Environmentalists in Berkeley and Oakland are realizing that the inner-city development they protested in the past is actually more eco-friendly than the alternative.
The East Bay Area is a bastion of environmental groups and green consciousness. But until recently, many of the same groups protecting the environment were protesting new home construction, especially apartments and condominiums. The East Bay Weekly explains how the definition of "eco-friendly" is changing in California.
"Environmentalists who think globally say suburban sprawl and the destruction of rural farmland must stop. Indeed, the threat of the coming global warming crisis makes the growth of urban areas an imperative. And some activists who have fought developers for years are now embracing them and calling for so-called "smart growth" or "infill development" - dense urban housing near mass transit. And they note that downtown Berkeley and Oakland, along with the major transportation corridors between the two cities, are nearly perfect for transit-oriented development."
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