Challenge
The City of Gridley wanted to produce a Climate Action Plan/Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan to incentivize sustainable development, infill, and reinvestment that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to improve the physical and economic conditions of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods.
Solution
The Kittelson team worked to develop a custom tool that estimates VMT reductions associated with land use mix, density, design, and transit access. The tool would assess the control efficiency for reducing on-road vehicle activity of various transportation and land use measures and/or combinations of these measures.
The factors evaluated include:
– Density, community design, and land use mix
– Pedestrian amenities, bicycle amenities, and traffic calming measures
– Parking policies and management
– Car-sharing facilities, bicycle-sharing facilities, and ride-sharing programs
– Transit service frequency and accessibility, inter-modal transit connections, and park-and-ride facilities
– Transportation system management, such as system optimization
– Alternative fueled or hybrid vehicles
The Outcome
The Climate Connection Between Land Use and VMT
Kittelson created a prioritized list of transportation and land use measures that would result in the highest net benefit with respect to greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Adopted in November 2016, the Climate Action Plan/Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan outlines actions that are achievable and measurable, and will help the City of Gridley implement emission reductions.
