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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6 Recommendations
6 Recommendations
Pages 200-207
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From page 200... ...
In response to its charge, the study committee reviewed the literature to determine what is known about the relationship between development patterns and VMT, commissioned papers to address topics that were not well covered in the literature, and developed its own scenarios to quantify the potential magnitude of VMT reductions and associated savings in energy use and CO2 emissions. policy recommendation Recommendation 1: Policies that support more compact, mixed use development and reinforce its ability to reduce VMT, energy use, and CO2 emissions should be encouraged.
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From page 201... ...
Nevertheless, climate change is a problem that is likely to be more easily dealt with sooner rather than later, and more energy-efficient development patterns may have to be part of the strategy if the nation sets ambitious goals to move toward greater energy efficiency and reduced production of greenhouse gases. Compact, mixed-use development also promises additional benefits in the form of increased energy efficiency of residential buildings and reduced pressure for highway construction thanks to lower growth in VMT, among other benefits.
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From page 202... ...
But given that the full energy and emissions benefits of land use changes take decades to realize, and current development patterns take years to reverse, it is important to start implementing these policies soon. research recommendation The committee was often stymied in its effort to identify causal linkages between land development patterns and VMT and to quantify the magnitude of effects on energy use and CO2 emissions.
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From page 203... ...
Strictly speaking, however, establishing causal relationships requires a longitudinal approach that typically involves collecting panel data and following households over time to determine how a change in the built environment can lead to a change in preferences and travel behavior in the long run. Such research is time-consuming and expensive -- several decades of data are probably needed to observe changes in the built environment -- hence the need for sustained federal research support to collect the appropriate panel data.
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From page 204... ...
Changes in the spatial distribution of employment within metropolitan areas and the development of new agglomerations or suburban employment centers are difficult to identify directly with current data sources. The mechanisms by which more compact, mixed-use development could affect truck travel and logistics patterns in metropolitan areas are also poorly understood.
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From page 205... ...
That legislation promotes sustainable community strategies, that is, more compact land use patterns coupled with transit investments, with the objective of reducing automobile trip lengths by bringing people closer to destinations and providing alternative transportation modes. State air pollution regulators have been charged to work with metropolitan planning organizations to develop emissions reduction targets.
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From page 206... ...
Part of the difficulty of estimating reductions in VMT, energy use, and CO2 emissions from more compact development stems from the uncertainties involved in forecasting the residential location preferences and travel patterns of the population by 2050. For example, the baby boom generation will begin to sell off its large supply of low-density suburban housing within the next decade, but how will they downsize -- to smaller-lot single-family units in suburban retirement communities or to apartments in more central walkable locations?
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From page 207... ...
In Transportation Research Record 1466, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C., pp.
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