We Need to Expand Al Gore's Vision

by: commonweal

Mon Jul 21, 2008 at 10:42:43 AM EDT

My only quibble with Mr. Gore's speech, however, is that he said little about transportation and land use policies.  Less auto-dependent development is key if we are to mitigate climate change.  Since 1980, the number of miles Americans drive has grown three times faster than population, and almost twice as fast as vehicle registrations. Sprawling development is a key factor for this rate of growth.  As the 2007 publication Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change by the Urban Land Institute warns,

if sprawling development continues to fuel growth in driving, the projected 48 percent increase in the total miles driven between 2005 and 2030 will overwhelm expected gains from vehicle efficiency and low-carbon fuels. Even if the most stringent fuel-efficiency proposals under consideration are enacted, notes co-author Steve Winkelman, "vehicle emissions still would be 34 percent above 1990 levels in 2030 - entirely off-track from reductions of 60-80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050 required for climate protection."

Depending on several factors, from mix of land uses to pedestrian-friendly design, compact development reduces driving from 20 to 40 percent, and more in some instances.  According to the authors, shifting 60 percent of new growth to compact patterns would save 79 million tons of CO2 annually by 2030. The savings over that period equate to a 28 percent increase in federal vehicle efficiency standards by 2020 (to 32 mpg), comparable to proposals now being debated in Congress.

And speaking of Congress, 41 members of that illustrious body recently wrote a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging Congress to address transportation issues in forthcoming legislation on climate change.  Authored by Ellen Tauscher (D, CA-10) and Earl "the Bike" Blumenauer (D, OR-03, the letter noted that

surface transportation produces one-third of the United States' greenhouse gases, and sixty percent of these emissions come from personal vehicle use. Last year, Congress demonstrated leadership on climate change by raising CAFE standards to thirty-five miles per gallon by 2020. However, recent studies suggest that the expected increase in Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMTs) will negate both higher CAFE standards and a reduction of carbon content in fuel. If VMTs are not reduced, transportation sector emissions will rise forty percent above 1990 levels by 2030.

Through climate change legislation, we believe that Congress should encourage greater use of VMT-reducing strategies, especially public transportation. Significant funds should be dedicated to increase public transit, intercity passenger rail, freight rail capacity, intelligent transportation systems, and bicycle and pedestrian alternatives. In addition, the legislation should encourage smart growth and transit-oriented development.

So let's add to Al Gore's vision:  comprehensive Smart Growth legislation in Connecticut within five years.  It will help save the environment, create jobs, and most importantly, ensure a healthy  and sustainable planet for the next generation.

H.R.6495

by: commonweal

Fri Jul 18, 2008 at 09:52:31 AM EDT

Increase Commuter Choices and Provide Funding to Become Less Oil-Dependent

•    Equalize the transportation fringe benefit so that those who commute by public transportation get as much as those who commute by driving.

•    Allow employees to cash-in their parking benefits to spend on other choices that better meet their needs.

•    Extend the same transportation fringe benefits to bike commuters as provided for those who commute by car or transit.

•    Extend transportation fringe benefits to individuals who are self-employed.

•    Create a tax credit for vanpool expenses and services for those who share their commutes.

•    Create a tax credit for qualified employers and employees who telecommute.

•    Provide commuters information on transportation choices, through educational programs such as Metro's "Drive Less, Save More" program; grants to support carpooling and vanpooling programs; informational websites and other materials.

Help Transit Agencies

•    Help transit agencies cope with rising fuel prices and increasing demand by providing federal funds for fare subsidies, service improvements, fuel purchases, and technology assistance.

•    Make it easier to get federal funding for streetcars by requiring the FTA to consider a Streetcar project's contributions to land use, density, economic development, and carbon emission reductions in considering it for federal funding.

Assist Communities

•    Double the authorized funding for the national Safe Routes to School program, to make it possible for more children to walk and bike to school safely; expand this program to include high schools.

•    Provide federal grants to improve communities' transportation choices, such as travel demand management strategies, carpool or telecommuting projects, upgrades to streets to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian use, intelligent transportation improvements to reduce congestion, and car-sharing and bike sharing programs.

•    Provide a special set-aside to ensure that rural communities have access to federal funds for improving transportation choices.

