Raul Alvarez, PODER and Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter

Raul Alvarez is transportation coordinator for People Organized in Defense of Earth and her Resources (PODER), an environmental justice group based in East Austin, Texas. He is also environmental justice director for the Sierra Club Lone Star Chapter in Texas.

I have signed up to go before the Austin City Council next week to speak about a recently proposed equity initiative. One might ask, why is Austin developing an equity initiative? Part of the reason (but not the only reason, since the "need" is obviously there) is that much of the discussion in Austin about "smart growth" has centered around three E's (economy, environment, and equity). The city's background documents about its Smart Growth Initiative and a relatively recent report commissioned by the Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce discuss the need to take a balanced approach to growth management in these three areas. It is not too surprising that advocates of the environment and equity would be asking that governmental priorities be more balanced in these respective areas. The fact that the city and the chamber are also pushing this idea suggests that this approach may actually produce some positive results.

The economic and environmental benefits of curbing sprawl through smart growth initiatives have been well documented in print. The Sierra Club, the American Farmland Trust, and the Natural Resources Defense Council working jointly with the Surface Transportation Policy Project all have produced reports that document some of the negative consequences of sprawl and identify recommendations for change. Two recent publications by the Trust for Public Land and the National Association of Local Government Environmental Professionals speak to the issue of growing smart because it's good for the economy.

The equity implications of smart growth, on other hand, have not been dealt with specifically from an academic point of view. The closest thing you can find is the debate about redevelopment of "brownfields," abandoned and often contaminated industrial sites in urban areas. From a neighborhood point of view, the relevant issues related to equity and growth are: (1) what type and intensity of development will occur; (2) will it serve the existing community; and (3) will it have any adverse environmental, economic, or social impacts on the existing community. If you look at it from a historical point of view, the issues are not much different than those related to urban renewal.

If the city is going to direct growth to desired development areas and away from the environmentally sensitive zone in West Austin, it must be willing to address all of the development questions listed above with honesty and in good faith. The proposed development of a light-rail system should be handled in this manner. These concerns are articulated well in the East Cesar Chavez Neighborhood Plan that the city adopted earlier this year. Many other neighborhood associations and residents have expressed similar concerns about development proposals.

The reason I am interested in commenting on the city's proposed equity initiative is because I want to raise concerns about issues that are not explicitly included in it -- like some development issues. The equity initiative is a budget initiative more than anything and will likely deal with issues of affordable housing, workforce development, early education, child care, neighborhood planning, etc. All of these issues are legitimate and necessary components of a plan for equity in the city. At the same time, the need to address the development-related concerns listed above should not be overlooked. The policy issues related to equity in development are not as easy to accomplish with a budget line item but are equally important.

Now, on to my weekend. Here's what's in store: Accordion Kings Festival in Round Rock (including a performance by Valerio Longoria) on Saturday and Ruben Blades show at La Zona Rosa on Sunday.

"Early in the history of life, Nature began to shape new species to fit into habitats already occupied by other species. Never since the Archaean Period has a living thing evolved alone. Whole communities have evolved as if they were one great organism. Thus all evolution is coevolution and the biosphere is now a confederation of dependencies."
-- Victor B. Scheffer, marine mammologist and author, as quoted in Wisdom of the Elders