Sustainability

The term sustainability is often defined as the capacity to endure. Sustainability speaks to decision making that considers the impacts of the actions taken now, on future generations. When developing major infrastructure for the California High-Speed Rail Program, program designers must consider factors that safeguard the capacity of future generations to enjoy quality life:

Environmental
Economic
Political
Cultural

The California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is committed to building a high-speed rail system that minimizes impacts to both the natural and built environment, encourages compact land development around transit stations, and helps California manage its pressing issues with climate change, traffic and airport congestion, and energy dependency. The Authority has adopted policies and published several documents that confirms a commitment to sustainable development.

2019 Sustainability Report

The 2019 Sustainability Report provides information on the progress the Authority is making in fulfilling sustainability commitments. Specifically, this report:

Details the characteristics of the program that - based on feedback from the public, state legislators and the Authority's internal experts - most clearly express sustainability.
Outlines the commitments, methodologies, progress and results of the program's comprehensive approach to designing, constructing and operating high-speed rail in a sustainable manner.
Reflects the priorities and concerns of the program's many stakeholders - including community leaders, elected officials, partner organizations, Authority employees and contractors, sustainability peers and organizations - and the people who will travel on the system.
Discusses the results of the materiality assessment process performed in 2018—a process that was last completed in 2014/2015. The Authority and the high-speed rail program have passed various project milestones since 2014/2015, making it prudent to validate and refresh material topics covered in our sustainability program and reporting.
Explains our updated Sustainability Policy, which was adopted by the Board of Directors in April 2019. The updates to the policy include refinements to priorities, objectives and commitments, and a clear delineation by program phase.
Outlines the progress marked by several achievements.

2019 Sustainability Report

Previous Reports

Urban Design Guidelines

The California High-Speed Rail Authority's Urban Design Guidelines are a comprehensive planning guide that provides domestic and international examples of station area design, urban design and transit-oriented development. This guide includes simple diagrams that analyze and explain successful public places and how each promotes livability and transit use. Urban design implemented around high-speed rail stations can encourage destination stations and enhance the value for the surrounding community.

The Urban Design Guidelines report is intended to be used by cities and communities throughout the state’s 800-mile system as they work with their stakeholders and residents to create a vision for their high-speed rail station areas.

Urban Design Guidelines

Sustainable Design Concepts

High-speed rail will provide the Central Valley with improved access to the rest of the state, putting the Central Valley's residents only one to two hours away from California's major employment and population centers. This change in the Central Valley's geography of access will in turn impact the course of future development within the region. At the regional scale, the increased accessibility afforded by high-speed rail can serve to concentrate development in and around communities that have stations. Such demand can shift the impetus of new growth away from the Central Valley's agricultural land and reorient it towards established urban centers.

Vision California

"Vision California" is an unprecedented effort to explore the critical role of land use and transportation investments in meeting the environmental and fiscal challenges facing California over the coming decades. Calthorpe Associates is producing tools that can evaluate alternative physical visions for how California can accommodate anticipated growth. The project will model the consequences of varying land use and transportation scenarios, and quantify the benefits of a more sustainable, transit-oriented future for California--one that is anchored by a statewide high-speed rail network.

Urban Forestry Program

Honoring its commitment to zero-net direct greenhouse gas emissions in construction, the California High-Speed Rail Authority (Authority) is pleased to present the details of the first group of urban forestry projects. CAL FIRE, in partnership with the Authority, has awarded $2.5 million in tree planting grants to date to offset greenhouse gas emissions associated with construction of the first portion of the high-speed rail system. The more than 6,000 trees to be planted will reduce greenhouse gases and provide numerous environmental, social, and economic benefits to disadvantaged communities in the vicinity of the rail line between San Jose to Anaheim.

These grants:

Fund tree planting projects to reduce greenhouse gas levels
Arrest the decline of urban forests and improve their structure and function
Increase climate change resilience
Improve the quality of the environment in urban areas
Optimize co-benefits to urban residents

Grants

Two organizations have been awarded funding.

Tree Fresno - $1 million grant

2,400 trees will be planted in schools, parks, and in residential areas in disadvantaged communities in the greater Fresno region
Focus will be put on the largest trees possible, as these provide the greatest greenhouse gas benefits
Species will be chosen wisely for drought tolerance and make use of water-wise irrigation
Educational opportunities, including curricular activities, will be provided associated with the tree plantings
Continued care for the trees for the length of the grant will be ensured and ongoing maintenance will be provided
Plantings began in spring of 2018

California Urban Forests Council - $1.5 million grant

4,000 trees will be planted in disadvantaged communities along the rail corridor, half in public areas and half in residential areas
Council will build a network of urban forestry support to create greener, cleaner communities by working with local partners in disadvantaged neighborhoods
Informational and outreach opportunities will be provided to engage residents and train volunteers in tree care
Continued care for the trees for the length of the grant will be ensured and ongoing maintenance will be provided
Plantings began in spring of 2019

Events

Team of students planting trees — The California High-Speed Rail Authority and Tree Fresno began the first phase of tree planting at West Fresno Middle School in May 2018. Nearly 200 trees were planted by volunteers and students.

5/29/18 - The Authority and Tree Fresno began the first phase of tree planting at West Fresno Middle School. Nearly 200 trees were planted by volunteers and students. For more information and photos from this event, visit buildhsr.com.

Our Urban Forestry Program kicked off in 2018 with Tree Fresno at a planting at West Fresno Middle School. See how the planting already made an impact one year later.

3/09/19 - In cooperation with the City of Glendale, West Coast Arborists, Inc. coordinated the help of 120 enthusiastic community members to plant 40 new trees in Glendale’s Verdugo Park. Find out more at buildhsr.com.

More planting events are being scheduled.

Resources

Contact

Green Practices & Sustainability
(916) 324-1541
info@hsr.ca.gov