California's Office of Planning & Research has been tasked with moving environmental analysis away from standards based solely on level of service. The agency has released its preliminary evaluation of alternative methods of transportation analysis.
One of the most promising elements for promoting sustainable urban development in California to come out of last year's legislative session was a CEQA reform bill that moved environmental impact analysis away from standards based solely on traffic delay.
"Following up on the passage of SB 743, the Governor’s Office of Planning & Research [OPR] is considering a variety of alternatives to vehicle 'level of service' under CEQA, including vehicle miles traveled, auto trips generated, and multi-modal level of service," writes the California Planning & Development Report.
In a preliminary paper [PDF] released last week for public review, OPR looked at the problems with LOS and the prospects for utilizing alternative transportation criteria and metrics that “promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses,” in addition to several other criteria.
FULL STORY: OPR Takes On Level of Service
The Many Benefits of 'Level of Service' Reform
A long read by Eric Jaffe serves as a primer on the "Level of Service" (LOS) requirement in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as well as predicting the large impact of LOS reform on planning in the state and around the country.
Experts Weigh in on Decision to Move California to VMT as Metric for Impacts
In a significant effort to shift from sprawl toward incentivizing low-carbon transportation options, California is revising the way it measures traffic impacts of development projects under its Environmental Quality Act.
CEQA Reform: The Public Health Community Is Cheering Too
An op-ed describing the public health benefits of CEQA reform and urging California's leaders to finalize the end of "Level of Service" as a measure of project impacts.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Map: Where Senate Republicans Want to Sell Your Public Lands
For public land advocates, the Senate Republicans’ proposal to sell millions of acres of public land in the West is “the biggest fight of their careers.”
Restaurant Patios Were a Pandemic Win — Why Were They so Hard to Keep?
Social distancing requirements and changes in travel patterns prompted cities to pilot new uses for street and sidewalk space. Then it got complicated.
DC Area County Eliminates Bus Fares
Montgomery County joins a growing trend of making transit free.
Platform Pilsner: Vancouver Transit Agency Releases... a Beer?
TransLink will receive a portion of every sale of the four-pack.
Toronto Weighs Cheaper Transit, Parking Hikes for Major Events
Special event rates would take effect during large festivals, sports games and concerts to ‘discourage driving, manage congestion and free up space for transit.”
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
Custer County Colorado
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)