Post Carbon Cities

Skip to content

OTHER POST CARBON INSTITUTE PROGRAMS:   Global Public Media   Relocalization Network   Local Energy Farms   Oil Depletion Protocol   

Resources

Report/Paper: Transforming Urban Environments for a Post-Peak Oil Future
venturareport_100.jpg
Published by City of Ventura (Calif.) (original article)

This "Vision Plan for the City of Buenaventura" analyzes probable implications of Peak Oil on the City of San Buenaventura, California, and the surrounding region, and describes a vision for post-Peak Oil planning that responds to these implications by building upon positive trends that are already taking place. This vision is supported by planning and design guidelines, as well as a phased implementation plan. The regional vision emphasizes preservation of natural resources, concentration of the developed footprint, and intra-regional collaboration.

Published by City of Ventura (Calif.), http://www.cityofventura.net/public_works/maintenance_services/environmental_services/post-peakoil.asp

The report can be downloaded from the City of Ventura website, or here.

The peak in global oil production, or Peak Oil, will necessitate a change in the way communities function. While most planning for post-Peak Oil focuses on the generation of alternative energy sources to compensate for depleted oil supplies, the goal of this plan is to decrease energy consumption through community design and planning. This approach requires the localization of resources and transformation of urban environments and lifestyles, and therefore provides an opportunity to enhance quality of life.

The Post-Peak Oil Vision Plan analyzes probable implications of Peak Oil on the City of San Buenaventura and the surrounding region, and describes a vision for post-Peak Oil planning that responds to these implications by building upon positive trends that are already taking place. This vision is supported by planning and design guidelines, as well as a phased implementation plan. The regional vision emphasizes preservation of natural resources, concentration of the developed footprint, and intra-regional collaboration.

The 2050 vision for the City of San Buenaventura demonstrates the potential for transformation of urban environments. Under this vision, 85 percent of the population lives on less than a third of the city's land and is within walking distance of daily needs; 50 percent of the food supply is grown within city limits; and greywater and roofwater supply over 75 percent of urban irrigation needs. The community design that results from this plan includes a significant reduction in energy demand and an increase in quality of life.

FAIR USE / FAIR DEALING NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to advance understanding of certain public interest issues per the 'fair use' provision of United States Copyright Law section 107 and the 'fair dealing' exception of Canadian Copyright Act section 29.


© 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Post Carbon Institute

Post Carbon Cities: Helping local governments understand and respond to the challenges of peak oil and global warming.
Post Carbon Cities is a program of Post Carbon Institute, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization incorporated in the United States.