Decisions made at the local level can have a significant impact on emissions in the transportation sector.
In an article in Governing, Laurie Mazur describes how some U.S. cities are successfully cutting transportation emissions and the lessons they can teach other cities.
Mazur points out the ways that local governments can impact transportation emissions. “It is municipalities, for example, that determine the location of jobs and housing, and therefore the length of commutes, through zoning laws and other land-use regulations. Longer, more-car-dependent commutes mean more climate-changing emissions.”
The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy's (ACEEE) 2024 City Clean Energy Scorecard reveals that 31 of 75 cities studied have targeted emissions reduction goals. Of these, “San Francisco took the top spot in the ACEEE scorecard for transportation, winning points for its excellent transit service, bike network and numerous EV charging stations. The city’s transit agency and central school district are also working to electrify their bus fleets.”
Other top cities include Portland, Oregon, and Oakland, California, both of which have made concerted efforts to promote affordable housing production near transit.
The report highlights the tools that seem to lead to success: making plans and setting targets; zoning changes that seek to reverse sprawl and improve walkability; investment in alternative transportation options; adoption of more efficient vehicles in city fleets and city-sponsored rebates for e-bikes and electric cars; and more efficient freight systems.
FULL STORY: Some Cities Are Actually Cutting Transportation Emissions. Here’s How.
The Path to Hyperdensity
The federal government has an opportunity to make a generational investment in the country's infrastructure that could fundamentally shift the way we live and move around cities.
To Fight Climate Change, Support Public Transit
Electric cars may garner a lot of attention these days, but significantly reducing carbon emissions and urban congestion means investing in high-quality mass transit.
Opinion: California’s SB 79 Would Improve Housing Affordability and Transit Access
A proposed bill would legalize transit-oriented development statewide.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico
A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.
Guerilla urbanists are building DIY bus stop benches in Chicago
A before-and-after of one of the bus stops with a new bench. The new benches are not officially sanctioned or permitted, but the residents who placed them hope they will be the start of a network of DIY benches across the city.
Mamdani overhauls NYC's Vision Zero plan with 100 new policy goals
The overhaul aims to reduce traffic deaths and make streets safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers through lower speed limits, new safety infrastructure and more.
Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds
A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association