Before making any decision, our cities consider a huge amount of information. As Planning & Research Manager for Greenbelt Alliance, I understand the power behind that knowledge. That’s why I am so passionate about my work on the Bay Area Greenprint.
This free online mapping tool makes the essential information behind any city or county planning decision easy to understand. Making this information publicly available and clearly comprehensible is just one example of the work we’re doing to promote better growth in our region. Will you give to Greenbelt Alliance and support that work?
Democracy is about choice, but making informed choices requires access to the full context surrounding your options. By mapping the value that each piece of land has, from filtering water to wildlife corridors, the Bay Area Greenprint clarifies those options, giving the power of informed choice to all. In giving everyone who will be impacted by a land-use decision a clear picture of the costs and benefits, the Greenprint can be truly transformative—especially for our region’s most vulnerable residents.
In a moment when it can seem like democracy itself is threatened, supporting and spreading the power of informed choice is essential. People speaking up for themselves and their communities, especially those whose voices so often go unheard in the halls of power, is the core of democracy. And the Greenprint is a proven way to support that goal.
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“In a moment when it can seem like democracy itself is threatened, supporting and spreading the power of informed choice feels essential.”
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With the data at its core, we helped the Oakland Climate Action Coalition prioritize parks in lower-income neighborhoods; today, they can use the tool as they seek funding to build those same parks. Projects like this, which make our cities and towns more livable and help build a Bay Area where everyone is welcome, are at the core of our mission. That’s why we need you to give to Greenbelt Alliance and support our work in Oakland and across the region.
With more support, we could build on the Greenprint to apply the same democratizing lens to one of the most pressing issues facing our region: housing. We could also fund a mobile site so anyone, at any time, could tap into the value and benefits of their current location and see how planned developments will affect that area.
“Projects like this, which make our cities and towns more livable and help build a Bay Area where everyone is welcome, are at the core of Greenbelt Alliance’s mission.”
And we can continue to apply this same holistic approach to our work across the Bay Area, fighting destructive sprawl, promoting better growth practices, and preserving the dynamic mix of thriving cities and towns, natural lands, and local agriculture so essential to our region’s character. But all of these projects depend on your support. And if you give to Greenbelt Alliance by September 30, your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar (up to a total of $10,000) by a generous, anonymous supporter.
Photo: John Chapman
