GHG Policies and Practices

Status

Complete

Project Timeline

July 1, 2009 - December 30, 2010

Principal Investigator

Project Summary

Background: This project complements the ITS MRPI project on model integration. The SB 375 process may allow two paths for measuring metropolitan planning organization (MPO) compliance with targets – regional models, or a “best practices” approach. This project will canvass the evidence on best practices. For each practice, the project will identify relevant studies, evaluate study quality, assess the body of evidence, and, to the degree possible, provide numerical estimates of the likely range of impact on GHG. Practices and policies would include traffic management, parking policies, land use (e.g. local density increases, land use mix, destination accessibility), transit service, non-motorized infrastructure and programs, and, possibly, more experimental approaches that include station cars, neighborhood vehicles, or individualized marketing programs.

Objective: Canvass evidence on a comprehensive range of local government policies and practices and provide advice about how to credit local governments for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions related to those policies.