Provide Housing Assistance

•    Increase availability of Location-Efficient Mortgages (LEM) for homes located near public transportation. This increases the borrowing power of home buyers who choose to drive less, since they don't have to spend as much income owning and operating automobiles.

•    Provide funds to help states acquire, construct, and preserve affordable housing close to public transit.

•    Require the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to develop a standard that measures the transportation costs associated with a home's location, enabling Real Estate agents to provide this information to prospective buyers.

Require the Federal Government to Lead by Example

•    Expand transportation fringe benefits to all federal employees.

•    Encourage Federal agencies to participate in local transportation management associations that promote more efficient use of transportation and parking resources.

The bill is supported by Smart Growth America, National Resources Defense Council, American Public Transportation Association, and the Association for Commuter Transportation.

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Wed Jul 16, 2008 at 09:14:20 AM EDT

2.  Simsbury Charrette  The town of Simsbury took another step toward a much needed charrette when their board of selectmen voted Monday to send eight firms a request for their proposals and costs.  
     

Route 11

by: commonweal

Mon Jul 14, 2008 at 09:32:59 AM EDT

As if to prove my point, even Dean Pagani, former Rowland advisor, admits that mass transit and transit-oriented development is the wave of the future and could be a catalyst for economic rejuvenation in the state.  So why do we need Route 11??

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Mon Jul 07, 2008 at 09:48:35 AM EDT

2.  I Need to Flaunt My Wealth -- When the Cape Cod National Seashore was established in 1961, many people lived within its limits.  According to the Provincetown Journal,

Congress established zoning guidelines that allowed just one home per lot and a maximum 50 percent expansion in total square footage of a home beyond what was on record in 1959. But they also allowed towns to pass their own zoning laws governing private properties within park boundaries. Of the six towns within the park, only Eastham adopted the 50 percent expansion maximum. The other towns did pass zoning bylaws that included 3-acre minimum lot sizes, but their regulations are generally less stringent than what the park service wanted.

For decades, there was a general sense that property owners within the Seashore understood the need to protect the natural beauty that surrounded them, but a new generation of super wealthy land owners want you to know they have money to spend.  More and more of them, armed with their high priced lawyers, are taking advantage of lax zoning regulations, or challenging existing ones, and winning.  Large houses, some as big as 7500 sq. ft. are being built on bluffs overlooking the beach.  The National Park System, burdened by a chronic lack of funding, is limited in enforcing its own regulations.  The result, many people fear, will be the establishment of an enclave of rich homeowners who can afford to build bigger homes, or to subdivide their property and build new homes, to the detriment of the evironmental and scenic well being of the National Seashore.

If you have the chance, pick up a copy of the Cape Cod Voice for an excellent expose on this issue.

The End of the Suburbs?

by: commonweal

Fri Jun 27, 2008 at 14:47:19 PM EDT

As they pushed their way out of the cities, Americans left in their wake a poorer residential base, rising crime, and abandoned retail centers, or in other words, social and economic decay.  By the end of the 1970s, people seeking safety and good schools generally had little alternative but to move to the suburbs, thus continuing and exacerbating the descending cycle of decay.  While one group left the city for the American dream, another was left behind to live in the nightmare of America's inner cities.  

Over the past ten years, however, another transformation has begun.  According to Christopher Leinberger, a urban planning professor at the University of Michigan, changing demographics are causing a major shift in the way an increasing number of Americans -- especially younger generations, want to live and work.  They have no desire for the single family home on the half acre lot centered on long commutes and cars.  Instead, they are looking for what Leinberger calls "walkable urbanism" -- high density, mixed use developments serviced by efficient mass transit systems.  This shift has gained momentum as gas prices have risen, the subprime mortgage crisis has taken its toll, and the environmental problems associated with "drivable suburbanism," especially global warming, has become a part of the American conscience.  

Quick Hits -- Smart Growth Progress

by: commonweal

Tue Jun 24, 2008 at 10:01:51 AM EDT

2.  TRANSIT HUB IN MERIDEN -- The city is aggressively pursuing a $1 million state grant to study a half-mile radius around the town's train station in the hope of making the area a mixed-use transit hub.  Last year the state legislature picked Meriden and several other communities to receive money to study development near transportation centers, or transit-oriented development. The city, which hopes a revitalized transit hub will be part of a downtown renaissance, is looking to be first in line for the grants.

