William Fulton February 24, 2009

PUTTING SB 375 TO WORK ON THE GROUND

Creating Places That Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

D E S I G N , C O M M U N I T Y & E N V I R O N M E N T

POLICIES ARE FINE BUT …

Emissions are caused by the way people actually live their lives

So how do you create situations where people CAN drive less

… and are ENCOURAGED to

… rather than REQUIRED to?

HOW CAN WE MAKE THIS HAPPEN?

Higher gas costs WILL reduce VMT.

But there is a FLOOR to how far down VMT Many people MUST drive most places because of our land use patterns.

Thus, the built environment can only absorb SO MUCH when it comes to lower VMT.

WHAT’S THE WHAT’S THE GOAL?GOAL?

Clearly, the goal is to increase the ability of the built environment to “absorb” less driving.

Many advocates talk about transit & bicycling

But that’s about MOBILITY.

THE GOAL IS NOT MOBILITY. IT’S ACCESS

How do you provide the things that people need in closer proximity to where they are?

Still driving, but driving less, is still really good.

Annual Household VMT

14,000

31,291

7,437

19,054

15,707

0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 30,000 35,000

CARB Target

Danville-San Ramon

Walnut Creek

Rockridge

Nob Hill-Fish Wharf

LOCATION WITHIN THE METRO AREA MATTERSLOCATION WITHIN THE METRO AREA MATTERS

AND YOU NEED CONCENTRATION, NOT JUST AND YOU NEED CONCENTRATION, NOT JUST DENSITYDENSITY

“Mono-Density” – lots more of ONE thing – doesn’t help.

You must have more of EVERYTHING in close proximity to one another.

STRATEGIESTRATEGIESS

The obvious solution is a TODThe obvious solution is a TOD

The not-so-obvious solution is a POD The not-so-obvious solution is a POD (Parking Oriented District)(Parking Oriented District)

But the strategies are more or less the But the strategies are more or less the samesame

CONCENTRATION OF ACTIVITIES

Maintain a diverse

mix of land use patterns

Don’t allow any single use – residential, commercial, retail, or anything else – to occupy more than 50% of your land

Concentration of Activities

Leverage the presence of civic institutions

Concentration of Activities

Intensify employment as well as housing

HORIZONTAL MIXED USE

• Activities Need To Be In Close Proximity To One Another

• But Not Necessarily On Top of Each Other

IT’S IN THE BUSINESS MIX

• The Mix of Businesses And Services Is Just As Important As Land Use

• Focus on Neighborhood Services

STRENGTHEN THE ‘CENTER’ ASPECT

• Deep Commercial District

• Little Through Traffic

STRENGTHEN THE ‘CENTER’ ASPECT

• Look For The Emerging Opportunities

On a regional level, you need transit

But on a local level, parking performs the same role as a transit station

Park Once strategy

USE PARKING TO YOUR ADVANTAGE

POD TO TOD

Good parking is the foundation of a good mixed use district

Often a precursor to transit

Pasadena: Parking garages to support retail laid foundation for transit that supports housing

REGIONAL GUIDANCE: SANDAG DESIGN REGIONAL GUIDANCE: SANDAG DESIGN GUIDELINESGUIDELINES

William Fulton February 24, 2009

PUTTING SB 375 TO WORK ON THE GROUND

Creating Places That Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions

D E S I G N , C O M M U N I T Y & E N V I R O N M E N T