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Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298 (2009)

Chapter: A Study on the Relationships Among Development Patterns, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Energy Consumption

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Page 208
Suggested Citation:"A Study on the Relationships Among Development Patterns, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Energy Consumption." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2009. Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12747.
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Appendix A
Study on the Relationships Among Development Patterns, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Energy Consumption

STATEMENT OF TASK

Consistent with the congressional request in Section 1827 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (see below), the study will consider

  1. The correlation, if any, between land development patterns and increases in vehicle miles traveled (VMT);

  2. Whether petroleum use in the transportation sector can be reduced through changes in the design of development patterns; and

  3. The potential benefits of

    • Information and education programs for state and local officials (including planning officials) on the potential for energy savings through planning, design, development, and infrastructure decisions;1

    • Incorporation of location efficiency models in transportation infrastructure planning and investments; and

    • Transportation policies and strategies to help transportation planners manage the demand for and the number and length of vehicle trips, including trips that increase the viability of other means of travel.

In addition to the scope outlined above and with the agreement of the sponsor, the study will also assess the potential reduction in GHG/

1

As noted in Chapter 1 of the report, the committee determined that evaluation of the potential benefits of information and education programs was not feasible through a scientific assessment, because the linkage between information and education programs and policy outcomes in this arena is too tenuous to establish reliably from the literature.

Page 209
Suggested Citation:"A Study on the Relationships Among Development Patterns, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Energy Consumption." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2009. Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12747.
×

CO2 emissions from more dense development patterns. The study will describe development patterns in the context of past and recent population and employment trends that affect residential and business location and travel in a region. In addition, it will consider future demographic changes and trends in immigration that may provide opportunities for development patterns that reduce VMT or for the use of alternative transport modes, as well as the political and institutional challenges (e.g., zoning) that likely would need to be addressed to take advantage of these opportunities. Finally, the study will offer estimates of the potential VMT reductions, energy savings, and GHG/ CO2 emissions reductions from various development scenarios and the likely time period over which they might occur.

The request for this study was made in Section 1827 of the Energy Policy Act:

(a) In General.—The Secretary shall enter into an arrangement with the National Academy of Sciences under which the Academy shall conduct a study to assess the implications on energy use and efficiency of land development patterns in the United States. (b) Scope.—The study shall consider—(1) the correlation, if any, between land development patterns and increases in vehicle miles traveled; (2) whether petroleum use in the transportation sector can be reduced through changes in the design of development patterns; (3) the potential benefits of— (A) information and education programs for State and local officials (including planning officials) on the potential for energy savings through planning, design, development, and infrastructure decisions; (B) incorporation of location efficiency models in transportation infrastructure planning and investments; and (C) transportation policies and strategies to help transportation planners manage the demand for the number and length of vehicle trips, including trips that increase the viability of other means of travel; and (4) such other considerations relating to the study topic as the National Academy of Sciences finds appropriate.

Page 208
Suggested Citation:"A Study on the Relationships Among Development Patterns, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Energy Consumption." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2009. Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12747.
×
Page 208
Page 209
Suggested Citation:"A Study on the Relationships Among Development Patterns, Vehicle Miles Traveled, and Energy Consumption." Transportation Research Board and National Research Council. 2009. Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12747.
×
Page 209
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TRB Special Report 298: Driving and the Built Environment: Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy Use, and CO2 Emissions examines the relationship between land development patterns and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the United States to assess whether petroleum use, and by extension greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, could be reduced by changes in the design of development patterns. The report estimates the contributions that changes in residential and mixed-use development patterns and transit investments could make in reducing VMT by 2030 and 2050, and the impact this could have in meeting future transportation-related GHG reduction goals.

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