Category: Climate change & energy

RELEASE: DC Regional Travel Survey Shows Demand for Walk, Bike, & Fighting Climate Change

RELEASE: DC Regional Travel Survey Shows Demand for Walk, Bike, & Fighting Climate Change

Posted on by Emily Maurer
Release-DC Regional Travel Survey Shows Demand for Walk, Bike, & Fighting Climate ChangeDownload

Coalition for Smarter Growth

February 12, 2021 

For Immediate Release 

Contact:  Stewart Schwartz, CSG, 703-599-6437 

“Voices of the Region” Survey Shows the Region’s Residents Want to Walk and  Bike More, Drive Less, and Prioritize Projects that Address Climate Change 

Points to Need for Less Road Building, and More Sustainable, Walkable Communities 

A recently completed survey asked the Metropolitan Washington region’s residents about their  travel before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The results show that residents’ travel  patterns have changed as a result of the pandemic and that they would like to continue to walk and bike more and drive less post-pandemic. These results are similar to those from a national  survey project. 

The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) will receive a presentation at  its meeting Wednesday, February 17, on the survey, which is intended to inform the update to  the regional long-range transportation plan. This survey was conducted using randomly drawn  addresses, covered all geographic sub-areas of the region and resulted in over 2,400 complete  responses, with a margin of error of +/-2.5%. 

“The findings of this survey are critically important and should be an important factor in the  Transportation Planning Board’s development of their next long-range transportation plan,  which is underway right now,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. 

“Recently, the TPB voted to prioritize projects that reduce vehicle miles traveled and  greenhouse gas emissions. This survey points to public support for telecommuting, walking,  biking, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change is a bigger concern than traffic  congestion according to the survey,” said Bill Pugh, Senior Policy Fellow for CSG. “Land use  must be a core solution to achieve people’s goals of driving less, walking and biking more, and  fighting climate change. In fact the survey showed the benefits of this approach in that people  living in DC, Arlington, and Alexandria, our most compact jurisdictions with the most transit oriented land use, expressed the least concern about traffic congestion.” 

“We hope that our elected officials and government transportation planners will take to heart  both the results of this survey and the urgency to reduce driving and associated greenhouse gas emissions when they create our next regional transportation plan,” said Schwartz. “In the  process there will be other significant benefits including meeting people’s desire to walk and  bike more, and create a world that future generations will thank us for.” 

CSG’s Summary of Important Findings from the Survey 

More Walking and Biking, Less Driving Anticipated for All Travel Post-Pandemic 

38% of respondents expect a change in their travel patterns (both work and non-work travel)  one year post-pandemic compared to their pre-pandemic travel patterns. 53% of all  respondents anticipate walking more and 26% anticipate biking more, in contrast to only 3%  who anticipate walking or biking less. While 34% of residents anticipate driving more, this was  more than offset by the 47% of respondents who anticipate driving less for daily trips, a 13  percent net difference of residents who anticipate driving less.  

Overwhelming Support for Expanded Pedestrian Zones, Bike Lanes, Bus Lanes 

Three quarters of survey respondents said they supported use of street space for expanded  pedestrian access and restaurant seating. 63% support more or wider sidewalks and bike lanes. 

While transit ridership has been impacted by the pandemic, a clear majority of the region’s  residents, 71%, which includes many non-bus riders, support dedicated bus lanes. And a  narrow majority (54%) are supportive of dedicated bus lanes even in situations that involve  removal of on-street parking. 

Additional Bicycle Infrastructure, Road Safety Measures, or Access to a Bicycle Would  Make Most of the Region’s Residents More Likely to Bike 

The survey asked respondents about improvements that would make them more likely to use a  bicycle. The proposed improvements with the highest percentages of residents more likely to  bike as a result were: more direct and complete bicycle lanes and routes (34% of respondents),  bicycle lanes separated from vehicles by a barrier (32%), and bicycle lanes or trails near home  (31%). Overall, only a minority (42%) of all residents indicated that no improvements would  make them more likely to use a bike. 

When broken down by age, the impact of bike infrastructure improvements for the region’s  residents under 30 was especially high. Almost half indicated that more direct and complete  bicycle lanes and routes or lanes near home would make them more likely to bike. Only a small  minority (24%) indicated that no improvements would make them more likely to use a bike.

