A new rule calling for emissions reduction plans as part of highway projects has led to two canceled road expansions and a shift toward greener transportation investments.
A Colorado state policy enacted in 2021 requires the state’s Department of Transportation (CDOT) to demonstrate how any new proposed highway project would reduce greenhouse gas emissions to qualify for state funding.
In a piece on MSN, Leslie Satter explains how the policy has impacted road projects in the state. “Within a year, the department nixed two major highway widening projects and redirected $100 million to greener alternatives like better public transit. Regional planners in Denver followed suit, reallocating a whopping $900 million from highways to eco-friendly mobility projects, including bike lanes and faster buses, the Times reported.”
The new policy discourages highway expansions and “puts people and the planet before pavement,” forcing transportation planners to shift their priorities and plan for a more sustainable transportation system.
Opinion: California Must Walk the Walk on Transportation Emissions
While state leaders tout their climate goals at COP28, residents back home continue to fight highway expansion projects that induce traffic and increase emissions.
Report: Some Rural States Ahead of More Urbanized Ones in Reducing Transportation Emissions
This is a largely unintended consequence of states with lower populations and resources focusing on repairing existing roads and infrastructure rather than expanding and building new roads.
States Claim Highway Expansions Reduce Emissions
The argument is being used to channel climate funding to projects that expand automobile infrastructure, according to an analysis from Transportation for America.
How the Trump Presidency Could Impact Urban Planning
An analysis of potential changes in federal housing, transportation, and climate policies.
Research Affirms Safety of ‘Idaho Stop’
Allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs does not negatively impact safety and can help people on bikes more effectively navigate roadways.
NYC Congestion Pricing Reduced Traffic in its First Week
The program has taken tens of thousands of vehicles off the city’s roads in its first week.
Healing the Land: Collaborative Effort to Reclaim Orphan Well Sites
The Well Done Foundation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are partnering to plug over 110 orphan wells across four National Wildlife Refuges, restoring habitats, protecting ecosystems, and reducing methane emissions.
The Apartment Through History
The humble apartment, as a typology, has been with us for millennia.
San Francisco Reveals New Bike Plan
The draft plan targets improvements on 385 road segments.
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.
Placer County
Skagit Transit
Berkeley County
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
M-NCPPC Prince George's County Planning Department
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service