Nothing But the Facts About Green Building, Density, and Climate Change

Today’s Land Use Jargon VMTsGHGsTODH & T Index HIASCSCAPHOV LIDRTPLEED ND Form Based Codes Complete Streets Walk Score 2

The Climate Change Scene Public pressure to take action Federal impetus through Clean Air Act issues Reluctance to act sooner at the federal level spawned action at state and local level Began with green building, energy efficiency Expanded to include land development issues

State and Local Actions Leading the way: – California – King County, Washington (Seattle) – Massachusetts – Many local governments

Increasing Federal Involvement More policies and legislation: – Obama’s Livability Principles – Sustainable Communities partnership between HUD, DOT, and EPA – Clear tie to upcoming reauthorization of federal transportation bill

Increasing Federal Intrusion— The New Land Use Paradigm Steer development towards existing communities and infrastructure Denser is better Transit is more efficient Get people to drive less Increased federal role in incentivizing state and local land use approaches

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NAHB Action Steps To Date NAHB policies on Smart Growth, green building and climate change ANSI approved National Green Building Standard Comprehensive research--7 studies and summary publication, all available for free at Research on Housing and Transportation Affordability Index

NAHB Research Staff studies: – Residential energy use of new versus existing homes – Residential versus other sectors – Embodied energy in materials in a home – Vehicle emissions and compactness of development

NAHB Third Party Research EcoNorthwest researched literature on connection between development density and pattern and climate change Abt Associates examined literature on many key land use planning factors related to density, development, and climate change

NAHB Third Party Research EcoNorthwest: Found “no actionable body of literature” Concluded most studies and reports are based on planning rhetoric and ideology frameworks Literature not sufficient to warrant change in land use policies

Is Higher Density a Solution to Climate Change? The idea: Higher residential density reduces driving and therefore the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change 12 Research demonstrates a link between residential density and travel behavior, but leaves questions: –How strong is this link? –What is the direction of cause and effect? –What factors affect this link? Density  Driving  GHGs 

Abt Associates Research Findings Density directly influences VMT and mode choice but most studies find that the impact is modest: – doubling residential density reduces VMT and trips taken by only about 5 percent Dense developments in the middle of nowhere will have little effect on travel behavior Density at the destination—place of employment— was more important than residential density in shaping commuters’ decisions to use transit

14 Abt Findings on Travel Behavior Street patterns and pedestrian-oriented design have a weak impact on auto use; they have a bigger impact on walking and bicycling Transit availability has a small impact on auto use Massive investments in new rail lines would be required to substantially increase ridership Other features of built environment and other factors are more important influences on consumer behavior

15 Findings on Travel Behavior Multiple interacting factors including a host of market, socioeconomic, and demographic issues influence consumer behavior Mobility increases with income, so higher-income people take more trips and own more cars Lack of affordable housing near jobs a factor Commute also not the most important factor in households’ location decisions

16 The Role of Business Decentralization Cities have been decentralizing for more than 50 years Less than a quarter of jobs are now located in the central business district of a metropolitan area Suburb to suburb commutes are twice as common as suburb to central city ones Transit works best in densely developed monocentric cities with centralized employment Yet cities increasingly do not fit this description

17 Increases in Two-Worker Households Two-worker households have been increasing, and with that the complexity of household location decisions Business decentralization means these two workers are more likely to commute to different locations Families with children tend to locate further from work; childless couples have shorter commutes Non-work travel often involves multiple destinations that are not well suited to public transit options

Many Factors, Many Choices, Many Solutions More and better density and transit aren’t a bad thing But it’s not as simple as denser is better and transit will cool the planet Powerful market forces at work Host of factors and trade-offs Complex to manage for multiple objectives

NAHB Approach and Next Steps Oppose mandates that dictate local land use patterns, especially from the federal level Encourage market-driven solutions Support voluntary green building Educate consumers on how to reduce their impacts

More NAHB Action Steps Extensive Outreach: Hill Agencies—in discussions with HUD now National organizations HBAs Land Use Toolkit underway