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Mobility: Population Density in Growth Areas

 
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Why is this a Climate Smart indicator? 

  • One of our Bold Goals is to develop 40,000 dwelling units in urban villages and focused growth areas by 2030.  

  • Homes in denser neighborhoods tend to use less energy and water. 

  • New homes in urban villages and growth areas will be located near transit and neighborhood amenities, making it easier for people to get around without driving. This would help reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. It would also reduce traffic, air and stormwater pollution and crashes. 

What is the City doing to make progress on this indicator? 

Completed 

  • Downtown West Mixed-Use Plan (approved 5/25/21) 

  • Seven Urban Village Plans (since 2018), with Capitol Caltrain Station Area Plan most recently approved (11/28/23.) The General Plan identifies Urban Villages within San José that focus on jobs and high-density growth to foster vibrant, walkable, bicycle-friendly, transit-oriented, mixed-use urban settings for new housing and job growth.

  • Parking and Transportation Demand Management Ordinance update to eliminate parking minimums, making it easier for developers to build new housing (adopted 12/6/22, effective 4/10/23) 

In Progress/Ongoing 

  • Development of three new Urban Village Plans (anticipated adoption Fall 2025 – Winter 2026): Five Wounds, Eastside Alum Rock, and Saratoga Avenue.

  • Implementation of the Envision San José 2040 General Plan, Downtown Strategy 2040 (adopted 12/18/18), Urban Village Plans, and Specific Plans.

  • Facilitate the development of Downtown West, a massive new mixed-use corporate campus within the Diridon Station Area 

Planning

  • Two new Urban Village Plans for South De Anza Blvd and South S Bascom Urban Village Areas

Evaluating 

  • Review Urban Village Planning process to streamline to reduce timeframe to complete

About the data 

Sources 

 Data on number of housing units in Urban Villages and Growth Areas, and the year that each unit was built, are from the City of San José’s Housing Site Explorer. These data come from the Santa Clara County Tax Assessor’s Office. Population density in Urban Villages and Growth Areas in each year was estimated by multiplying the number of housing units existing in Urban Villages and Growth Areas in that year by the average household size in San José in that year from the California Department of Finance’s Demographics Unit (Table E-5), and dividing by the total area of Urban Villages and Growth Areas within the city boundary (30.38 square miles). 

Limitations  

The County Tax Assessor dataset is missing some needed data for a small percentage of properties. These properties were excluded. 

We do not have data on average household size specifically in San José’s Urban Villages and Growth Areas. 

Last updated  

July 2025