The Delicate Balance Between Conservation and the Need for Housing with Mike McLaughlin

The Finest City

In this episode, we feature retired SANDAG planner and longtime C-3 member, Mike McLaughlin. He discusses how transportation is linked to responsible land-use decisions, and why many of the planning challenges from 40 years ago are still relevant today. Mike talks about the Smart Growth Movement, and where we go from here to best prepare for the future and get the next generations on board. Mike also reflects on how we might break that impasse between meeting our housing needs and protecting the environment.

Timestamps:

[4:12] Mike shares what brought him to SANDAG, and how it happened almost by accident.

[8:12] What was leading the conversations in the 1980s about the tensions San Diego faced between the call for more housing and the protection of the environment? And, just how aware was the public of these issues?

[8:40] One of the values of the Habitat Conversation Plan is that you were bringing both the building industry needs, along with the environmental needs, the need to protect endangered and rare species, and the building industry that needs to respond to the tremendous growth and development that was pressuring the San Diego region.

[17:02] Mike talks about his time at SANDAG overseeing both land use and environmental decisions.

[20:20] Mike thinks the focus has been on the wrong “D” word. While the focus was always on density, he thinks it should be on the design.

[23:17] San Diego and the surrounding regions are classic illustrations of how transit-oriented development can be very successful.

[27:41] In hindsight, what could have been done with the genesis of the Smart Growth Plan in San Diego?

[31:56] Mike looks at the mesas, valleys, and canyons, and how those three different features are used for forced land practices in one way or another.

[33:20] One of the main roles that SANDAG provided was obviously the recognized allocator of federal and state transportation money. So SANDAG makes decisions about literally billions of dollars of transportation infrastructure.

[38:19] Why was Mike disinvited from a Solana Beach city council meeting?

[39:59] What has changed in SANDAG’s 2020 plan compared to the 2030 housing forecast?

[51:26] Mike speaks on discovering C-3 and what made him want to get involved.

[59:10] How can C-3 change to meet the needs of our time both presently and in the future?

About C-3

In its 60 years of existence, Citizens Coordinate for Century 3 (C-3) has brought together local thought leaders from planning, design, policy, academia, community development, and more to address our region’s distinctive and pressing land use challenges. In founding C-3 almost 60 years ago, architect Lloyd Ruocco’s vision was to bring together our region’s most creative minds from the arts, sciences, academia, and government to share ideas, learn new perspectives, and build fellowship around the idea of creating livable communities.

Opportunities for Advocacy and Engagement:

C3sandiego.org