There’s a reason – or rather, five good reasons – why many climate experts praise Rancho Cucamonga for its sustainability efforts. For years, the city has pursued a multi-pronged approach that includes transportation, zoning and energy, putting the city on track to dramatically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.

“Their plan addresses both problems head-on,” says Josh Lee, deputy director of planning and regional programs for the San Bernardino County Transportation Authority. “They will not only meet the state’s goals, they will exceed them.”

Part of the city’s success is due to the San Bernardino Council of Governments’ regional greenhouse gas reduction plan, which includes a certified environmental impact report. This plan – the first of its kind in the state – allowed Rancho Cucamonga to develop ambitious programs and policies without investing in costly environmental assessments.

Lee says the city’s “forward-thinking” transportation and construction policies are beneficial to the region. “The city of Rancho Cucamonga is taking an aggressive approach and has positioned itself to meet the state’s goals and take advantage of funding opportunities as they become available,” he said.

Electrifying changes

Rancho Cucamonga’s latest and most spectacular achievement is its electric fire truck and new fire station with a fully functioning microgrid. City Manager John Gillison calls it “revolutionary.” But equally remarkable is the series of what seemed like small actions at the time that led to a big moment.

The city initially purchased used Ford Lightnings, which helped officials slowly ease employees into the idea of ​​an electric vehicle (EV). “We have to recognize that the challenge right now is helping people with that learning curve,” Gillison said. “If you try to just force them, people will just resist even more and you’re actually not helping the new technology take off.”

This phased approach gave the city time to improve its infrastructure. While there are several incentive programs for electric vehicle charging infrastructure, many of them have impractical and restrictive requirements.

“We can’t just move everything and then they say, ‘Sorry, but you have to do this if you want the funding,'” Gillison said. “If you’re a Walgreens store and you want to put two chargers in your parking lot so people can charge – well, no big deal – then the program works great for that. But if you’re a large company with a fleet … those restrictions don’t work: They want you to move your entire business operations.”

The city was also an early pioneer in solar energy and battery storage, making major investments several decades ago. But moving away from dirty, polluting fossil fuels is not enough to reach net zero. To do so, authorities need to rethink the planning of entire neighborhoods.

Build for tomorrow, not for today

For Rancho Cucamonga, this meant focusing first on its transportation systems. The company invested in a traffic management system that analyzes traffic patterns to reduce vehicle idling time and ultimately exhaust emissions.

The next step was much harder: Adding new lanes can increase greenhouse gas emissions. But for Rancho Cucamonga, installing new signal-priority bus routes, protected bike lanes and a high-speed rail stop — which is often done there in partnership with nearby cities — won’t happen overnight.

First of all, the town is on a hill. It is also spread out, like many suburbs. By bus from the town hall to the main shopping street it takes 40 to 45 minutes. By car? 15 minutes.

Gillison says one solution is to create small, closed loops for buses and cyclists. It’s a holistic game of inches. Protected bike lanes along a flat part of the city or new bus routes on a busy corridor can create institutional mechanisms and popular buy-in for more ambitious projects.

“If we can get them to their destination faster and more efficiently, they’re happier,” he said. “They’re less frustrated. We’re happier. It’s better for the environment and helps us achieve some of our climate goals, or at least get closer to them.”

The city administration also wants to promote denser, mixed-use development. The city cannot expand much further. In many places, the only option is to build upwards. And the further people live from their places of work and leisure, the more they drive. Denser, mixed-use development solves several problems at once.

Actually making that happen is another matter entirely. Many residents want to keep their neighborhood as it is. The city has found some creative solutions to this challenge, such as building denser housing near major transportation arteries or converting a golf course into mixed-use housing near a planned high-speed rail station.

The problem, however, is not necessarily the resistance of residents. It is the reputation of Rancho Cucamonga. The development is thinner, which in turn leads to less dense development.

Teamwork for green success

To drive these changes, Rancho Cucamonga has switched to a forms-based law, streamlined its permitting processes and invested in a comprehensive environmental assessment. The latter allows developers to “phase” their projects – much like the city did with its climate plan – and saves builders six to nine months and thousands of dollars.

The city is also trying to bring developers together and learn from their past mistakes. Someone who is good at building cafes may not be suited to building apartments. But that developer working with a housing developer can create the communities the city needs.

The city encourages green investments through a recognition program. Small businesses know that many customers appreciate climate-friendly measures, even if it’s just an electric car charging station. The city uses its platform to draw attention to these businesses, which in turn attracts like-minded entrepreneurs and practices.

“We can connect them with programs they may not know about and, in some cases, help them get funding,” Gillison said. “And it lets people know that Rancho is a place that welcomes these types of businesses.”

Cal Cities’ #LocalWorks initiative highlights examples of local actions that are making a difference in their communities. Show how #LocalWorks is working in your community by contacting [email protected].