Air Quality Rules May Hinder Densification

New air quality guidelines aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of new housing developments may turn out to hinder the approval of dense projects in California.

1 minute read

December 28, 2009, 2:00 PM PST

By Nate Berg


"That would run counter to the notion that builders should be given incentives to shift future population growth from the car-dependent outer suburbs to places where public services are already available and public transit is a more viable option to get people out of their cars.

The proposed guidelines were drafted by the staff at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. The district has long been the region's smog-fighting regulatory agency, but it is now proposing for the first time to limit the heat-trapping gases believed to contribute to global warming."

Saturday, December 26, 2009 in The New York Times

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