Environmental Planning Element
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Environmental Planning Element EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Environmental Planning element recommends ways to promote community sustainability that will ensure long-term quality of life and community viability. It addresses protecting the natural environment and managing and conserving resources. This element addresses human impacts on the environment. The Natural Resources Conservation element addresses protection of natural resources. Air quality: restore the quality of the air through a variety of air pollution reduction strategies. Brownfields: reclaim and redevelop brownfield sites with real or perceived environmental contamination. Community gardens and small urban farms: explore opportunities for community gardens and small urban farms as a source of food, business and preservation of examples of our agricultural heritage. Energy efficient planning and design: encourage efficient use of energy resources. Green buildings: encourage green building techniques (use of construction materials that minimize the environmental impacts from the production of new materials). Urban heat island: explore options to minimize the impacts of the urban heat island (heat being released from the ground and buildings that raises the average temperature). Noise mitigation: reduce urban noise levels. Pollution prevention and waste minimalization: reduce the environmental impacts of city operations. Solid waste: promote recycling, develop environmentally sound landfills and explore alternative solutions to waste disposal. The Natural Resources Conservation element addresses four topics: flooding, erosion, preservation of vegetation, and wildlife protection. Flooding protection: protect people and property from the threat and damage of flooding. Erosion protection: eliminate or minimize on-site or down slope erosion. Vegetation protection: protect native plants from extinction and use them to preserve the character of the Sonoran desert. Wildlife protection: maintain large, intact patches of native vegetation to protect wildlife habitat and take steps to protect wildlife corridors. 259 INTRODUCTION This element begins with a discussion of community sustainability, recognizing the important role that it The Sonoran Desert is a unique ecosystem. Of the plays in long-term viability and quality of life. world's deserts, the Sonoran is the most diverse for both animal and plant life. However, the natural COMMUNITY SUSTAINABILITY desert environment of Phoenix also is fragile and requires special considerations. Our natural Sustainable communities provide a business climate resources can be damaged or destroyed through where better goods and services are produced using over-use, mis-use or negligence. The city of Phoenix less energy, with less waste and less pollution. is committed to being a leader in sound environmental practices through appropriate As a community, there is a need to support a regulations, programs, policies and initiatives. sustainable way of life both locally and globally, through safeguarding and enhancing our natural Of fundamental importance are the protection and resources and preventing harm to human health. conservation of our water, air, and energy and a focus The community impacts on the natural environment on creating long-term community sustainability for must not jeopardize it for future generations. current and future residents. This obligation rests Phoenix is committed to preserving and restoring the with both government and the private sector. natural environment and creating a balance with Phoenix strives for clean air, usable land (suitable for new urban development. In achieving a healthy the appropriate use), adequate and safe water environment, inequitable burdens should not be supply, opportunities to use renewable energy placed on any one geographic or socioeconomic resources, and protection of natural resources. A sector of the population. vision to develop strategies for long-term community sustainability is essential for maintaining and Sustainability is most frequently thought of as a improving our quality of life and sustaining our community's ability to protect and maintain the community. quality and quantity of its natural resources: air, water, vegetation and wildlife, and unique open The city recognizes that long-term economic spaces. A broader definition would include a development and community vitality cannot exist community's ability to protect its built environment without environmental quality. Furthermore, a clean from blight and deterioration and reduce and attractive physical environment enhances consumption of resources. Every community has property values. different measures of sustainability. The following components of sustainability are included in this Community goals in this Environmental Planning General Plan: element include improving and protecting the environment, managing and conserving resources, Environmental Planning Element preserving open space, and managing growth to ensure healthy and vibrant neighborhoods. Natural physical environment: addresses the human impacts on the natural physical Because environmental concerns fall under the environment. jurisdiction of federal, state, and local authorities, and because the city must comply with their laws and Air quality: addresses the issues that regulations, the city places a high priority on contribute to degradation of air quality. interagency communication and cooperation. This element focuses on a variety of topics, recognizing Brownfields reclamation: increases the that related topics may be addressed in other amount of developable land served by elements such as Natural Resources Conservation, infrastructure and eliminates blighted Water Resources, and Circulation. Wherever conditions. Restores the quality of the soils. appropriate, a reference is made to those topics that are not addressed in this element so that the reader Community gardens: provide green spaces, can easily locate the related information. preserve a small part of Arizona's agricultural heritage, and provide residents with agricultural experiences. 260 Energy efficient planning and design: pedestrian activity, thereby reducing traffic reduces need for energy resources including congestion, air pollution, and the need for the production of energy that generates parking spaces. Also addressed in the pollution in its use or generation. Circulation element. Green building techniques: encourage the Circulation Element use and reuse of materials and products that have been produced with minimal use of Alternative modes of transportation: reduce resources. the use of fossil fuels, thereby decreasing air pollution and reducing traffic congestion. Noise mitigation: reduces the negative Also addressed in the Bicycling element. impacts from human-generated noise in the physical environment. Open Space Element Pollution prevention: reduces the use of Open space: provides recreational hazardous materials and hazardous wastes. opportunities and preserves natural resources. Recycling of solid waste: reduces the need for landfills and increases the amount of Natural Resources Conservation Element recycled materials. The Water Resources element addresses use of reclaimed water. Erosion control: preserves soils and vegetation. Urban heat island: modifies the built environment to reduce the amount of heat Flooding protection: protects people, absorbed by man-made surfaces and later property, and the natural environment from released. damage or destruction. Growth Element Vegetation protection: preserves native plants for aesthetic and functional purposes. Urban service areas: provides for more efficient use of public infrastructure. Wildlife habitat protection: preserves the natural environment necessary for wildlife Land Use Element survival. Infill development: provides for use of Water Resources Element existing infrastructure and facilities. Accommodates some projected Water supply availability: ensures water to development on less land. meet projected needs. Mixed land use development: decreases the Reclaimed water use: increases water supply number and length of auto trips, thereby through reuse. reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and the need for parking spaces. Groundwater use and artificial recharge: stores excess water for future use. Pedestrian-oriented development: encourages the creation of physical Water quality: ensures compliance with environments that are people-friendly, health standards. minimizes pedestrian-vehicular conflicts, and creates pedestrian connections between Water demand management (Water diverse land uses. Conservation): saves water, reducing groundwater use. Transit-oriented development: facilitates use of public transit for trips and more 261 GOAL 1 NATURAL PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT: 4. Support national efforts to reduce or THE NATURAL PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT eliminate emissions that contribute to global SHOULD BE PRESERVED AND warming, acid rain and ozone depletion in CONSERVED WHILE ACKNOWLEDGING the upper atmosphere. THAT DEVELOPMENT WILL OCCUR IN SOME AREAS. 5. Support efforts to minimize the production and use of pollutants that deplete natural Recognizing that development will continue to occur, barriers to ultraviolet ray penetration of the the city supports development that considers both atmosphere, or leave greenhouse gases. the short-term and long-term impacts on the natural physical environment. GOAL 2 AIR QUALITY: IMPROVE SIGNIFICANTLY THE QUALITY OF THE AIR WE BREATHE. Policies: Air pollution affects individual health, quality