Title

Policy in Motion: Transportation Planning in California after AB 32

Abstract

While state and federal actions have been taken to set new requirements for vehicle efficiency and fuels, tackling travel behavior policies that reduce vehicle-miles-traveled and improve transportation network management is needed if California is to reduce its transportation sector’s 38 percent contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. California’s unique democracy and global economy is unparallel to any other union. The State is setting new policy directions for sustainable living through transportation planning, but outdated regulatory frameworks must be aligned with supporting paradigm shifts if California is to move forward in a truly unified vision for people-oriented development and transportation. In a time where both state and federal efforts are pointing toward sustainable planning, Lauren Michele covers five key topics that are necessary for policymakers and practitioners to understand in order to implement sustainable transportation solutions at all levels of government:
•The Four Circles of GHG Reduction Strategies from Travel Behavior: categorizes the existing literature on GHG reduction ranges from land use and transportation strategies into four major themes
•Planning Theory and Frameworks in California:analyzes how environmental review frameworks, funding structures, and the land use/ transportation planning process work at the local, regional, state, and federal levels
•Implementing SACOG’s Blueprint and Metropolitan Transportation Plan:reveals what aspects of California government need policy reform in order to successfully implement SB 375’s ”Sustainable Communities Strategies” through an analysis of SACOG’s Blueprint process, successes, and challenges
•Recommendations for New Policy Frameworks in California:contains suggestions for statute changes, agency actions, and framework reforms that support AB 32, SB 375, AB 857, and SB 391 objectives
•Creating a Federal Framework for Integrated Planning:provides recommended language for evolving federal climate/energy bills and the transportation reauthorization to support GHG reduction through the planning process