Fresno first on UC Davis sustainability index

Tuesday, June 23, 2009, 12:32pm PDT

Sacramento second on UC Davis sustainability index

Sacramento Business Journal

Sacramento is relatively well-prepared to accommodate the expected Central Valley population boom with sustainable-growth policies, according to a University of California Davis study.

The capital city scored second out of 100 Central Valley cities on the study’s sustainability index, which measured sustainable-growth policies and procedures. Fresno topped the list with an index score of 33, out of 50, while Sacramento scored 31.5 and Davis scored 30.

The study, “Achieving Sustainability in California’s Central Valley,” considered whether Central Valley cities, which are expected to grow from a population of 7 million to 12 million over the next 30 years, could be both big and green.

“I’m actually pretty pessimistic about the possibility,” associate professor Mark Lubell, the study’s lead author, said in a news release. “Sustainable growth is growth that minimizes environmental impact while meeting goals for economic viability and quality of life, for both present and future generations. Our study identified some very serious obstacles to achieving the goal, but also identifies some variables and recommendations that might help.”