Message to Candidates: Don't Forget Car Dependence When Tackling Fossil Fuels

Car dependence will have to end for the most ambitious climate plans put forward by Democratic candidates for president to have the desired effect.

1 minute read

August 29, 2019, 7:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Presidential Campaign

Rachael Warriner / Shutterstock

Bernie Sanders, senator from Vermont and Democratic presidential candidate, devotes an entire section of a new climate plan to transportation, calling for total decarbonization of the transportation sector by 2030. But it's not enough, according to an article by Alissa Walker.

The problem, according to Walker, is in the plan's car-centric nature.

Sanders’s plan is still almost all about cars, even if they are electric. His proposals won’t erase commutes and congestion. And more livable, connected, and vibrant communities certainly won’t be created by offering incentives to buy plug-in vehicles and building more places to plug them in. This plan to comprehensively electrify America’s cars will use up almost one-fifth of the entire Green New Deal budget, more than what’s allotted to build a nationwide renewable energy grid and storage system—and much of that capacity would go toward powering all the EVs.

In effect, Walker is calling for progressive transportation policy to move beyond tackling fossil fuel dependence to also tackle car dependence.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019 in Curbed

Aerial view of snowy single-family homes in suburban Long Island, New York

New York Governor Advances Housing Plan Amid Stiff Suburban Opposition

Governor Kathy Hochul’s ambitious proposal to create more housing has once again run into a brick wall of opposition in New York’s enormous suburbs, especially on Long Island. This year, however, the wall may have some cracks.

March 20, 2023 - Mark H. McNulty

Large historic homes and white picket fences line a street.

The End of Single-Family Zoning in Arlington County, Virginia

Arlington County is the latest jurisdiction in the country to effectively end single-family zoning.

March 23, 2023 - The Washington Post

Dilapidated vacant wood slat house painted white in Louisiana

The Quiet Housing Crisis in Rural America

While housing shortages in major cities are grabbing headlines, rural communities are seeing higher rates of growth in housing prices and a silently spreading homelessness crisis.

March 20, 2023 - The Daily Yonder

Aerial view of desalination plant in Carlsbad, California

Federal Loan to Support San Diego Desalination Plant Overhaul

The financing will go toward funding an updated cooling system and ensuring the protection of local marine life.

March 28 - The San Diego Union-Tribune

Buses in downtown Seattle on the dedicated 3rd Avenue bus lanes

Seattle Bus Lane Cameras Capture Over 100,000 Violations

An automated traffic enforcement pilot program caught drivers illegally using transit lanes more than 110,000 times in less than a year.

March 28 - Axios

People walking on the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain

The Joy of Walking

An essay meditating on the simple pleasures of a good walk.

March 28 - The New York Times

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

HUD’s 2023 Innovative Housing Showcase

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

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.