[sustran] VTPI News - Spring 2017

[Todd Litman]

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                 VTPI NEWS

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              Victoria Transport Policy Institute

              "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"

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              Spring 2017    Vol. 17, No. 2

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The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research
organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transportation
problems. The VTPI website (www.vtpi.org ) has many resources addressing a
wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also provides
consulting services.

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NEW REPORTS

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"The New Traffic Safety Paradigm" (www.vtpi.org/ntsp.pdf )

Despite large investments in safer vehicles, roads and traffic safety
programs, traffic accidents continue to impose huge costs to individuals and
society. New approaches are needed to achieve ambitious traffic safety
targets such as Vision Zero. A new traffic safety paradigm is changing how
planning professionals measure traffic risks and evaluate potential safety
strategies. It reflects recent research which improves our understanding of
crash risks and potential traffic safety strategies. The old paradigm
assumes that motor vehicle travel is overall very safe, and so applies
targeted strategies which address specific risks. The new paradigm
recognizes that all vehicle travel imposes risks, so planning decisions that
increase vehicle travel tend to increase crashes, and vehicle travel
reduction strategies increase traffic safety. It also recognizes that it is
infeasible to reduce high-risk driving without providing viable
alternatives. This expands the range of potential traffic safety strategies
to include multi-modal planning, transportation demand management, and Smart
Growth policies. A review of existing traffic safety programs indicates that
most overlook or undervalue these new strategies. 

 

"Increasing Sustainable and Affordable Housing Development by Reforming
California Tax Credit Allocation Policy to Minimize Parking Subsidies and
Maximize Housing" (www.vtpi.org/lewis_TCAC ), by Professor Sherman Lewis.

The state of California helps finance affordable housing development through
tax credits using a system that subsidizes costly parking, wastes millions
of dollars on unused parking spaces, and diverts funds and land from
affordable housing development, reducing how much can be built. It
encourages vehicle ownership, traffic congestion, accidents, greenhouse
gases, and pollution and lacks incentives for alternative mobility. Bundling
parking with housing is unfair to households that do not use the parking
spaces assigned to them, but whose rent must cover the costs. Unbundling
would rent parking spaces separately from housing units, so households pay
only for parking spaces they actually need. In short, current tax credit
allocation policies contradict local and state objectives to provide
affordable housing and counter climate change.

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PUBLISHED & PRESENTED ELSEWHERE

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"Unaffordability Is a Problem, but Sprawl Is a Terrible Solution"
(http://bit.ly/2oj7G5a ). This City Fix blog discusses how sprawl increases
transportation expenses and other costs. It argues that geographically
constrained cities must grow up, not out, for affordability.

 

"Want Commuters to Ditch Driving? Try Giving Them Cash Money"
(http://bit.ly/2ocTgnm ). 

This Wired Magazine article quotes Todd Litman concerning Washington DC's
plans to require some employers to 'cash out' free parking (give non-drivers
a benefit of equivalent value to subsidized parking). Also see "Groups laud
flexible commute benefits bill to give employees more sustainable commute
options" (http://bit.ly/2oyfKuv ) and "DC Residents Deserve Fair Commuter
Benefits" (http://bit.ly/2oSpTpe). 

 

"You Got Yours, Now Please Let Others Have a Chance: Say Yes to Affordable
Housing!" (https://t.co/zyoKFNNT50 ). This Times Colonist newspaper column
argues that Victoria (and other large city) neighborhoods should allow more
affordable infill housing. The Cities for Everyone version includes a map
showing where multi-family housing is forbidden in Victoria
(http://bit.ly/2n88shX ).

 

"Should Developers Pay to 'Ride' the Benefits of Transit? Where Transit
Goes, Land Values Rise. Should Cities And The Public Get A Share?"
(https://thetyee.ca/News/2017/03/07/Transit-Benefits-Should-Developers-Pay
). This Tyee Magazine article quotes Todd Litman concerning the advantages
and disadvantages of imposing special "value capture" taxes.

 

"Frontiers of Urban Planning" (https://youtu.be/EbK8m9cJzFY ). Zeb King
interviewed Todd Litman and learned some surprising facts about Smart
Growth, transit use, and how zoning codes affect parking.

 

"Designing Mental Health Into Cities" (http://bit.ly/2pmN3Fw ). This website
summarizes key facts and figures concerning the mental health impacts of
urban living.

 

"Integrated Transport and Land Use: Sylvia Park as a Case Study"
(http://bit.ly/2p4nbNL ). This study compared the costs of accommodating
various access modes (walking, cycling, bus, rail and car) to the Sylvia
Park shopping center, and spending by their users. It concludes that the
shopping center tends to receive high economic returns from walking, cycling
and public transit travels, and could gain from encouraging these modes and
reducing parking supply.

