Grand Challenges and Research | Urban Studies & Planning

Research Team Narrative

San Diego Safety and Urban Planning

Academic Year

2009-2010

Overview

San Diego Safety and Urban Planning

Determining the Gap between Perceived and Actual Preparedness for Earthquakes at UCSD
By: Emma Reed
The first major finding in this study of UCSD is that students perceive themselves – on average – to be adequately prepared to react to a large-scale earthquake event on the campus.  In an earthquake preparedness survey, a majority of students rated their personal level of preparedness at three or higher on a scale from one to five indicating beliefs that they would be able to react effectively if the floor below them started to shake. 
The second key finding is that the actual level of earthquake preparedness at the university appears to be quite a bit lower than students recognize.  Few of the students surveyed signified that they would know the first step to take in the event of a major earthquake and a mere 17 percent (fewer than one in five) of students indicated that they had ever been involved in an earthquake drill at UCSD.  Three emergency planning experts for the campus explained the details of systems currently in place to aid response and recovery efforts in the event of a large-scale earthquake nearby.  For the most part, the logistics of an efficient emergency response system appear to be in place; however, the concern is to what extent this will be successful if such a large student body is unaware of the plan’s details as well as how they can respond most effectively on an individual level.  All interviewees agreed to some extent that there is a gap between the perceived levels and the actual level of preparedness among the student body and a lack of awareness is a significant obstacle to improving the campus’ overall disaster preparedness.

Merging Science with the Governance of San Diego’s Wildland/Urban Interface
By: William Godfrey
This research considers the sustainability and safety of San Diego County’s unincorporated areas by exploring the use of science in planning for and mitigating the relatively new threat of wildfire hazards. The fire ecology of the region prompts regular burns, which in 2003 and 2007 spread through developed lands, using suburban subdivisions as conduits between burnable ecosystems. Sustainability science and planning principles, including consideration of place, scale, form, and design, are necessary to the future safety of the region, and to reducing human environmental impacts, yet plans for the region continue to accommodate growth that is exorbitantly vulnerable to wildfires. The disconnect between how the scientific community perceives this risk and how government addresses it is vast, which indicates that communication between scientists and planning practitioners is not as direct and seamless as required by the situation.
This study’s conclusions, based on a review of planning documents and mitigation programs, and several interviews of practitioners and environmental scientists, contend that collaborative efforts are undermined by public expectations and demands of decision-makers, and by economic interests with a stake in continuing the present trend of development. This is evidenced by statements of firefighting officials and emergency response spending allocations, and by successful campaigns against sustainability initiatives aimed at curbing development in the Wildland-Urban Interface. 
Furthermore, the fragmented and compartmentalized structures of both the scientific community and governing institutions contribute to the dysfunctional, ineffective communication between the two communities. While the inherent heterogeneity of the scientific community promotes continued study of the factors that enabled massive wildfires to occur in 2003 and 2007, it has also delayed a consensus to emerge on the proper land management practices for the region. This means that a clear set of unequivocal recommendations have not been communicated to decision-makers who are, in turn, less likely to develop appropriate action plans. The contents of programs that have been proposed and implemented, including the General Plan Update, and Memorandum of Understanding between CAL Fire and the California Department of Insurance, among others, suggest that while the will to create sustainable changes exists, the necessary collaboration to effect those changes is rare, and requires creative approaches to overcome the multitude of opposing forces.

The Correlations between Traffic Management Systems and, Community Demographics
By: Omri Ben-Ari
This study outlines and examines the location and the placement of traffic management systems, specifically “Red-light Cameras” within the San Diego region in relation to racial, ethnic, and socio economic demographics. Current research on such traffic management systems suggest that cities may enact systems simply for their financial incentives, targeting communities that contain the most profitable demographics. This raises three fundamental problems: initially the municipalities true intentions that underline the implementation of these management systems, the repercussions of these systems on target demographics, and if these systems hold any positive effects on traffic management and safety beyond their potential for financial gain. This study outlines a research strategy aimed at addressing these three problems. Specifically, the study researches “Red Light” intersections within the San Diego region and examines demographic correlations within the sounding communities. The research contributes to the literature on public health and safety as well as social justice, environmental justice, and equality. The information presented within this study has been collected from a variety of sources, including but not limited to, scholarly writings, governmental statistical data, and interviews. This study finds that a strong correlation between community demographics and the implementation of traffic management systems exists. Although these correlations do exist, they are not exclusive and may hold the potential for alternative explanations.

Student Leader

• Emma Reed

Students

• Omri Ben-Ari
• William Godfrey

Mentors

• Julie Wartell

Key Terms

Earthquake preparedness, UCSD, sustainable development, suburban sprawl, social justice, municipal equality

References

California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (2004) ‘Testimony on the Cedar Fire, Blue Ribbon Fire Commission.’ http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/PDF/BluRibTuttle/$file/AT-TestimonyTuttle.pdf. January 17, 2010.
California Department of Insurance, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. (2007) ‘Memorandum of Understanding.’ http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0400-news/0100-press-releases/0060-2007/upload/Insurance_CDI_CALFIRE_MOU_091007TC.pdf. 15 February 2010.
Phillip Van Saun, Director of UCSD Continuity and Emergency Services. January 20, 2010
Calcote, Josh. (May 2006). Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. “Hurricane Katrina: A Nation Still Unprepared Executive Summary.” U.S. Senate, Washington D.C: 1-19.
Decker, Cathleen.  (January 17, 2010). “The Big One is inevitable. Catastrophe is not.” Los Angeles Times. Local.
Yang, David, and Najm Wassim. “Analysis of Red Light Violation Data Collected from Intersections Equipped with Red Light Photo Enforcement Cameras.” . National Traffic and Highway Safety Administration, March 2006. Nhtsa.gov (accessed October 6, 2009).
SANDAG. 2006 American Community Survey. Rep. no. 04. SANDAG, Dec. 2007. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.