highly desirable place attracting diverse populations for more than 150 years, while forming natural development constraints resulting in relatively dense settlements. Because of these dense settlement patterns and relatively good public transit options, San Franciscans rely heavily on alternatives to automobile: about 45 percent of internal trips are by walking, cycling, or public transit, compared to the U.S. average of only about 13 percent for those modes.2 Today, almost 30 percent of households in the city are car-free, and for many this is by choice, not necessity. The city has one of the lowest rates of daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per person, at under 10 miles a day, compared to the national statistic of more than 30 miles. It also has one of the lowest percapita automobile ownership rates in the United States, at 510 automobiles per 1,000 persons, compared to the national statistic of 784 automobiles per 1,000 persons.3 Compared to most U.S. cities, it appears San Francisco is already pretty “green.” However recent trends of ri
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