San Antonio's soon-to-be-adopted air quality plan will focus on transportation to reduce the city's air pollution.
Scott Huddleston reports that the San Antonio City Council "is moving toward adopting an air quality plan in November that includes measures the city has studied for years, including anti-idling restrictions for cars, trucks and train engines" in response to a report finding the second worse air quality in the state for the past three years. Only Dallas-Fort Worth rated worse.
"Under methods applied by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, San Antonio had a three-year average for ozone of 80 parts per billion, compared with 81 ppb in the Dallas area and 80 in Houston — the other Texas city in noncompliance," adds Huddleston.
San Antonio has a recorded value of 74 ppb, just below the current EPA standard of 75 ppb, during the 2015 ozone season. The EPA is expected to adopt a more stringent standard of 60 to 70 ppb as early as October, when the 2015 season ends.
In addition to the details about the current ratings of San Antonio, in context with the other major Texas metropolitan areas, Huddleston also provides more details about the city's air quality plan:
"In preparing its air quality plan, the city has worked with Environ, a consultant contracted by the TCEQ. The city estimates San Antonio can eliminate 354 tons annually of nitrogen oxides, a key culprit in smog formation, through local transportation strategies that encourage car-pooling, bicycling, bus transit and other commuter habits that reduce exhausts."
FULL STORY: ‘Sense of urgency’ noted on air quality
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.