Description: This layer identifies 2020 U.S. Census tracts within the City of San José that are either (1) designated by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) as Priority Neighborhood Decarbonization Zones (PNDZs) under Senate Bill (SB) 1221 or (2) submitted by the City of San José for consideration as future Priority Neighborhood Decarbonization Zones. The layer is intended to support planning and coordination activities related to SB 1221 neighborhood decarbonization pilot projects.1221 (2024) directs the CPUC to establish a voluntary Neighborhood Decarbonization Pilot Program that allows natural gas utilities to replace aging natural gas infrastructure with cost-effective, zero-emission alternatives such as building electrification in targeted geographic areas. Priority Neighborhood Decarbonization Zones are census tracts identified by the CPUC where pilot projects may be considered; however, designation as a priority zone does not guarantee that a pilot project will occur. Pilot projects are expected to be substantially smaller than the designated census tracts and must satisfy additional statutory and CPUC requirements, including community outreach, cost-effectiveness, utility coordination, and property owner consent.The SB1221 Status field will show one of the following three values: ▪ PNZ: Represent tracts that have been designated by the CPUC as official priority neighborhood decarbonization zones (PNDZs.) ▪ Pending: Represent tracts nominated by the City of San José and have not been designated by the CPUC unless otherwise indicated in the layer attributes. ▪ No Value: Represent tracts that are not currently designated as PNDZs nor have been nominated by the City of San José for PNDZ designation.Important considerations: ▪ A census tract's inclusion in this layer does not indicate that a pilot project has been approved or will be implemented. ▪ Designated Priority Neighborhood Decarbonization Zones are planning areas only; any eventual pilot project is expected to encompass only a portion of a designated tract. ▪ The CPUC may update the list of Priority Neighborhood Decarbonization Zones over time; users should verify current designations against the latest CPUC SB 1221 implementation materials before relying on this dataset for regulatory or programmatic decisions.Sources: City of San José; California Public Utilities Commission SB 1221 Implementation Program (Priority Neighborhood Decarbonization Zones); 2020 U.S. Census.
Copyright Text: Department of Public Works, Department of Energy
Description: This layer displays estimated Urban Heat Island (UHI) intensity at the 2020 U.S. Census tract level using data published by Climate Central as part of its 2023 Urban Heat Hot Spots analysis. The dataset estimates the additional air temperature attributable to the urban built environment relative to surrounding less-developed areas. The UHI values represent the estimated increase in local temperature caused by land cover and characteristics of the built environment rather than ambient weather or regional climate conditions.The underlying Climate Central analysis adapted the modeling approach developed by Sangiorgio et al. (2020) to estimate urban heat island intensity for individual census tracts. Model inputs include land cover characteristics (e.g., impervious surfaces, vegetation, and other natural and built land cover classes), building characteristics, and population density. The factors with the greatest influence on estimated UHI intensity are surface albedo (reflectivity), percentage of green space, and population density. The resulting UHI values estimate how much warmer a census tract is because of its built environment. For example, a census tract with a UHI value of 8°F is estimated to experience temperatures approximately 8°F warmer than they would be in the absence of the local urban heat island effect.Important Considerations ▪ UHI values are modeled estimates, not direct temperature measurements. ▪ Values represent the additional heat attributable to the built environment, independent of daily weather conditions. ▪ Estimates are based on analyses published by Climate Central in 2023 and reflect land cover and built environment characteristics used in that analysis. ▪ Census tract values should be interpreted as average conditions across an entire tract; localized hot or cool spots within a tract are not represented. ▪ The dataset should be used in conjunction with other heat vulnerability indicators (e.g., tree canopy, socioeconomic characteristics, health vulnerability, cooling access, or heat illness data) when prioritizing investments or evaluating community heat riskSource: Climate Central. Urban Heat Hot Spots (2023). Climate Matters, July 26, 2023. Available at: https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/urban-heat-islands-2023"
Copyright Text: Department of Public Works, Department of Energy
Description: These areas represent the 25% highest scoring census tracts in CalEnviroScreen 4.0, census tracts previously identified in the top 25% in CalEnviroScreen 3.0, census tracts with high amounts of pollution and low populations, and federally recognized tribal areasas identified by the Census in the 2021 American Indian Areas Related National Geodatabase. More information is available at https://calepa.ca.gov/EnvJustice/GHGInvest/. This data is updated as needed.