Less Transit Use Anticipated, But Respondents Indicate Service Enhancements Would  Make Them More Likely to Use Transit 

While 13% anticipate using transit more, 38% anticipate using it less one year post-pandemic.  Only 5% of frequent transit riders pre-pandemic and only 26% of infrequent transit riders pre pandemic indicated that nothing would make them more likely to ride public transportation  after the pandemic.  

Most respondents cited measures that transit agencies can undertake to make them more  likely to ride transit. About half of frequent transit users pre-pandemic responded that more  frequent cleaning, more spacing of people on bus and train cars, and more frequent service  would make them more likely to use transit after the pandemic. (Of note, numerous studies  have shown that even during the pandemic, riding transit is relatively low risk. Also, transit  agencies in the region have implemented some of these safety measures already). 

“The survey shows that frequency and reliability of service and convenient real-time travel  information continue to be significant factors for making people more likely to use transit. Safe  and convenient routes to walk, bike or scoot to train stations and bus stops were also found to  be significant factors in transit ridership, where more improvement is needed across the  region,” said Schwartz. 

Climate Change is a Significant Concern and Residents Overwhelming Want Officials to  Address it in Transportation Plans 

84% of the region’s residents agree with the statement that elected officials need to consider  the impacts of climate change when planning transportation in the future. For residents under  30 years of age, those most impacted by our long-range planning decisions and climate change,  that percentage rises to 92%. 

Traffic Congestion is Less of a Concern Than Climate Change 

Less than half of respondents (44%) indicated that traffic congestion is a significant concern  that impacts their lives. 25% said congestion was somewhat a concern that impacted their lives  a little. 

Residents of core jurisdictions (Arlington, Alexandria, and the District of Columbia) reported the  highest satisfaction with the transportation system and least concern about congestion. 75% of  Core residents say that the regional transportation system meets their needs very well or  somewhat well, in contrast to 55% of Inner Suburb (Montgomery, Fairfax, Prince George’s)  residents and 38% of Outer Suburb residents. Likewise, only 27% of Core residents say that  congestion is a significant concern that impacts their quality of life, in contrast to 46% of Inner  Suburb residents and 54% of Outer Suburb residents. 

“What these survey results suggest is that the more compact development in the core doesn’t  reduce the satisfaction of residents when it comes to transportation, and may reflect the  variety of transportation options available (walk, bike, transit) and shorter commutes or trips to  the corner store. In contrast, people living farther out are being provided with fewer non driving options and face longer commutes in congestion generated by high-levels of auto dependent development,” said Pugh. “It points to the need for more housing options in the  region’s walkable communities near transit and job centers, along with more affordable  housing in these locations, and increased investment in transit.” 

Residents Say that Future Generations Will Thank Us More for Clean Transportation,  Transit, Walking, and Biking than for Wider Roads 

The survey asked “What transportation investments should we make today that future  generations will thank us for tomorrow?” and allowed respondents to provide their own open ended answers.  

The majority of the answers involved clean transportation, public transportation, and  improvements for walking and biking. A much smaller group cited roads, parking, and  congestion. 

● 259 responses mentioned expanding areas served by rail transit and bike infrastructure

● 172 mentioned clean transportation (electric vehicles, lower emissions)

● 72 responses mentioned improving the condition of (fixing and making more resilient)  existing roads and bridges. 

● Just 134 responses mentioned more or wider roads 

Increased Telecommuting 

33% of respondents anticipate telecommuting at least one day a week after the pandemic, up  from 16% who telecommuted at least one day a week pre-pandemic. Among the 60% of  respondents currently telecommuting during the pandemic, approximately half would want to  continue to telework 3-4 days per week.  

“Both national and local surveys of employers and employees predict sustained higher rates of  teleworking after the pandemic compared to beforehand. This means that many of the highway  and arterial expansion projects being planned in the region are based on outdated travel  forecasts. Many of these projects were based on the premise of addressing peak-of-the-peak  commuting congestion, but these trips may fall significantly. The Washington, DC region needs  to cancel or at least put on the back burner these major road expansion proposals,” said  Schwartz. “At the same time, we need to ensure that our transit system meets the needs of  people returning to work and addresses their concerns, especially people without personal  vehicle options.” 

