Analysis: San Diego Quality of Life

We’re paying too much to keep roofs over our heads, our daily commute to work is too long, and we’re filling our trash cans with too much garbage. 

That’s according to regional data in the 2012 San Diego Regional Quality of Life Dashboard, which was released yesterday by the Equinox Center, a non-partisan research group based in Encinitas.

Not all the findings were cause for concern, however. It turns out we’re also trailblazers when it comes to exploring alternative energy sources and preparing for climate change. 

The point of the Dashboard is to educate the public, and spark community dialogue — a conversation that is especially important as we head into election season, said Equinox Center Executive Director Ann Tartre in a news release.

“While our job growth is improving, more than half of all San Diego County households are reeling as our region’s cost of living continues to soar, and we face some of the greatest transportation and traffic challenges in California. Where is the public dialogue about these issues? What do our candidates and elected officials have to say about them? The Dashboard is a tool to ignite that conversation.” 

The full report is available online, and below is a rundown of some of the key findings for the San Diego region.

• Cost of Living: A majority of San Diegans spend more than a third of their income on their rent or mortgage —money that could perhaps be used to bolster local economies instead. “A high cost of living also deters businesses and top talent — especially young professionals — from locating in the region,” said Trevor Callan, Equinox Center board chairman and CEO of Callan Capital in a news release.
• Transportation: At more than 14 highway vehicle miles traveled per person per day, San Diego County outranks all the other counties in California. That level of traffic is bad for our air quality and public health.  
• Waste: The average San Diegan is creating more than 6 pounds of trash every day — that’s enough for every single person’s trash to fill a city bus in one year. The region had seen a decline in that level of waste of for four years, but we’ve now reversed that trend and are outpacing Los Angeles County. 
• Climate Change and Renewable Energy: The number of unhealthy air quality days in San Diego County was at its lowest in 10 years, and water consumption was down 7 percent from the prior year. The “clean-tech” industry also provides more than 10,000 jobs and $2.25 billion in economic activity annually to the region.

Equinox also did a side-by-side comparison of all the cities and unincorporated areas of the county, which is complied into a list of 19 communities. Those 19 communities were ranked based on several areas. You can review that comparison online, and below is a glimpse of how the City of San Diego fared:

• Affordable Housing: Only National City, San Marcos and Carlsbad ranked higher in affordable housing in our community. Equinox examined the number of affordable housing units per 1,000 households and found that in the San Diego region, San Diego ranks No. 4.
• Transportation: When it comes to vehicle miles traveled, San Diegans top the list. San Diegans drove more miles than the residents of the 17 other cities and the unincorporated areas of San Diego County. 
• Renewable Energy: Equinox examined which areas of the county had the highest number of solar installations and found that San Diego increased its kilowatt hours of solar installed per 100 residents by 45 percent in 2011. 
• Waste Disposal: When it comes to communities with the lowest level of waste per capita, San Diego was the middle of the pack. 
• Action on Climate Change: An updated county-wide inventory of GHG emissions has not been available since 2008, but that report showed the county’s per capita emissions being nearly 15 percent below the state average, according to Equinox. The City of San Diego had the third highest GHG emissions only behind Del Mar and Solana Beach.

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