Several members of PDC’s Planning Department were invited to the Land Development West Conference & Expo, conducted in Scottsdale, Arizona, to make a panel presentation in the Planning/Collaboration/Case Studies track. On November 2, 2005 we presented and discussed the “Building Blocks of Sustainable Communities”. Our case study was the Rancho San Juan Specific Plan project (2,500 acres, 4,000 dwelling units). In 2000, PDC was asked to develop a Specific Plan for the RSJ property that is located within Monterey County of the state of California. Primary project goal was to design a new community based on principles of sustainable development. Through this project, the design team would begin to define what “sustainability” actually meant to the County of Monterey. Rancho San Juan provided us an excellent case study through which we could address, in real life terms, the building blocks of sustainable communities. Through the use of RSJ as our case study, we were able to discuss three building blocks of sustainable communities; these were community structure, water, and existing regulations. Near the end of our discussion, we presented a report card detailing the success and failure of each of these building blocks.

Our presentation was first within the Planning/Collaboration/Case Studies track and we enjoyed a large and enthusiastic audience. The presentation evolved into a passionate discussion of the concepts of sustainable communities as well as the myriad of issues associated with the implementation of many sustainable concepts. Subsequent to this presentation, we have been asked to participate in additional conferences relating to sustainable communities. Please contact Chris Morrow, AICP of our Planning Department for additional information.