Module 2 Lesson 5 Environmental Sustainability and Livability

1. Module 2 Lesson 5 EnvironmentalSustainability and Livability Dr. Jill Hough TL 786

2. Objectives After attending this lesson, students will be able to: • Describe the concepts of environmental sustainability and livability • Describe the relation of public transportation to environmental sustainability and livability • Describe how public transportation can further these goals while achieving other goals like mobility and equity as well.

3. Overall Context Public transportation serves many purposes. • Efficient method of mobility in dense urban area • Potential congestion mitigation tool • Mobility option for those without other avenues (low-income, elderly, disabled, etcetera)

4. Secondary Benefits of Public Transportation • Public transportation often has benefits that go beyond the primary goals mentioned before. • Environmental SustainabilityPublic transportation can offer environmental benefits, such as. • Lower greenhouse gas emissions • Less energy usage • Supporting land use changes • LivabilityPublic transportation, in conjunction with travel modes like walking, and biking, can help facilitate more balanced, healthy communities.

5. The Role of Transportation in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Transportation overall produces 29% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Of that, automobiles and freight trucks produce the vast majority of GHGs..

6. Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Transit Versus Driving Public transportation also produces lower greenhouse gas emissions per passenger on average.

7. Lifecycle Emissions of Transit Compared to Driving A lifecycle analysis at the emissions of an asset over its life also puts the true impact of different travel modes into context.

8. Land Use Effects of Transit Public transportation can facilitate higher density development, which means that..... • ….Greater number of people can live in the same area, which in turn facilitates • …a higher possibility density of retail and commercial business to support that development. • ...which means that people can reach a lot of their needs by walking, biking, or public transportation. • ….which means that less parking is needed, and the use of the use of this land can be turned over to the use of people for residential or commercial uses rather than paved parking lots. • The densification effect also means that even more drivers, trips will be shorter and less miles are driven as people have to drive shorter distances between destinations.

9. Land Use Effects of Transit • Transit Oriented Development (TOD) is the name for this densification around transit. • Studies have shown that those that live in a dense, transit-oriented development will drive less than people that live in typical housing sites.

10. Public Transit and Fuel Efficiency • Public transit agencies significant users of energy • Fuel (after labor costs) is one of the largest costs for any transit agency • Significant incentive for public transportation agencies to invest in more fuel-efficient technologies when possible. • Federal government often incentives the purchase of fuel-efficient vehicles by requiring a lower local share of funds per vehicle.

11. Fuel Types of Transit Vehicles Buses • Standard Diesel • Biodiesel • LNG/CNG (Liquiefied Natural Gas and Compressed Natural Gas) • Diesel Hybrid • Fuel Cell Electric buses • Trolley (Overhead wire) • Battery electric Fleet fuel mix of all active transit buses in the United States (47,990 total buses as of 2010). Source: 2010 American Public Transportation Association Vehicle Report

12. Changes in Fuel Types of Transit Buses

13. Fuel Types of Rail Transit Vehicles • Heavy Rail – Electricity • Light Rail – Electricity • Commuter Rail • Diesel Locomotives • Electric Locomotives

14. Livability “Livability means being able to take your kids to school, go to work, see a doctor, drop by the grocery store, go out to dinner and a movie, and play with your kids at the park, all without having to get into your car. Livability means building the communities that help Americans live the lives they want to live – whether those communities are urban centers, small towns or rural areas” - US Department of Transportation Ray LaHood. 2010.

15. Livability • Livability not a new concept. • Livability a holistic way to look at the needs of communities, such as • Education • Health • Employment • Mobility is the connector for all of these important issues. • Public transportation an important method of facilitating livable communities.

16. Livability Principles • As part of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities, the US Department of Transportation, US Dept of Housing and Urban Development, and the Environmental Protection Agency came up with 6 Livability Principles for Sustainable Communities: • Provide more transportation choices. • Promote equitable, affordable housing. • Enhance economic competitiveness. • Support existing communities. • Coordinate and leverage federal policies and investment. • Value communities and neighborhoods.

17. Livability Principle Provide more transportation choices. Develop safe, reliable, and economical transportation choices to decrease household transportation costs, reduce our nation’s dependence on foreign oil, improve air quality, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and promote public health.

18. Livability Principle Promote equitable, affordable housing. Expand location- and energy-efficient housing choices for people of all ages, incomes, races, and ethnicities to increase mobility and lower the combined cost of housing and transportation.

19. Livability Principle Enhance economic competitiveness. Improve economic competitiveness through reliable and timely access to employment centers, educational opportunities, services and other basic needs by workers, as well as expanded business access to markets.

20. Livability Principle Support existing communities. Target federal funding toward existing communities—through strategies like transit-oriented, mixed-use development and land recycling—to increase community revitalization and the efficiency of public works investments and safeguard rural landscapes.

21. Livability Principle Coordinate and leverage federal policies and investment. Align federal policies and funding to remove barriers to collaboration, leverage funding, and increase the accountability and effectiveness of all levels of government to plan for future growth, including making smart energy choices such as locally generated renewable energy.

22. Livability Principle Value communities and neighborhoods. Enhance the unique characteristics of all communities by investing in healthy, safe, and walkable neighborhoods—rural, urban, or suburban.

23. Readings: Public Transportation’s Role in Responding to Climate Change:http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/PublicTransportationsRoleInRespondingToClimateChange2010.pdf TCRP Report 93Travel Matters: Mitigating Climate Change with Sustainable Surface Transportationhttp://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp_rpt_93.pdf

24. Contributor Jarrett Stoltzfus, Transportation Program Specialist Federal Transit Administration United States Department of Transportation