Possible Phasing of Ecocity such as Califia

I would suggest also a plan that is scalable as well as replicable regionally and globally. The land plan should be integral with a comprehensive development plan so that the Ecocity is completed in phases.

• Phase 1 - Proof fo concept phase possibly with integrated biosystem offering a integrated model of sustainable development that is agricultural and farming oriented. (50 people 1-5 million dollars).
• Phase II - Add retail and additional residential units (250 people 10-15 million dollars).
• Phase III - Full scale roll out. purchase additional land and complete master plan for Califia allowing for plenty of infill opportunities begin contruction on community Ecocity nodes (250-1000 people)and install primary infrastructure for later phases of Ecocity (500-2000 people 50-100 million dollars).
• Phase IV - Construct light rail or maglev system to connect Ecocity to BART network as part of public private partnership to promote sustainable Bay Area development. Develop highline features of main Ecocity settlement including flagship hotel, conventional center and research facility to promote sustainable development using, promoting and developing state of the art technologies. (2000- 5000 people 500 million dollars).
• Phase V - Complete several large eco-industrial and office parks located close to population centres on property so as to minimize energy expended on transport. Design the industrial and commmercial centres so that they not only provide net inflow of workers but also produce surplus energy and value added products that use novel processes and technologies to convert waste into energy and resources. Complete of phase V also include expansion of the mass transit link beyond Califia as part of Transit Oriented Development strategy that minimizes ecological impacts by designing energy and resource efficient built environments around sustainable transportation systems (10000 people 1-2 billion dollars).

Possible Initial Development Strategy

Initially, we might consider a situation where land can be purchased - a small parcel with an option to buy a larger amount later, once the project takes off and/or gets adequate funding. Land investments to support Califia's development should be not only related to real estate values but the actual productive value of that property as distinct economic entity promoting innovative practices of sustainable development that have tangible economic value both at the local and global levels.

Location Considerations

The actual location needs to considered more. Urban infill development is the ideal, but the current political and regulatory environment in the Bay Area and to be fair much of the US makes any large scale project to be rapidly developed as is the case with the conversion of Treasure Island to basically an ecocity. For this reason, locating the initial Califia project in a transitional exurban zone such as Sunol, Santa Cruz county or Sonoma might be more ideal.

The Importance of Bioregionalism

The land plan should regardless of location include provisions for consideration of bioregional wildlife corrodors (such as put forward by the Wildlands Project) as well as land use policies that are consistent with that bioregion. The idea of Bioregionalism is basically the development of political administrative boundaries and goverance policies that affirm the cultural heritage and ecological characteristics of the region. Many if not most modern political entities function which as "armies of occupation" over the indigenous social, cultural and ecological characteristics of that particular region. It is worth noting that the Bay Area actually has several bioregions that are distinct from each other - Jeff Buderer.