ORDERING
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Air and Radiation (6401)
This publication is available from the National Service Center for Environmental Publications (NSCEP) at:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
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Phone:(800)490-9198
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FOR MORE
Information
The guidance document described here is available at:
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/traq
Or call the TRAQ Center Information Request Line at:
(734)214-4100
VING
Quality
IRAQ
EPA's Transportation Air Quality Center
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/traq
EPA 420-F-00-047
December 2000
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INTRODUCTION
EPA recently published guidance, "Improving Air Quality
Through Land Use Activities"(EPA 420-P-00-002), that is
designed to help communities address the linked problems
of community growth, increased demand for transporta-
tion, and reduced air quality. The Guidance describes the
options that local, state, and regional air quality agen-
cies, in cooperation with other interested citizens and
groups, can use to account for the air quality benefits of
certain land use activities in the air quality planning
process. The Guidance is a voluntary information tool that
may be used to determine the environmental benefits of
certain development patterns.
This brochure describes the types of issues that the
Guidance can help communities address as they plan
for land use. It also contains examples of the kinds
of land use activities that might qualify for air quality credit
and information on how to secure the Guidance and
related publications that can help communities evaluate
land use activities and their potential impacts on air quality.
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
Transportation and Air Quality
Much has been done to reduce emissions of air pollution
from cars and trucks over the last 25 years. These efforts
have focused on the use of technology and tailpipe con-
trols, and have been very successful at reducing the
emissions of air pollutants from transportation sources.
However, since 1970, the number of cars and trucks
in the U.S. has more than quadrupled while the U.S.
population has not quite doubled. Furthermore, the
average annual mileage driven by Americans in 1997
was almost twice as high as it was in 1970. So, even
while automobiles are getting cleaner, the number of
vehicles on the road and the frequency and length of
trips have been increasing. This is especially true in
areas that are currently experiencing high rates of growth
in population and development.
"Rapid growth and sprawl are destroying the fabric of our communities, creating congestion and costing taxpayers billions of dollars.
Americans should not have to spend more time in traffic than they do at the family dinner table." (Maryland Governor Parris Glendening,
quoted in Charlotte Observer, July 14, 2000)
monetary incentives for people to buy a house
near their workplace. The state will contribute
$1,000 toward the closing costs of such a home
purchase to be matched by $1,000 from the
employer and $1,000 from the city. Anyone buy-
ing a home that is walk- or transit-accessible to
their workplace can apply for the grant, provided
that their employer has agreed to participate. The
program was listed in the 1998 conformity deter-
mination document of the Baltimore Region
Metropolitan Planning Organization.
Orenco Station, Oregon. Orenco Station
is a new pedestrian and transit oriented com-
munity in East Hillsboro, Oregon. It was named
the 1999 "Masterplanned Community of the
Year" by the National Association of
Homebuilders (NAHB). In 1998, it won the
Governor's Livability Award and the Gold Nugget
Design Award. Orenco Station is being praised
as a successful example of the move to com-
bine successful elements of traditional neighbor-
hoods with modern technologies, to present a
functional and attractive alternative to sprawl. In
the 1980s, when Pacific Realty Associates
(PacTrust) acquired more than 200 acres of land
near the old company town of Orenco, about 10
miles west of Portland, the property was zoned
for commercial use. In the early 1990s,
Portland's Westside light rail line brought mass
transit service to the area, and zoning of the
property was changed from industrial to station
area residential. This meant that Orenco Station
would now be designated a town center, which
would require the property to be developed as
high-density mixed-use property. The result was
a master plan envisioning a transit and pedestrian
oriented community, with a 7-acre town center
linking the residential area with the light rail
station to provide a traditional main street, with
restaurants, stores and professional offices, all
within walking distance. Within the town center
are residential lofts and live/work townhomes.
The townhomes, reminiscent of old brownstones,
allow residents to have an office or studio on the
first floor of their home. Around the town center
are single family cottage homes. These homes
feature traditional regional architecture. Garages
are set behind the homes on rear driveway lanes.
