The city saw a 13 percent drop in miles driven per capita in the last five years.
San Francisco is one of the few U.S. cities to reduce its vehicle miles driven (VMT) per capita, according to a StreetLight Data report, which calls the city the “best-performing metro for congestion reduction.” Los Angeles also saw a similar reduction in VMT per capita.
The drop could result from a combination of the high prevalence of remote knowledge-based jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area and broader policy efforts on the part of state and local governments.
Skip Descant, writing in GovTech, explains that California officials consider the impact on VMT when reviewing permits for new developments. According to Laura Rubio-Cornejo, general manager of the Los Angeles Department of Transportation, “any conditions we place on developments are really geared toward improving that type of [walkable, bikeable, transit-oriented] environment. I think that is going to be a big game changer.”
Read the full story: San Francisco Shows Signs of Reduced Vehicle Use, Congestion
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
California city breaks ground on transit connector
The project includes three mobility hubs and a pedestrian bridge.
After public outcry, Massachusetts city releases housing development tracker
Cambridge’s tracker currently shows 250 housing projects in various stages of development.
40 years after approval, Chicago breaks ground on new park
The park honors Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, the city’s first permanent non-native settler.
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.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority