Driving and the Built Environment The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298 (2009) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 15-30
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From page 15... ...
For all the mobility it has provided, automobile transportation has also helped make the nation dependent upon petroleum, with associated adverse health effects of vehicular emissions, dependence on imports, and increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
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From page 16... ...
An additional factor, although less newsworthy, is the health risks resulting from transportation emissions and the difficulty being experienced by many regions in meeting federal clean air standards. At the same time, changing demographics -- an aging population, continued immigration -- and the possibility of sustained higher energy prices should lead to more opportunities for the kinds of development patterns that could reduce vehicular travel, thereby saving energy and reducing CO2 emissions.
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From page 17... ...
, calls for consideration of four topics: • The correlation, if any, between land development patterns and increases in VMT. • An assessment of whether petroleum use in the transportation sector can be reduced through changes in the design of development patterns.
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From page 18... ...
an estimate of the potential energy savings and reductions in CO2 emissions resulting from land use policies that reduce VMT. The study is focused on land development patterns and motor vehicle travel in metropolitan areas of the United States, where more compact development would have the greatest effect.
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From page 19... ...
Bureau of the Census 2008, Table 2, for population; NRCS, various years, for developed land; BEA 2009, Table 2-1, for real disposable personal income. trends in vmt growth For several decades, passenger vehicle travel on U.S.
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From page 20... ...
The effects of higher income on highway passenger vehicle travel are manifested in higher levels of automobile ownership and growth in the proportion of households owning multiple vehicles; these trends in turn not only increase trips and travel but also reduce the number of trips made by transit or walking and increase the number of discretionary trips (Memmott 2007) .7 Another plausible explanation for the high rate of growth of VMT during this period is the higher proportion of the driving-age population that became licensed as women completed their entry into the labor force.
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From page 21... ...
Each of these different development patterns and their locations in a region help determine the length and frequency of trips and the mode of travel employed. development strategies to curb vmt growth History and Measurement of Land Development Patterns Current land development patterns, frequently referred to as the built environment, have evolved over many decades, if not generations.10 The growth of U.S.
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2002) .12 Since the 1960s, at least two waves of planning reform have elevated land development patterns to national prominence.
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Responding to the need for clarity, academic observers began to sharpen measures to distinguish the real effects (and causes) of a variety of land development patterns.
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From page 24... ...
Two other characteristics measure how transportation networks interact with development patterns to affect accessibility. Destination accessibility measures the ease or convenience of trip destinations relative to point of origin and is often measured at the regional level in terms of distance relative to the central business district or other major centers (Ewing and Cervero 2001)
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From page 25... ...
The Broader Context The topics of sprawl and compact, mixed-use development are often contentious.14 Proponents of more compact development see various possible benefits from future land use patterns that concentrate more housing and employment on less acreage. More compact development reduces distances between origins and destinations, thereby reducing trip lengths and VMT.15 To the extent that more compact development encourages transit and nonmotorized travel, it may also reduce congestion and air pollution.
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From page 26... ...
This report focuses mainly on the effects of compact development on VMT, energy use, and CO2 emissions, although the wider benefits and costs are also noted. Those seeking to address energy and climate change issues through land development strategies aimed at reducing VMT must also confront certain realities about the length of time necessary to affect VMT through changes in the built environment and the difficulties of making a substantial dent in petroleum imports in the near term.
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From page 27... ...
organization of the report The next two chapters are focused on the potential effects of land development policies on VMT -- the first part of the committee's charge. Chapter 2 describes trends in land development at the national and metropolitan area scales and also within metropolitan areas, particularly changes in population and employment densities and their implications for travel.
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From page 28... ...
It examines the plausibility of reaching the development densities implicit in these scenarios, an area of disagreement among committee members. The chapter also considers other closely related benefits of more compact development, such as improved residential energy efficiency from increasing multifamily housing units or developing housing on smaller lots, as well as the costs of compact development.
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From page 29... ...
2001. Travel and the Built Environment: A Synthesis.
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From page 30... ...
2007. Trends in Personal Income and Passenger Vehicle Miles.
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