 

Recent Planetizen Blogs ( <http://www.planetizen.com/blog/2394>
www.planetizen.com/blog/2394 ):

'Reduced and More Accurate Parking Requirements.' For each dollar motorists
spend on their vehicles somebody spends more than a dollar to park it. To
reduce these costs many jurisdictions are eliminating or reducing parking
requirements and encouraging more efficient parking management. You can too!
(https://www.planetizen.com/node/92360 )

 

'Finding Hope In Challenging Times.' Despite depressing U.S. federal
politics, there are many encouraging planning trends if you look
internationally and locally. (https://www.planetizen.com/node/91937 )

 

Let's be friends. Todd Litman regularly posts on his Facebook page
(www.facebook.com/todd.litman ). Befriend him now!

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UPCOMING EVENTS

=======================

"Cities for Everyone" (http://citiesforeveryone.org ) will have a table at
the 6th Annual Creatively United Earth Day Festival & Sustainability
Showcase (http://bit.ly/2q0tO0R ), Earthday, Saturday, April 22, 10 am to 5
pm, at the Royal BC Museum, Victoria, BC. Free admission.

"Cities for Everyone Personal-Political Art Contest"
(http://citiesforeveryone.org/art-contest ). This contest challenges
Victoria-area artists to explore links between personal experiences and
politics regarding housing and transportation affordability. One $400 prize
will be awarded for the most creative and insightful work in each of three
categories: visual arts, creative writing and journalism. Deadline: May
30th.

 

"Sustainable Cities Initiative, Urbanism Next Workshop"
(http://bit.ly/2oSwqjE ), April 24, Portland. The University of Oregon's
Urbanism Next initiative explores ramifications of technological change on
city design and planning. This workshop assembles a multi-disciplinary panel
to discuss how autonomous vehicles and e-commerce may affect urban
development.

 

"Canadian Senate Committee on Transport and Communications"
(http://bit.ly/2p4ibJ3 ), May 2, Ottawa. At a hearing concerning connected
and automated vehicles, Todd Litman will discuss research from his report,
"Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Projections: Implications for Transport
Planning" (www.vtpi.org/avip.pdf ).

 

"Congress for New Urbanism" (www.cnu.org/cnu25 ), May 3-6, Seattle.

.         "Transportation, Place, & Prosperity," Friday, May 5th, 9:00-10:15
AM, Seattle Art Museum. This presentation by Todd Litman and Peter Katz will
discuss how more accessible development and new mobility options can help
create more prosperous and livable communities, and how to communicate those
benefits to key stakeholders.

.         "Walk N' Roll in Victoria Tour," 7:30 AM - 7:30 PM, Saturday, May
6. Join walkability guru Dan Burden and Todd Litman for an educational tour
of Victoria which explores the art of healthy city-making. Participants
should bring a passport, small backpack, water, snacks, and rain gear.

 

"Manitoba Planning Conference" (www.mbplanningconference.com ), May 10-12,
Winnipeg.

This conference will have many interesting presentations. Todd Litman will
lead two sessions: 'Multi-modal Rural Planning: Understanding Demands and
Solutions' and 'Affordability as a Planning Issue: New Insights and Policy
Responses'. 

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BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

=======================

"Tenth Regional Environmentally Sustainable Transport (EST) Forum in Asia:
2030 Road Map for Sustainable Transport - Aligning with Sustainable
Transport Development Goals (SDGs)" (http://bit.ly/2mHZs1p ), March 14-16,
Vientiane, Lao PDR. 

This major international conference included Todd Litman's keynote speech
'Insight to Implementation of the Bangkok 2020 Declaration ~ Policy Trends
and Developments, Challenges and Opportunities' (http://bit.ly/2n3CPbz ). It
adopted the 'Vientiane Declaration on Sustainable Rural Transport Towards
Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.' 

 

"Transit-Walkability Collaborative Webinar" (http://bit.ly/2p48xGr ). This
webinar described research concerning the health, safety, economic and
social equity benefits of walkable, transit-rich communities, and practical
ways to advocate for such development. A recording is available on the
website.

 

"Harmony Between Urban Growth and Transportation Accessibility"
(www.konference.pmdp.cz/en/2017/downloads ), presented at the Smart &
Healthy Transport in Cities Conference, 4 April 2017, Pilsen, Czech.  

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USEFUL RESOURCES

=================

"Building Change: Towards Sustainable Communities in BC"
(http://bit.ly/2oydsLE ). This Real Estate Foundation report describes how
to build thriving, resilient communities and natural environments through
better community planning. It recommends specific actions for creating more
sustainable communities in British Columbia.

 

"Right Type, Right Place. Assessing the Environmental and Economic Impacts
of Infill Residential Development through 2030" (http://bit.ly/2pZTwT8 ).
This comprehensive report used integrated models to assess housing
production scenarios that could meet California's ambitious greenhouse gas
reduction targets and other planning goals. The analysis finds that more
compact, infill development performs better in terms of both emission
reductions and economic growth.

