[EXCERPTED: read original article here.
Land use planning that can help make places less dependent on automotive transport is a critical piece of any emissions-reduction plan or plan for an energy-uncertain future. See any of the articles in Post Carbon Cities' Land use subject category. -Ed.]

by Hing Wong

"City and county governments have the ability and opportunity to help California achieve [its emissions reduction] goals because they are the agencies responsible for creating local community land planning policy. Many cities and counties in Northern California have already done so with impressive results, and even more are following their lead.

"For example, Marin County's Sustainability Program has become a national model demonstrating how planners can reduce greenhouse-gas emissions. The results earned Marin County the 2008 National Planning Excellence Award for Implementation from the American Planning Association. Through the program, greenhouse-gas emissions in public buildings were reduced by 100 tons during a five-year period. Energy-efficiency measures in the program resulted in nearly 2 million kilowatt hours of energy being saved between 2006 and 2007, and energy conservation measures prevented 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide from being generated."

"In Oakland, Fruitvale Village demonstrates how infill development, where new land uses are created on sites previously used for another purpose such as manufacturing, can encourage economic revitalization and the use of mass transit. Built on former Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) parking lots next to the Fruitvale BART station, the transit village combines dozens of mixed-income homes, shops and restaurants, office space and community services such as a library, clinic and senior center. The resulting neighborhood allows residents to walk or use public transit for their regular recreation-, work- or school-related commutes. Ultimately, that creates less reliance on automobiles and reduces greenhouse-gas emissions.

"With these examples as models, several cities in the region, including San Jose and Richmond, are now in the process of revising their general plans, which serve as blueprints for guiding future growth and development. The discussions on these new general plans have included increased focus on incorporating mixed land uses, infill, higher density and transit-oriented development."

Photo credit: Lisa B