Land Use and Affordable Housing are Key Solutions But Are Missing From the Survey 

“The Voices of the Region survey asked some great questions and provided lots of valuable  insights. However, one of the areas it missed was asking about the proximity of services and  destinations that are important to residents,” said Pugh. 

● Do residents live close to their basic needs and would they want to have them closer?

● What factors make that difficult, is it due to the lack of affordable housing in walkable,  mixed-use neighborhoods or due to job centers in isolated office parks? 

“We see that 75% of Core residents find that the region’s transportation system meets their  needs, and that has as much to do with the compact, walkable built environment as with the  transportation options available beyond driving in places like DC, Arlington and Alexandria,”  said Pugh.  

Pugh continued, “three fourths of the trips in the region are for non-commuting purposes, so  even if people are teleworking more, they will still want shorter and easier trips that don’t  always involve getting in the car. The best way to address the evolving travel needs and desires  of most residents to walk and bike more, is in our land use planning. Mixed-use, walkable,  compact neighborhoods offer safe and convenient options for accessing basic needs.”  

A Gap in the Survey — Failure to Reach Enough Low-Income Residents 

“Low-income residents were less well represented than other groups according to consultant  staff who presented the survey results at the TPB’s recent Technical Committee meeting. So it  would be good to understand from the focus groups and possible follow-up surveys how the  region can best meet the transportation and housing location needs of low-income residents  and workers,” said Pugh. While low-income residents expressed similar satisfaction with the  transportation system as non-low-income residents, staff said in their presentation that this  result may be due to the concentration of those low-income residents sampled in Core and  Inner jurisdictions.  

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CSG Comments to TPB on Climate Action

Posted on by Emily Maurer
2020.10.21-CSG-Comments-to-TPB-re-climate-land-use-transportationDownload

October 21, 2020 

Hon. Kelly Russell  

Chair, National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board 

President Pro Tem, Frederick Board of Aldermen 

Re: Comments on need TPB climate action steps, travel survey, and transit-oriented centers  Dear Chair Russell, 

We are deeply concerned that TPB staff are not committing to VMT-reduction strategies in their input to  the update of the COG climate plan. We have submitted comments to the CEEPC that apply equally to  our input to the TPB Visualize2045 update. 

TPB’s climate approach, as outlined in the October 15 memo by director Srikanth, is to focus on fuel  efficient car standards, vehicle electrification, and the Transportation & Climate Initiative (TCI). Of the  “bold, system-wide actions” the memo says are needed, there is no mention of regional strategies to  reduce VMT. As detailed in the Driving Down Emissions report by SGA, EVs are not enough, and land use,  urban design, and transit are essential for reducing VMT and transportation emissions, meeting our  climate targets, and achieving equity, public health, and livability. 

COG is setting a very ambitious goal for electrification in its draft climate plan, assuming that 34% of  light passenger vehicles on the road in 2030 will be electric. California’s analyses show that even with  significant adoption of EVs, rising VMT will cause rising emissions. Therefore, the CEAP and TPB need  additional bold actions:  

1. Set even stronger targets for housing and job growth in High-Capacity Transit (HCT) station  areas by prioritizing close-in, walkable, mixed-use Activity Centers with high-frequency transit,  and addressing the E-W economic and racial divide. 

2. Make affordable housing in TOD locations a key part of the land use strategy, with specific goals  and strategies. 

3. Set clear targets to significantly reduce total and per capita VMT below the 2030 and 2050  baselines and increase non-auto mode shares well above baselines.  

4. Include strategies to price existing lanes in congested travel markets rather than adding more  HOT lanes and price parking across the region. 

Your Travel Survey highlights the benefits of transit-oriented communities. The Core and Activity  Centers have very high commute walk, bike, transit mode share, and very good non-commute mode  shares. But major suburbs still have far to go on TOD, and recent road expansions are not helping. 

We commend your Transit-Oriented Communities initiative, but urge you to place overwhelming priority  in Visualize 2045 on transit, local street networks, and bike/pedestrian infrastructure, while slashing  new highway capacity. We have just one decade to act on the climate crisis. 

Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director

RELEASE: CSG hails today’s Driving Down Emissions report – calls for DC area action

Posted on by Emily Maurer
2020.10.14-Release-CSG-re-Driving-Down-Emissions-reportDownload

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:

October 14, 2020

Contact:

Stewart Schwartz, 703-599-6437

CSG hails new national climate, land use, and transportation report and issues a Call to Action to regional elected officials

Today, Smart Growth America (SGA) released Driving Down Emissions demonstrating that where and how we grow (i.e. land use and community design) is the critical piece for reducing emissions from transportation. CSG welcomed the report and issued a call to action to regional elected officials to act on their promises and move faster to implement more sustainable land use and transportation in order to fight climate change.

“We welcome this definitive report from SGA,” said Stewart Schwartz, Executive Director of the Coalition for Smarter Growth. We’ve campaigned in the DC region for over two decades for a strong core city and regional network of walkable, transit-oriented communities – a regional vision validated by the findings of the SGA report. Our vision has been embraced by the Council of Governments (COG) and most local officials, and we’ve seen a strong shift to these transportation-efficient communities — but much more work needs to be done AND faster if we are going to do our part to slash emissions.”

“The SGA report highlights that transportation is now the number one source of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Its share is even higher in the DC region where 34% of our greenhouse gas emissions are generated by on-road vehicles, and as illustrated by the SGA report it’s the location and design of development that is playing the central role in the amount of driving and emissions,” said Bill Pugh, Senior Policy Fellow for CSG.

“The DC region is at a literal crossroads. Right now, major land use and transportation decisions before our elected officials will determine whether this region fuels more sprawl, driving, pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and worsens racial and social equity, OR chooses the course committed to at COG — to invest in transit-oriented development, transit and more affordable housing close to jobs and transit, to address racial and economic inequity, and reduce emissions,” said Jane Lyons, Maryland Advocacy Manager for CSG.

“Massive highway expansion such as the high-occupancy toll lanes in Virginia and Maryland, the recently approved Route 28 bypass in Prince William, and numerous arterial road widenings will mean more driving and emissions, and more spread-out development,” said Sonya Breehey, Virginia Advocacy Manager for CSG. “This must end.”

“Failure to incentivize and prioritize development at Metro stations and in aging commercial corridors will mean failure to reduce driving and emissions,” said Cheryl Cort, Policy Director for CSG. “Meanwhile approving more sprawling development in Prince William’s Rural Crescent or in rural areas in outer suburbs located 30 miles or more from the core of the DC region will mean even more driving and emissions,” said Breehey.

Driving Down Emissions summarizes decades of studies showing that highway expansion actually creates more traffic: “New highways, roads, and lanes induce more driving (VMT), which leads to more emissions and ultimately more congestion, a feedback loop referred to as “induced demand.” A recent study suggests driving increases in exact proportion with increases in lane-mileage—a 10 percent increase in lane miles can lead to a 10 percent increase in driving.”

“SGA offers five recommendations for how we can grow equitably and efficiently to reduce vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions. This region offers examples, which we highlight below, for how we are trying to do this but also examples where we are falling short,” said Pugh.

SGA’s FIVE RECOMMENDATIONS AND A SNAPSHOT ON ACTIONS IN THE DC REGION

1) Meet the demand for homes in walkable, compact neighborhoods

  • Last fall, thanks to years of CSG advocacy, our region adopted a set of regional housing targets to ensure that enough housing is produced by 2030 and that 75% of new units are located in Regional Activity Centers or near high-capacity transit. (MWCOG board resolution, September 11, 2019) 
  • While this is a good start, not all Regional Activity Centers are walkable or compact. Households in the Gainesville activity center in Prince William County, VA drive between 23,000 and 25,000 miles per year on average, while those in the mixed-use Mosaic District of Fairfax County, walking distance from the Metro, drive on average 15,000 to 16,000 miles per year. Households across the entire District of Columbia drive 12,000 miles per year on average, and the share of DC residents who walk, bike and take transit to work is well over 50% of all work trips.
  • The COG 2019 State of the Commute Report shows that 75% of workers in outer suburban locations drive alone to work compared with only 37% in the region’s core jurisdictions (DC, Alexandria, Arlington). 58% of commuters in the core commuted by transit, walking or biking. (MWCOG).