 

"Study Sparks Debate Over Relationship Between Compact Development and
Driving" (www.planning.org/blog/blogpost/9120808 ). This American Planning
Association blog discusses a current debate among experts concerning the
vehicle travel reductions that can be achieved with Smart Growth policies.
Although research suggests that individual factors such as density, mix and
walkability have modest impacts, together they can reduce residents' vehicle
travel 20-60% compared with what would occur in sprawled,
automobile-dependent areas.

 

"Visualizing Density in Five Ontario Neighborhoods"
(www.visualizingdensity.ca ). This Canadian Urban Institute report helps
planners, designers, officials, builders and residents design more complete
and accessible communities.

 

"Blending Individual Tenacity with Government's Responsibility in the
Implementation of US Non-motorized Transportation Planning (NMT)"
(http://bit.ly/2p0qBPH ). This paper examines the risks involved in walking
and bicycling, and government responsibility to protect users health, safety
and well-being. 

 

"Transportation and Health Indicators" (http://bit.ly/1Je2rsn ). This new
USDOT website reports 14 transport-related health indicators such as land
use mix, per capita vehicle mileage, physical activity from transportation,
and proximity to major roadways at the state, metropolitan or urbanized area
level, for research and comparisons.

 

"Peer City Identification Tool" (http://bit.ly/2nn1fxD ). This website
allows users to compare peer cities using various data sets. However, it
fails to discuss how well these indicators reflect goals such as equity,
resilience or economic development. For example, does older housing stock or
a lower home ownership rate really indicate a housing problem? Is median
family income a useful indicator of resilience? Users should be cautious
when interpreting results.

 

"Parkageddon. How Not to Create Traffic Jams, Pollution and Urban Sprawl.
Don't Let People Park for Free" (http://econ.st/2pdbYaD ). This Economist
Magazine article describes the inefficiencies and inequities of current
parking planning practices and recommends reforms. 

 

"Seattle's Transportation Transformation" (http://bit.ly/2oyo5OD ). This
article by Sarah Jo Peterson describes how Seattle is becoming more
multi-modal by implementing high quality public transit, commute trip
reduction programs, infill development, and efficient parking management. A
great case study describes how Seattle Children's Hospital has reduced its
drive-alone rate from 72% in 1995 to 40%, and how it plans to achieve a 30%
target by 2030.

 

"Transportation Lifestyle Trends in the United States, 2006-2015"
(http://bit.ly/2odfPbw ). This study by Sarah Jo Peterson used American
Community Survey data to track vehicle ownership in U.S. states,
metropolitan regions and core cities. A majority are experiencing declining
vehicle ownership rates.

 

"Practices for Evaluating the Economic Impacts and Benefits of Transit"
(www.trb.org/main/blurbs/175968.aspx ).  This report provides
state-of-practice for evaluating public transit economic benefits and
impacts. It describes methods used for assessing transit economic impacts,
and the ways that agencies are using this information for planning,
prioritizing, funding, and stakeholder support. (Note, the authors
misspelled "Litman" as "Littman").

 

"Driving Faster Doesn't Make You Happier. It Just Makes You Drive Farther"
(http://bit.ly/2ouYarS ). User satisfaction surveys indicate that residents
of cities with higher average traffic speeds and more driving per capita are
less satisfied with their regional transportation systems than in slower
traffic regions. According to study author Joe Cortwright, "If we could
figure out ways to enable shorter trips and less travel, we'd have happier
citizens." 

 

"Suburban Sprawl Stole Your Kids' Sleep. Why does school start so early?
Blame 1970s planning." (http://bit.ly/2nrNooQ ). American schools' early
start times are largely imposed by the additional time required for bus
systems to transport children in sprawled locations.

 

"Repealing Minimum Parking Requirements in Buffalo: New Directions for Land
Use and Development" (http://bit.ly/2pMDHjD ). A new zoning ordinance in
Buffalo, New York completely removes minimum parking requirements citywide,
relieving developers and property owners from the mandate to provide
off-street parking. This article examines the decision and its impacts. 

 

"Energy and Emissions Reduction Policy Analysis Tool" (http://bit.ly/2ov0org
). This integrated, state-level modeling system developed by the U.S.
Federal Highway Administration evaluates strategies for reducing
transportation energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

 

"Environment as Politics. New Drawings of the Relation Between Residential
Density and Voting Behavior" (http://bit.ly/2p0yh4g ). Forget about red and
blue states, North and South, coasts and heartlands; the major American
political geographic divide is closer to home. If you want to predict how
someone will vote, ask, 'How near are your neighbors?'

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Please let us know if you have comments or questions about any information
in this newsletter, or if you would like to be removed from our email list.
And please pass this newsletter on to others who may find it useful.

 

Sincerely,

Todd Litman (litman at vtpi.org)

Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)

Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150

1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA

     Efficiency - Equity - Clarity