3.  TRANSIT HUB IN WALLINGFORD -- The Town of Wallingford has embarked on a feasibility study for a downtown transit zone. The zone would overlay the downtown area west of Route 5. Town officials envision the zone spurring the redevelopment of older buildings into new ground-floor retail with high-density housing above.  The zone would mesh with a commuter rail line that will run through the area. It would be created under the guidelines of HOMEConnecticut, a state program that provides towns financial incentives for creating high-density housing.  The HOMEConnecticut program dangles attractive incentives to towns: $2,000 for every housing unit approved within an eligible zone and $2,000 for each unit that is actually built.

4.  CHRIS MURPHY FACILITATES COMMUTER RAIL SERVICE -- On June 13 U.S. Representative Chris Murphy announced the passage of his amendment to recently approved Amtrak legislation. Murphy's amendment expressed Congressional support for increased commuter rail service along the vital Northeastern transportation corridor, and directed Amtrak to report to ConnDOT on the uncompleted infrastructure maintenance on the line.  As noted above, the town of Meriden plans to construct a state-of-the art intermodal transportation hub to take advantage of the new commuter rail service this line would provide.  

I Want a New Drug

by: commonweal

Thu Jun 19, 2008 at 10:52:41 AM EDT

Instead, with the dismantling of the Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on top of the White House by Ronald Reagan, a new era of gluttonous oil consumption was ushered in.  Like a strung out heroin addict, we just couldn't break the habit, but hey, it seemed the good times would just keep on rolling along (in a SUV, of course) -- after all, our drug was cheap, our elected officials enabled our addiction, and our supplier was more than willing to keep feeding our habit.

Well, the good times are coming to a crashing halt.  Just like the 1970s, our oil addiction is becoming an expensive habit.  This time, however, in addition to spiraling gas prices and a weakened economy, we have people dying in Iraq and the spectre of global warming hanging over our heads -- we are now willing to kill for the drug.  The situation cries for innovative leadership from our elected leaders, but all we get from the Bush Administration is short term thinking.  "In the short run, the American economy will continue to rely largely on oil, and that means we need to increase supply here at home," Bush said yesterday.  In other words we need more of the drug.

1000 Friends of CT Annual Meeting

by: commonweal

Wed Jun 18, 2008 at 09:55:43 AM EDT

RSVP: info@1000friends-ct.org or (860) 523-0003

              Invited speakers:

             David LeVasseur,
  Under-Secretary Office of Policy & Management,
       Office of Responsible Growth

             Joseph Marie,
        Commissioner ConnDOT

Followed by:

A Tour of Harbor Point development site

RIDE WITH YOUR FRIENDS TO THE MEETING!

A train car on the 2:50 train from New Haven will be designated and reserved for 1000 Friends.  The train will reach Stamford at 3:54 pm.  Harbor Point is a short walk from the Stamford train station.

Give Us Transportation Choices

by: commonweal

Tue Jun 17, 2008 at 11:22:56 AM EDT

What is even more interesting, and sad, though is that this shift is occuring despite the fact that our elected and appointed officials continue to operate under the old transportation paradigm.  Some examples below the fold:  

Amtrak Bill Passes

by: commonweal

Thu Jun 12, 2008 at 09:48:08 AM EDT

The bipartisan bill, which passed by a veto-proof margin of 311-104, would authorize funding for the national passenger railroad over the next five years. Some of the money would go to a program of matching grants to help states set up or expand rail service.

Besides the $14.9 billion provided for Amtrak and intercity rail, an amendment to the bill would authorize $1.5 billion for Washington's Metro transit system over the next 10 years.

The White House has threatened a veto, saying the bill doesn't hold Amtrak accountable for its spending. But similar legislation has passed the Senate, also with enough support to override a veto.

Many Republicans, including John McCain, believe that Amtrak should be completely self-sustaining and require no federal subsidies, basically because it is a form of transportation that doesn't help the oil industry.  Hence, the Bush administration has attempted to zero-budget Amtrak for eight years.  As a matter of fact, Amtrak's national budget for capital expenses was $300 million last year. That is less by half than the cost overrun for the new CT rail maintenance facility. It is less than California's capital budget for rail last year. In fact $300 million was less than the rail related capital expenses of a bunch of states last year.

Every modern country supports their national rail system.  Anyone who has traveled to Europe knows the benefits of a well run mass transportation system that has rail as its core provider.  With soaring gas prices, Americans are once again rediscovering the railroad.  