2) Build safer, walkable streets

  • CSG and partners have campaigned for Vision Zero, including street design changes necessary to end deaths and serious injuries for all users.
  • Many local jurisdictions have adopted Vision Zero and Complete Streets policies, added protected bike lanes, and traffic calming, but much more needs to be done as pedestrian deaths in particular continue to increase.
  • Among the many local places we are working, we are currently campaigning in Fairfax for redesign of Richmond Highway (Route 1) and reducing the speed from 45 mph to 35 mph. In this year alone, four people have been killed walking along or trying to cross Richmond Highway.
  • Unfortunately, jurisdictions in the DC region are lagging counterpart regions in Europe and the U.S. in implementing protected bicycle lanes, dedicated bus lanes, and shared streets for people — a need spotlighted during the pandemic.

3) Set targets for VMT and GHG emissions reductions

  • The regional Council of Governments is currently updating its Climate and Energy Action Plan and looking for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. We probably need to do even more, and this is a crucial opportunity to set clear targets for reducing both total and per capita vehicle miles traveled to meet our 2030 greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal.
  • As detailed in the SGA report, numerous studies have shown that more fuel efficient or fully electric vehicles are not sufficient to meet our transportation climate goals, and we must also reduce the need to drive. The region’s next climate plan and next update of its long-range transportation plan must clearly show how we do this.

4) Provide transportation options and make transit a priority

  • CSG campaigned successfully for the first-ever dedicated funding for Metro with business allies in the MetroNow coalition and is campaigning for Better Buses — focusing on frequent, reliable, and affordable service. CSG won additional funding in Virginia for transit when the state transportation funding structure was amended earlier this year.
  • The Transportation Planning Board, the states of Maryland and Virginia, the Northern Virginia Transportation Authority and many local governments, are still far too focused on expanding road capacity. 

5) Prioritize connecting people to destinations

  • We’ve learned that accessibility to daily needs is more important than long-distance “mobility.” DC, Arlington, Alexandria, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Falls Church, Tysons and the Mosaic District all show that proximity matters. Creating walkable, bike-friendly, mixed-use communities with frequent transit means that people can drive less and meet their daily needs.
  • The 2016 GreenPlace study by CSG A study of five transit-oriented projects in DC showed daily household VMT and CO2 output per household to be far lower than regional averages. The analysis found that the TOD projects averaged 17 to 25.5 daily VMT per household and 16-25 lbs of daily carbon output per household, compared to regional averages of 45 daily VMT and 69.4 lbs daily carbon output. 
  • The 2010 CSG Cooler Communities study found that a development site with high walkability, mix of uses, and frequent transit service will have reduced CO2 emissions compared with a less accessible site, including in our suburbs. In addition, location, not just design, of development makes a huge difference. Hypothetical relocation of TOD projects to non-TOD suburban locations in the DC region increased CO2 emissions. Conversely, hypothetically relocating a non-TOD suburban development to a suburban TOD location reduced CO2 emissions. For example, the New Carrollton Transit District Plan reduced CO2 emissions by 11.2% when compared against relocating the plan build-out to auto-dependent Konterra. 

A note about the pandemic and telecommuting:

The rise in telecommuting is expected to endure and will represent an estimated 10-15% reduction in work trips after the pandemic. This adds to further support for an end to highway expansion. However, most daily trips will continue to be non-work trips, but this reinforces the need to make all communities more walkable with nearby access to goods, services, and recreation. 

CSG’s Call to Action in the DC Region:

“Unfortunately, we have much more to do in the DC region if we are going to drive down emissions to the levels necessary to stem climate change,” said Schwartz. Among the actions we need from our elected officials are:

1) Every local government needs to accelerate and incentivize transit-oriented development, supported by their state governments. The “Connect Greater Washington” study shows that TOD buildout will maximize the efficiency and farebox recovery for Metro, while reducing vehicle miles traveled and land lost to parking.

2) Every level of government should treat funding for affordable housing as a top infrastructure priority. $100 million for affordable housing near jobs and transit is worth far more than $100 million spent on another ineffective interchange. Housing that is affordable and in the right locations reduces driving and increases walking, biking and transit use, provides family security and health benefits, and results in better educational outcomes for children, while also driving down emissions.

3) Suburban and rural jurisdictions need to stem sprawl, protect farms, forests and rural landscapes that secure our drinking water, while focusing growth in existing towns, and ensuring new communities are compact, built on a grid of local streets, and connected to transit.

