Download 022802GGPREUSS (Smart Growth Index A Sketch Tool for

EPA’s Development,
Community and Environment
Division:
Tools for Evaluating Smart
Growth and Climate Change
February 28, 2002
Ilana Preuss
How do current development patterns
impact Environmental Quality?
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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
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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 can Smart Growth address
Environmental Impacts?
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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,
Community and Environment Division
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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
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Exploring innovative policy opportunities
Tool Development
– Smart Growth INDEX model (SGI)
– Water model
Smart Growth INDEX (SGI)
Overview
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Community Sketch Planning Analytic Tool
Compare impacts and outcomes from alternative
development scenarios
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Enhances local decision-making capacity for:
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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 Tool
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Can be applied in any community or region with a
GIS
Generates outputs useful to both technical and nontechnical 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)
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Simultaneously addresses changes in vehicle travel
with changes in land use patterns
SGI’s value to states and communities
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Models and displays impacts that may not
otherwise be highlighted in traditional models
– Promotes the principles of Smart Growth
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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 Requirements
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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 Indicators
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Population density
(residents/sq. mi)
Land use mix
Housing transit
proximity
Employment transit
proximity
Vehicle miles
traveled/day/capita
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Air pollution
(lbs/yr/capita from
criteria pollutants)
Climate Change
(CO2/tons/yr/capita)
Energy consumption
Park space
availability/access
SGI Output Display
Indicator
Description
Persons/sq. mile
Persons (residents and employees)
per sq. mi.
Ratio of total jobs to total housed
workers.
Proportion of dissimilar land uses
among a grid of one-acre cells.
Length of street in miles divided
by areas of neighborhood in
square miles (miles per sq. mile.)
Percent street frontage with
sidewalks
Ratio of shortest walking distance
from outlying nodes to
neighborhood center vs. straightline distance
Ratio of intersections vs.
intersections and cul-de-sacs
Average distance from dwellings
to closest transit stop in feet.
Percent of dwellings within 1/4
mi. of transit stops
Jobs/housing
balance
Land use mix
Street network
density
Sidewalk
completeness
Route directness
Street
connectivity
Average distance
to transit stop
Housing near
transit
Ideal
Scenario
100,000
Fells Point
Scenario
75,570
1.0
6.93
1.0
0.63
10
34.6
100
100
1.3
0.9
1.0
0.67
600
229
100
90
Source: MD Office of Planning
SGI Models Development Alternatives
SGI Pilot Communities
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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
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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 - Wilmington
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Examined brownfield redevelopment scenarios in
Wilmington, DE
Targeting development alternatives on particular
sites:
– high density
residential
– intense
commercial
– industrial
development
Sites: MD - Digital Harbor
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Study area at Fells Point in Baltimore, MD
Generation of new jobs and housing
Examined air quality impacts
– Reduction
in VMT,
emissions
and
greenhouse
gases
Sites: MA - Metropolitan Area
Planning Council
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Hudson, MA pilot project to examine the impact of
2 development proposals
– Intel jobs
– Condo
units
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Examines
the proximity
of residential
development
to available
transit
Sites: TX - San Antonio
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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
Next Steps
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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
For more Information:
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Development, Community and Environment
Division (DCED)
– [email protected]
– [email protected]
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For information on SGI:
– www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/sg_index.htm
– www.crit.com