San Diego’s Land Use and Community Planning Element includes a series of goals which effectuate the amelioration of climate change through the mitigation of greenhouse emissions. One of these efforts is creating a “City of Villages,” which is the goal to develop mixed-use activity centers within villages. This concentration of activity offers better access to pedestrian-friendly travel options, including walking, biking, and public transit. This will enable large numbers of people to make fewer and shorter auto trips, a large component of San Diego’s goal to lower greenhouse gas emissions (LU-A).

City of Villages will have the added benefit of increasing social wellbeing, community vibrancy, localization of the economy, and overall physical health; it will increase general mobility and activity of citizens, preserve neighborhood character, improve local business, and improve air quality by reducing the use of and dependence on automobiles (ME-B).