EPA’s Development, Community and Environment

Division:

Tools for Evaluating Smart Growth and Climate Change

February 28, 2002Ilana Preuss

Urbanized land area in the US quadrupled since 1954 - from 1950 to 1990, large metro land areas increased twice as fast as their populations

From 1980 to 1997, VMT grew by 63%, almost 3 times the rate of population growth– Average length of work trips rose by 36% from ‘83-‘95

In 1997, the transportation sector emitted 32% of the US CO2 emissions from fossil fuels– Projected to grow by 47.5% from 1996-2020

How do current development patterns How do current development patterns impact Environmental Quality?impact Environmental Quality?

How can Smart Growth address How can Smart Growth address Environmental Impacts?Environmental Impacts?

Current development patterns have large impacts on the environment, including climate change and water.

Smart Growth promotes choices & alternatives: – variety of transportation options and housing

opportunities

– mixed land uses

– preserves open space & directs development to existing communities

Activities of EPA’s Development, Activities of EPA’s Development, Community and Environment DivisionCommunity and Environment Division

Information-sharing through the Smart Growth Network– EPA created 3 years ago

– national, regional and local partners and members encourage environmentally, fiscally, and socially smart metropolitan development

Exploring innovative policy opportunities Tool Development

– Smart Growth INDEX model (SGI)

– Water model

Smart Growth INDEX (SGI) Smart Growth INDEX (SGI) OverviewOverview

Community Sketch Planning Analytic Tool Compare impacts and outcomes from alternative

development scenarios Enhances local decision-making capacity for:

• Cleaner air and water

• Reduction of CO2 emissions

• Protection of wetlands

• Restoration of brownfields

• Protection of open space

• Better transportation planning

SGI: A Sketch Planning ToolSGI: A Sketch Planning Tool

Can be applied in any community or region with a GIS

Generates outputs useful to both technical and non-technical users

Operates in two different modes:– Projects environmental impacts from future growth

patterns (forecast mode)

– Calculates environmental impacts at a moment in time (snapshot mode)

Simultaneously addresses changes in vehicle travel with changes in land use patterns

SGI’s value to states and communitiesSGI’s value to states and communities Models and displays impacts that may not otherwise

be highlighted in traditional models– Promotes the principles of Smart Growth

Provides more sophisticated tool to communities without access or resources to run more advanced models

Variety of uses: master plans, transit station plans, environmental reviews, brownfields v. greenfield comparisons, air quality and climate impacts

A valuable tool for public involvement– clear visualization of trade-offs

Inputs: SGI Data RequirementsInputs: SGI Data Requirements

Land use plan Housing data (single or multifamily) Employment data (service, retail or other) Existing and future street centerlines Transit routes Population and Employment Growth projects (in

forecast mode)

Outputs: Sample SGI IndicatorsOutputs: Sample SGI Indicators

Population density (residents/sq. mi)

Land use mix Housing transit

proximity Employment transit

proximity Vehicle miles

traveled/day/capita

Air pollution (lbs/yr/capita from criteria pollutants)

Climate Change (CO2/tons/yr/capita)

Energy consumption Park space

availability/access

SGI Output DisplaySGI Output Display

Source: MD Office of Planning

Indicator Description IdealScenario

Fells PointScenario

Persons/sq. mile Persons (residents and employees)per sq. mi.

100,000 75,570

Jobs/housingbalance

Ratio of total jobs to total housedworkers.

1.0 6.93

Land use mix Proportion of dissimilar land usesamong a grid of one-acre cells.

1.0 0.63

Street networkdensity

Length of street in miles dividedby areas of neighborhood insquare miles (miles per sq. mile.)

10 34.6

Sidewalkcompleteness

Percent street frontage withsidewalks

100 100

Route directness Ratio of shortest walking distancefrom outlying nodes toneighborhood center vs. straight-line distance

1.3 0.9

Streetconnectivity

Ratio of intersections vs.intersections and cul-de-sacs

1.0 0.67

Average distanceto transit stop

Average distance from dwellingsto closest transit stop in feet.

600 229

Housing neartransit

Percent of dwellings within 1/4mi. of transit stops

100 90

SGI Models Development AlternativesSGI Models Development Alternatives

Source: San Antonio, TX

SGI Pilot CommunitiesSGI Pilot Communities

OPEI selected 20 communities with:

– the ability to create environmental benefits through smart growth approaches

– adequate technical, data, and staffing requirements to run the model

In addition to local governments, EPA continues to work with NJ, MD and MN

Wrapped up Phase I as of January 31, 2002

Sites: DE - WilmingtonSites: DE - Wilmington Examined brownfield redevelopment scenarios in

Wilmington, DE Targeting development alternatives on particular sites:

– high density

residential

– intense

commercial

– industrial

development

Study area at Fells Point in Baltimore, MD Generation of new jobs and housing Examined air quality impacts

– Reduction

in VMT,

emissions

and

green-

house

gases

Sites: MD - Digital HarborSites: MD - Digital Harbor

Hudson, MA pilot project to examine the impact of 2 development proposals– Intel jobs– Condo

units Examines

the proximity

of residential

development

to available

transit

Sites: MA - Metropolitan Area Sites: MA - Metropolitan Area Planning CouncilPlanning Council

Evaluation of City Plng Dept’s land use alternative and community alternative in relation to environmental impacts

Found a 6 percent decrease in GHG emissions

Sites: TX - San AntonioSites: TX - San Antonio

Reporting on Phase I results Beginning Phase II of pilot projects and site

selection Interested in working with states to partner

application of SGI in communities and regions

Continually improving air quality analysis while adding water quality indicators

Next StepsNext Steps

For more Information:For more Information:

Development, Community and Environment Division (DCED)– preuss.ilana@epa.gov– sprague.eric@epa.gov

For information on SGI:– www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sg_index.htm – www.crit.com