Issues: Smart Growth

As anyone who's ever faced an endless stream of red taillights knows, there's nothing quite so frustrating as sitting in traffic. The average commuter spends more than 100 hours a year just trying to get to and from work, according to the U.S. Census Bureau -- more time, in fact, than he or she spends on vacation. Those long commutes heat up more than just tempers -- they heat up the planet, too.

The equation is simple: the more we drive, the more fuel we burn, the more planet-warming carbon dioxide our cars emit. Today, transportation accounts for one third of all U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. And while scientists say we need a 60 to 80 percent reduction by 2050 to stop global warming, vehicle emissions are steadily rising. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that by 2030, the average number of miles Americans drive each day will increase 59 percent.

Cars that get better mileage can help reduce our global warming emissions, as can low-carbon fuels such as ethanol. But these solutions alone won't do the trick if current trends continue and our trips to the office and the grocery store become evermore far-flung. By channeling development to the right places and planning mixed-use, bicycle- and pedestrian friendly-neighborhoods where people can work, shop and play closer to home, we can reduce our need to drive by as much as 40 percent, according to a report by Smart Growth America and published by the Urban Land Institute.

The opportunity to slash global warming pollution through "smart growth" is tremendous. In the next 50 years, more than 89 million homes and 190 billion square feet of commercial space will be built in the United States. If that development were to follow smart growth principles, according to the report, we could cut greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by up to 12 percent.

Demand for clustered, walkable communities is on the rise, as the number of single-occupancy households increases and more baby boomers retire. The report notes that the sales price per square foot for condominiums and townhouses in 2003 exceeded that of detached homes for the first time in the country's history. Americans might be ready to forsake traffic snarls in favor of having amenities and public transit close at hand -- and in the process, do as much to save the planet as to save their sanity.

Related Pages:
Press Release: Less Auto-Dependent Development Key to Solving Global Warming
Report: Growing Cooler: The Evidence on Urban Development and Climate Change [pdf]

last revised 10.10.07