Amtrak saw record numbers in May when ridership rose 12.3 percent from a year earlier, and ticket sales climbed 15.6 percent, according to company data.

Amtrak President Alex Kummant said the numbers point to a sixth straight year of record passengers. He estimated a more than 11 percent rise this year on its 21,000 miles of track, building on last year's 26 million passengers.

Supporting rail is a no-brainer.  It will help this country wean itself off of foreign oil and reduce the emissions that exacerbate global warming.  In addition, the billions invested in new capital equipment, new tracks, new stations, and new interconnectedness to improve the national rail system will provide new jobs and improves the countries infrastructure.  Bravo to Congress for standing up to the Bush Administration.  Perhaps they are starting to get on the right track.

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Sun Jun 08, 2008 at 10:23:31 AM EDT

Please write a letter to Governor M. Jodi Rell and ask that she formally write a letter to Metro-North requesting:

** that dedicated bike parking spaces be included on every other new M-8 car without competing with space set aside for disability users and

** that Metro-North withdraw its policy that prohibits bringing bikes-on-trains at peak-hours.

Please send your letter to:
governor.rell@ct.gov
Governor M. Jodi Rell
Officer of the Governor
State Capitol
210 Capitol Avenue
Hartford, CT 06106

2.  Harbor Point --  On June 3, Harbor Point Development, LLC received overwhelming approval from Stamford's Board of Representatives for financing of infrastructure improvements and unanimous approval from the Zoning Board for buildings and open space plans for phase one of its historic transformation of Stamford's South End.  

This project brings togethers numerous Smart Growth concepts:  mixed use, infill development, transit oriented development, Green Building design, creation of public spaces, and a strong sense of place.  This is exactly the type of development state and local officials should be encouraging and coordinating throughout the state.

Money Talks

by: commonweal

Tue Jun 03, 2008 at 10:12:28 AM EDT

A few less dollars in our wallets is having a profound effect on how we get from one place to another.  A quick google search of the words "commuters mass transit" turns up scores of articles about how commuters are turning to mass transit:

1.  Metro North and Putnam and Rockland counties

2.  Denver area

3.  San Francisco

4.  Boston

5.  A national perspective

And today, GM announced that it will be closing four truck and SUV plants, saying high gas prices are here to stay - and, with them, consumers' growing preference for more fuel efficient vehicles.

I guess all I can say is, Hurray for high gas prices!!

The question is whether or not our elected officials will take advantage of this trend and start to put money into mass transit and encourage regional cooperation so that communities can begin to implement new approaches to transportation planning, such as better coordination of land use and transportation; increasing the availability of high quality transit service; creating redundancy, resiliency and connectivity within their road networks; and ensuring connectivity between pedestrian, bike, transit, and road facilities. In short, integrate a multi-modal approach to transportation with supportive development patterns, to create a variety of transportation options.  This is a golden opportunity, time to strike while the iron is hot.

You Are What You Zone

by: commonweal

Thu May 29, 2008 at 11:37:25 AM EDT

THIS

OR THIS

Far from being the inevitable outcome of market forces that we are unable to avoid, the ugly and distasteful land use we see in the top two pictures are the result of specific decisions made by communities -- decisions that are often based on an out-dated form of zoning called use-based zoning.  Use-based zoning focuses on the segregation of land-use types, permissible property uses, and the control of development intensity through simple numerical parameters (e.g., floor-area ratios, dwellings per acre, height limits, setbacks, parking ratios).  The result is the creation of Anywhere USA:  communities devoid of a strong sense of place.  

Quick Hits

by: commonweal

Wed May 21, 2008 at 10:05:12 AM EDT

2. Hilb Rogal and Hobbs and the Fireman's Fund are sponsoring a seminar that will focus on the economic benefits of building green and liability and insurance concerns. Top green industry leaders will discuss: how to adequately insure a green building, the insurance industry's response to green building initiatives, what a green building is, how building green impacts the bottom line, tips to market, sell and lease your green building, and available technologies to reduce your building's carbon footprint.  See the events calendar for details.

3.  The National Charrette Institute will sponsor an Executive Education Summer Program and NCI Charrrette Planner certificate trainings at the Harvard University Graduate School of Design August 4 - 6. There is a 10 percent discount for current members of the Congress for the New Urbanism. Click here for more information.