4) The next Council of Governments regional Constrained Long-Range Transportation Plan needs to cancel hundreds of lane miles of highway and arterial expansion and shift the funding to transit, local street networks, and bicycle pedestrian investment that support transit-oriented communities. The same is true for the next Northern Virginia Transportation Authority regional plan and state and local jurisdiction plans.

5) Every level of government needs to stop using vehicle level of service and “congestion reduction” as metrics for deciding what transportation investments to make. These measures ignore the real problem of induced demand and make our communities unwalkable and unlivable, leading to more driving and emissions.

“The SGA report confirms what officials in the DC region know and what the vast majority have committed to at COG and at the local level. We need every local elected official to follow-through on these commitments if we are going to grow sustainably, equitably and competitively, and beat climate change in the process,” concluded Schwartz.

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495/270 Update | July 2020

Posted on by Emily Maurer
Photo credit: urbandispute, Flickr

Last Friday, the Maryland Department of Transportation released an 18,000 page draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) on Governor Hogan’s plans to expand the Capital Beltway (I-495) and I-270 with private toll lanes. The study details the impacts on air, water, parks, noise levels, traffic, and more. The DEIS is available to read here. 

More than 140 acres of public parks and historic sites, as well as 70 acres of wetlands and 1,400 acres of forest canopy, could be affected. We’ve said from the beginning that Governor Hogan began with the conclusion, and failed to consider a comprehensive transit, demand management, and land use option. Maryland has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, yet toll lanes will fuel more long-distance living and commuting.

It’s overwhelming, but there’s still plenty that you can do to help. Here are three easy ways:

1. Sign up for a virtual or in-person public hearing.

2. Tell Maryland to extend the comment period to 120 days.

3. Sign up to be a community reviewer ⁠— no experience required!

At first, Governor Hogan claimed the project wouldn’t cost taxpayers a dime due to the public-private partnership (P3) structure. Now, the DEIS finally admits that the project could require a government subsidy up to $1 billion. Imagine if Maryland invested $1 billion in sustainable transit and transit-oriented development instead. That cost doesn’t even include the costs imposed directly on residents: water bills could nearly triple in Montgomery and Prince George’s Counties due to water and sewer relocation.

We’ll continue to keep you updated and work on this issue with our partners, including the Maryland Advocates for Sustainable Transportation (MAST) coalition. You can visit MAST’s website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news.

STATEMENT: Call to Action for Local Officials on Equity and Sustainability

STATEMENT: Call to Action for Local Officials on Equity and Sustainability

Posted on by Emily Maurer
Call to Action 05.21.2020Download

For immediate release

May 14, 2020

Contact: Stewart Schwartz | 703-599-6437 (cell)

Cheryl Cort | 202-251-7516 (cell)

A call to action for sustainable and equitable communities in the wake of COVID-19

The COVID-19 crisis has exposed long-standing inequities and highlights the need and opportunities for fundamental reforms. The saying, “never waste a crisis,” is true and we urge our elected officials, government staff – all of us — to work together and take-action now to address the following 10 priorities:

1)    Provide living wages and health protection for essential workers – people who work in public safety, health care, transit, grocery stores and the food supply network, pharmacies, trash collection, teachers, day care and elder care, and a range of other occupations are our essential workers, and should be paid a living wage and provided the health protection and security they need.

2)    Provide affordable housing and a real economic safety net – far too many people live day-to-day with no margin of safety and need a living wage and rental assistance; affordable, clean, and secure homes; health care; day care; affordable transit; and the opportunity to save and climb the economic ladder. 

3)    Provide equitable access to health care and healthy environments – far too many people lack access to good health care and need nearby and equitable access to primary care and specialists, fresh healthy food, parks and recreation, safe places to walk and bike, and clean air and water.

4)    Address racial disparities now – the racial disparities in COVID-19 illness and death, and in access to health care, job losses, share of workers in essential services with exposure risks, exposure to air pollution from highways, and risk of eviction and homelessness have never been more starkly exposed and must be addressed with the equivalent of a Marshall Plan.

5)    Slash air pollution – air pollution has long contributed to respiratory and cardiac illness and has recently been found to contribute to higher levels of COVID-19 illness. We are seeing dramatic drops in air pollution due to the big decline in driving, with clear blue skies across the world, and should not waste this opportunity to slash air pollution from cars, trucks, and industry.