There are many pocket parks scattered through-
out the community, along with two large central
parks. The design of the community encourages
neighbors to get to know one another. Residents
can walk to get a quart of milk, a cup of coffee,
or a nice meal. Orenco Station is attracting pro-
fessional singles and couples, empty nesters and
small families. The fact that these homes sell at
20-25% higher than other homes in the area has
not in any way hampered sales, according to the
company. (Rosemary Leonetti, March 17,2000,
http://www.office.com, used by permission)
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EXAMPLES OF LOCAI LAND USE PLANNING
Here are some examples of local land use activities that
may have air quality benefits. Air quality agencies
in these areas can use the Guidance to identify air quality
benefits for these and related activities.
Monterey Bay Area, California. The 1997 Air Quality
Management Plan for the Monterey Bay Area includes
a transportation control measure called "Livable
Communities." The plan satisfies the California Clean
Air Act, and recognizes the adoption of a Livable
Communities Initiative by the Region's Metropolitan
Planning Organization in 1995. The Initiative establishes
regional policies to promote mixed land uses, transit-
supportive density and zoning for new development,
pedestrian/bike circulation and access, transit access,
and pedestrian-friendly designs. The measure was
included in the plan for two reasons. First, it helped
establish the Livable Communities program as a long-
range planning goal for local governments. Second,
inclusion of the program made bicycle and pedestrian
projects eligible for particular state funding sources that
are dedicated to transportation projects that benefit air
quality.
Baltimore, Maryland Metropolitan Area. The Phase II
Attainment Plan for the Baltimore Region identifies several
"non-traditional approaches to ozone control." One of these
is the State of Maryland's Smart Growth initiative. The
Smart Growth legislation, adopted by the state in 1997,
limits most state infastructure funding and economic devel-
opment, housing and other program monies to those places
local governments determine to be growth areas. The law is
intended to ensure that the state will not facilitate develop-
ment in areas where it is not desired by local governments.
Part of the Smart Growth legislative package is a program
called "Live Near Your Work. "The program provides
" We need to design sidewalks and street crossings that allow people to walk and ride bicycles. We have to be careful that we don't divide neigh-
borhoods if we do a major road project or when we provide transit facilities. And we need to create mixed-use developments that include both
residential and retail components, condominiums, extensive rentals, restaurants and bars, and offices. Zoning and building codes make it a very
difficult thing to do right now. We 've got to make it easier to put housing above shops. Code officials need to... encourage mixed-use develop-
ments. And developers ought to do a better job, too." (John Williams, developer of "new urban" projects that favor density, walkability, mass
transit, and mixed residential and commercial zones, as quoted in "Doing Something Constructive, by Jonathan Lerner, Hemispheres Magazine,
August 1999)
These trends - more cars on the road, people
driving more, and increased trip lengths - are in
some areas decreasing the impacts of improved
emissions technology. To combat these trends,
state and local government agencies seeking to
reduce emissions from cars are increasingly look-
ing not just at technological strategies, but at
strategies to reduce driving.
As local government agencies plan and evaluate
the best growth and development strategies
to meet their communities' needs, the impacts
of these strategies on air quality should also be
considered. There is evidence that some types
of development patterns necessitate the use
of a car, while other types can reduce reliance on
cars and trucks for transportation. In some cases,
such development patterns can mean shorter and
fewer trips, thus reducing vehicular miles traveled
by cars and trucks and improving air quality;
other development patterns have the potential
to improve or mitigate air quality problems by
providing and promoting alternatives to vehicular
travel, such as mass transit, walking or biking.
EXAMPLES OF LAND USE ACTIVITIES
Transit-oriented development (TOD): encouraging transit travel by developing moderate-
to high-density housing, shopping, and employment centers along a regional transit system,
with pedestrian access.
Infill development: encouraging pedestrian and transit travel by locating new development in
already developed areas, so that activities are closer together.
