The San Diego region got a mixed reviews in an annual report that measures how the region is doing. The Equinox Quality of Life Dashboard is designed to help policy makers be better managers by giving them relevant information.
The dashboard looks at a lot of different things that all help determine San Diego’s quality of life.
Kristen Victor, chief executive officer of Sustainability Matters, said the region performed pretty well in three areas.
“Our economics, our energy and our water use,” Victor said. The economy is growing and the jobless rate is the lowest in the state. Water use decreased by 14 percent within the region and rooftop solar has increased 75 percent in the commercial sector and 36 percent in the residential sector, according to the dashboard.
The report found little change in air quality, the border region, or on climate change issues.
But the survey did find that the region struggles with affordable housing, waste management and water quality.
Transportation is another issue that could be handled better locally, according to the report.
San Diego City Councilman David Alvarez said major planning efforts designed to fix local transportation infrastructure fall short.
“I don’t think we do enough,” Alvarez said. “And what is considered the biggest initiative, the quality of life measure from SANDAG, I think it falls short on that so I think that is what’s going to leave us in a weaker position going into the future if we don’t address that.”
The Equinox Project’s Quality of Life Dashboard is intended to be a snapshot of the near past and a planning tool for the future.