6)    Slash greenhouse gas emissions – similar to other pollution, emissions of CO2 during stay-at-home orders have plunged — to 1995 levels. Oil demand has also declined 30% to 1995 levels. The health and economic causes of the decline are absolutely nothing to cheer, but the decline reminds us of the imperative and the opportunity to rapidly shift to renewable energy and electric vehicles, green buildings, and reduced driving through transit and walkable communities. Moreover, the societal and economic disruption of the pandemic illustrates why we must head off the disruption that would come from uncontrolled climate change – in which a warmer planet will fuel more disease pandemics along with rising sea levels, flooding, droughts, fires, and human dislocation.

7)    Provide streets for people – the disappearance of traffic on city and suburban streets, the booming demand to walk and bike, and the lack of enough safe space for walking and bicycling, starkly illustrates how much of our public space is consumed by cars. We have a unique opportunity to widen sidewalks, and install protected bicycle lanes and dedicated bus lanes, creating more livable communities with fewer cars, and reduced air and noise pollution.

8)    Expand parks and open space – we are learning how important it is to have nearby parks and greenways for our health and well-being, and that too many people lack parks and trails that they can safely walk to. We need to expand our park, greenway and trail networks as part of walkable, sustainable communities.

9)    Save, restore, and expand transit – Transit, especially our buses, has been critical during COVID-19 to getting health care and other essential workers to their jobs. We’ve seen that transit is truly an essential public service. We need personal protection for transit drivers and riders, and enhanced, frequent cleaning. Looking ahead, the economic recovery of our cities and our metropolitan region will depend on the restoration of transit – which supports growth with less traffic and pollution. We will also need expanded transit to fight climate change. We must prioritize funding for transit, dedicated bus lanes and network redesigns for frequent, reliable service, and expanded access to transit for those most in need.

10) Invest in urban placemaking – The past two decades have seen a boom in our cities, towns and urbanizing suburban communities because of the economic, social, creative, health, and environmental benefits, including fighting climate change. Contrary to the charges of those who advocate against cities, what we are facing now is a health crisis and a failure to plan and act to stem a pandemic, not a failure of walkable urban places. We are social creatures and coming together has been key to the progress of civilization, innovation, the arts, and society. Looking ahead we must continue to invest in urban places while addressing the areas where we have fallen short, in affordable housing, equitable access to health care, healthy food, parks and safe streets, and in frequent, reliable and affordable public transit. 

In summary, we call on our leaders to place top priority in the following areas for social and economic equity, opportunity, and action:

  • Racial and social equity                 
  • Affordable housing
  • Tenant protection
  • Living wages
  • Worker safety
  • Health care
  • Healthy food
  • Day care and elder care
  • Education and teachers
  • Safe streets
  • Parks, greenways and trails
  • Transit
  • Clean air and clean water
  • Climate change
  • Walkable, inclusive, transit-oriented urban places

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Thoughts about where we live on this Earth Day

Thoughts about where we live on this Earth Day

Posted on by Cheryl Cort

Where we live and how we design our communities matters

Today we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day, when millions of people took to the streets to demand better stewardship of the planet that is our home. While we may not be able to gather in the same way on this day, we can reflect on actions we can take.

Just as natural systems on our Earth are interconnected, so too are land use, housing, transportation, and our environment. Reliance on cars is the single largest source of carbon emissions in the U.S. and a major contributor to respiratory illnesses, however, by designing our communities to reduce reliance on vehicles we can create a safer, healthier world.

That’s why CSG has campaigned for walkable, transit-oriented communities. We recently released a presentation and fact sheet summarizing the benefits of transit-oriented communities for fighting climate change.

Amid the COVID-19 crisis, people are rediscovering the value of walking and bicycling, and the need for parks, greenways, and safe streets for our quality of life. Dedicating more space for bicycling and walking on our streets will allow for better physical distancing and reduce air pollution and carbon emissions.

Just as we need to focus on stopping future pandemics with science, preparation, and global cooperation, we will need to do the same if we are going to address the existential threat of climate change. We are social creatures and our walkable cities, towns, and urban neighborhoods offer important social, economic, and environmental benefits that we will continue to depend upon as a society.

So, thank you for supporting CSG and more sustainable communities. We wish you the best on this Earth Day and hope that you and your families are safe and healthy.

All the best,
Stewart, Cheryl, Jane, Sonya, Emily and Alina

Photo credit: Jane Lyons