Episode Details

Land Use Changes

One solution to reduce vehicle usage, and in turn, carbon emissions are land use changes. Changing cities' relationship with land use can reduce dependence on cars, minimize energy consumption, improve air quality and create healthier communities. Sustainable cities of the future must be designed for residents to have more opportunities for biking, walking, and other clean transit alternatives. Massive steps such as changing zoning codes, and redesigning cities and infrastructure are needed to reduce reliance on individual passenger vehicles. 

The California Air Resource Board (CARB) is currently researching the impacts of land use and transportation strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution exposure, and improve equality and health. Some solutions CARB identifies are restricting oil and gas wells within 300 feet of residential and commercial zones, requiring public projects to reduce emissions from construction sites, developing sustainable communities with greater opportunities for clean transit, and developing vegetative barriers near-roadways. 

The design of suburban America and single-family homes has created a society heavily reliant on cars, and this problem is very evident in California with notorious traffic congestion and smog. In 2008, in attempts to improve land use, fight climate change, reduce vehicle dependence and the urban sprawl phenomena California passed Senate Bill 375 which “requires that each metropolitan planning organization (MPO) develop a Sustainable Community Strategies to illustrate how integrated land use, transportation, and housing planning will achieve regional greenhouse gas emission reduction targets.” The goal of this legislation was to support housing and transportation projects that wouldn’t require individuals to drive as much, and in turn, reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, over a decade later this legislation has not achieved those objectives and the state remains just as sprawling and car-dominated as before. A 2018 report from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) found that statewide passenger vehicle emissions have increased per capita since passing Bill 375. California’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions comes from the transportation sector, and emissions from this sector have continued to rise despite the state's aim to reduce per capita passenger vehicle carbon emissions by 18% by 2035. One reason for the failure of this legislation is that the bill provided no real requirements or penalties for cities and counties that fail to follow their region’s plan. 

One example of sustainable land use changes is Barcelona's “superblocks” which are walkable public spaces in clusters of nine city blocks, three-by,-three. Traffic is routed around the perimeter of these clusters and streets become shared public spaces. The superblocks have reduced traffic noise, and pollution and led to more sociable, walkable, and sustainable street life. Other cities such as Oslo, Madrid, and London have banned cars from city centers. Montreal and Bogota h