The two states both approved measures that will set VMT reduction goals and create enforcement mechanisms to promote more climate-friendly policies.

Minnesota and California both recently made decisions that will help their states meet the goal of reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT), reports Rayla Bellis in SSTI. Minnesota's Department of Transportation (MnDOT) "made a highly anticipated decision to adopt a number of recommendations from the state’s Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council (STAC) made in December 2020, including setting a preliminary statewide goal for a 20% VMT reduction statewide and per capita by 2050," with the final figure to be determined after a public input process. "MnDOT also plans to develop an approach for estimating program and project VMT outcomes by assessing both induced demand from adding lanes and reduced demand from increasing walking access, as well as evaluating the accuracy of travel demand forecasting methods."
On the West Coast, the California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) released a draft of its Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure (CAPTI). The draft "comprises 28 action items, intended to 'help advance a slate of projects that meet climate goals, ensure that these projects are prioritized for state funding, and promote project construction and operations that minimize emission and impacts from climate change.'" In addition to meeting climate goals, CAPTI "also seeks to address the transportation system’s entrenched inequities, such as pollutants that disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities" through a stronger emphasis on equity and a new equity assessment tool.
FULL STORY: Minnesota and California move toward reducing VMT to address climate change

The California High-Speed Rail Project Illustrates America’s Transit Issues
Slow progress and a bloated budget have plagued the High-Speed Rail project linking San Francisco to Los Angeles, exposing deeper issues with American transit projects.

What Role Does Health Care Play in Community Development?
Cities are economically diverse and require accessible health care systems, but this can be challenging to implement. Urban developers are working alongside health professionals to create affordable care for city residents.

Density and Driving: A Second Look
A common argument against more compact housing is that increased population density will only reduce vehicle miles traveled at moderate levels of density, as opposed to very low-density and very high-density areas. But this might not be so.

Zoning Reform Works, but Is No Magic Bullet
Improving housing affordability and boosting housing production requires more than just eliminating single-family zoning.

Feds to Award $13 Million for Transit Oriented Development Planning
A newly bolstered competitive grant program administered by the Federal Transit Administration has announced a new round of funding.

Bay Area Transit Stations To Feature Local Writers
A contest in the San Francisco Bay Area will select 30 short stories that will be available at special vending kiosks at transit stations.
Piedmont Environmental Council
City of Oakland, California
Marin Transit
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of San Carlos
City of Redwood City
City of Hot Springs
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.
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This course aims to provide an introduction into Urban Design Sketching focused on how to hand draw master plans using a mix of colored markers.