$524 billion sustainability plan for southern California

   The Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG), an organization representing six counties and nearly 200 municipalities, has approved a Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS) that calls for up to $524 billion in investment in transportation and sustainable community development through 2035. The RPT/SCS dedicates 54% of the funding to transit and non-highway development, including a tripling of current funding for biking and pedestrian projects. The plan seeks to establish 60% more housing near transit than is currently available, and it aims to save more than 400 square miles of open space from development. The plan “is going to change the way we do business and the way we think about the urban form,” said Hasan Ikhrata, SCAG’s executive director. “It’s going to provide choices for people to move around.” The plan is the second RTP/SCS to be adopted under California’s Senate Bill 375, following the San Diego Association of Governments approval of a similar plan in November 2011.