A Sustainable Focus on the San Antonio Comprehensive Plan With Resilient Development of the Brooks Regional Center

The City of San Antonio, Texas, has seen rapid transformation and growth in population over the last ten years leading to an increase in development. The population in the city is projected to grow by over one million residents by the year 2040. Impervious cover such as roadways, sidewalks, parking lots, and rooftops have shown to negatively impact the quality of life in an area. This impact is caused by the loss of tree canopy, the natural areas, and open space, which impacts outdoor recreation. Increased impervious cover reduces walkability, outdoor recreation, causes impairments in air quality, increases the heat island effect, and increases stormwater runoff. According to the National Land Cover Data developed by the United States Geological Service, the City of San Antonio already has almost 80% of its land cover as impervious surface area.

Several cities have one central downtown with a number of additional scattered employment centers. The San Antonio Tomorrow Plan has identified 13 of these downtown-like areas, one being the Brooks Regional Center. This study will evaluate how sustainable development can occur in the Brooks Regional Center growth zone without compromising future development and while improving the quality of life. The study will identify how a community can be planned using Green Infrastructure, Low Impact Development Best Management Practices, Green Complete Streets, and Smart Growth Principles to develop a place where people want to live, work, and play.