Americans are driving slightly less due to high prices at the pump, but this reduction in driving is only making a small impact on overall U.S. carbon emissions.
“Gas prices in much of the United States shot past the $5 a gallon mark last month before a slight drop, and Americans have responded by driving a bit less, two sets of data show. June gas sales are about 5% below pre-pandemic 2019 levels and 2.6% below a year ago, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.” Yet, according to an article by Seth Borenstein and Tom Krisher in the Denver Post, “a 6% drop in driving roughly translates to only a 1% drop in overall U.S. carbon emissions, [former University of Michigan professor Michael] Sivak said.”
The article notes that “High gas prices are ‘unequivocally’ good for fighting climate change because people use less fossil fuel and emissions go down, but the poorest people, who don’t have other options also ‘suffer the most,’ said climate economist Solomon Hsiang, director of the Climate Impact Lab at the University of California, Berkeley.” Advocates for higher gas taxes say that while higher gas prices are necessary, the government could provide financial assistance to low-income families without subsidizing driving.
“Biden has frequently said he doesn’t want high gas prices, attacked oil companies’ multi-billion dollar profits, proposed new offshore oil and gas drilling despite campaign promises and proposed a gas tax holiday, which congressional leaders said won’t fly.”
FULL STORY: Higher gas prices hurt pockets, make small dent in emissions
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
Fair Housing Cannot Take a Back Seat to ‘Build, Baby, Build’
If we overlook fair housing principles in the plan to build US housing back better, we risk ending up right back where we started.
LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
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Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
City planners say the new rules would ensure an efficient distribution of charging infrastructure across the city and prevent an overconcentration in residential areas.
Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
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
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
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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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