Brownfield development: remediation and redevelopment of under-utilized or abandoned lands,
usually in already developed areas, that have been contaminated during previous use.
Mixed-use development: development that locates complementary land uses such as housing,
retail, office, services, and public facilities within walking distance of each other.
Neotraditional design/pedestrian-oriented development: creating a set of land development
and urban design elements with the purpose of creating pedestrian oriented neighborhoods.
Developing concentrated activity centers: encouraging pedestrian and transit travel by creating
"nodes" of high density mixed development that can be more easily linked by a transit network.
Strengthening downtowns: encouraging pedestrian and transit travel by making central business
districts concentrated activity centers which can be the focal point for a regional transit system.
Jobs/housing balance: reducing the disparity between the number of residences and the number
of employment opportunities available within a sub-region by directing employment developments
to areas with housing, and vice versa.
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WHAT KINDS OF INFORMATION DOES
The Guidance Provide?
The Guidance:
4- Describes the options for accounting for the
air quality benefits of land use activities in the
air quality planning and transportation planning
process (i.e., state implementation plans (SIPs),
and conformity determinations)
+ Helps you determine which accounting option is
appropriate for a chosen land use activity
How CAN THIS
Guidance Help?
Air pollution emissions from cars are a function of how
many trips people make using these vehicles, how far
they have to drive, and the types of vehicles they drive.
The way land is developed and how residences, jobs,
shopping, recreation, and other destinations are
situated within an area have an impact on the length and
number of auto trips that people must take, which in turn
affects pollution. Transportation and air quality planners
Helps you model the air quality impacts of land
use activities
Educates local and state government officials
about land use planning as a tool for achieving
clean air
Will assist air quality and transportation planners
in accounting for the impacts of the land use
strategies which local and state governments
voluntarily adopt.
must estimate future pollution levels from motor vehicles
in their SIPs and conformity determination processes (see
box below).
The Guidance describes EPA policies and practices for
quantifying the air quality benefits of land use activities.
Accounting for air quality benefits, in SIPs or through the
conformity determination process, is appropriate for land
use policies and projects where EPA has assurance that
State Implementation Plan (SIP): State air quality plans required by the Clean Air Act for non-attainment and maintenance areas. The
plans are prepared by state air quality agencies and include estimates of future air quality and plans to attain appropriate air quality standards.
Conformity Determination: The process (as defined by the Clean Air Act) to assess the compliance of any transportation plan, program, or
project with air quality control plans.
reduced emissions from transportation sources
(such as cars, trucks and buses) will result. The
Guidance presents the conditions under which
the benefits of land use activities could be
included in a SIP or a conformity determina-
tion, and provides guidelines for quantifying
the emissions reductions and meeting EPA
reporting criteria.
WHO WILL BENEFIT
From This Guidance?
State and local air quality agencies and metro-
politan planning organizations responsible for
quantifying air quality programs can use the
Guidance, especially those located in mainte-
nance and non-attainment areas. Of course,
many other key stakeholders play a significant
role in successfully employing land use as a tool
for improving air quality. Therefore, the Guidance
will also be of interest to others, such as citi-
zens, community organizations, state, regional
and local government agencies, private devel-
opers, financial institutions, and members of
academia who want to improve air quality in
their communities.
COMMENTS RECEIVED
On The Guidance
"EPA's guidance on land use is timely given the current movement among communities to refocus land
use decisions to achieve liability and sustainability." (California Department of Transportation, Office of
Community Planning)
"(This document) will bring together two groups of practitioners that traditionally have not worked closely:
local government land use planners andMPO modelers. "(Criterion Planners/Engineers - Eliot Allen, AICP)
"I am pleased to observe that this guidance identifies the specific ways that air quality benefits of land use
policies and projects could be accounted for in the air quality and transportation planning processes.
I commend the technical merits of the methodologies described in the document and their applicability
to accounting for the air quality impacts of infill developments in the air quality and transportation
planning processes." (Senator Richard L. Russman, Chairman, Senate Environment Committee, State of
New Hampshire)
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