National Institute for Transportation and Communities

Climate change is increasingly recognized as a threat to life on earth. “Continued emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) will cause further warming and changes in all components of the climate system. Limiting climate change will require substantial and sustained reductions of GHG emissions.” (IPCC WGI, 2013.) The transportation sector accounts for almost one-third of all GHG emissions in the United States. Growing Cooler describes GHG emissions from transportation as comprised of a three-le... Read More

Oregon’s Sustainable Transportation Initiative (SB 1059) and California’s Sustainable Communities Act (SB 375) have made them the first states in the nation to try and reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using the transportation-planning process. Evaluating how these pioneering laws have changed local planning processes – as well as plans themselves – in each state provides insight into the laws’ effectiveness at changing development patterns in a way that reduces GHG emissions, without wai... Read More