(TRI-VALLEY, Calif.) - Gas prices have risen sharply, with prices in Tri-Valley cities and other parts of Alameda County reportedly reaching $6.18 per gallon. The increase comes amid geopolitical tensions, including the U.S.-Iran conflict. With uncertainty surrounding global oil markets, relief at the pump may remain out of reach. And even after the current conflict ends, another international crisis could send prices climbing again.
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Years of local decisions have helped create car-dependent neighborhoods. Excessive reliance on single-family zoning and approvals for sprawling development can use land inefficiently and leave residents with longer trips to reach everyday necessities. Each drive may seem manageable, but the costs accumulate.
Across Dublin, San Ramon, Livermore, and Pleasanton, large areas are devoted to asphalt and parking, based on the assumption that residents will drive to shop. Big parking lots can also spread stores and services farther apart.
Even where bike lanes or bus service are available, it can be difficult to combine errands when big-box stores such as Walmart and Target are separated from restaurants, salons, and other services. Examples include Rosewood Drive in Pleasanton and the two Target locations in Dublin.
San Ramon's Bishop Ranch brings many destinations together, which is a useful model. Yet the surrounding development pattern can still make driving the practical way to get there.
Local leaders cannot control global fuel prices, but they can give residents more choices about how often they drive. That means slowing approvals for sprawling, large-lot development and, where growth makes sense, supporting denser mixed-use neighborhoods in well-chosen locations.
Housing, shops and services can be placed close enough together that more daily needs are reachable downstairs or on foot, instead of requiring a 10-minute drive.
More walkable neighborhoods will not shield residents from every rise in gas prices. They can, however, reduce how often people need to fill up — and make household budgets less vulnerable to the next crisis abroad.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please get in touch with me at harika@lead4earth.org.
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