CNU-Peter Calthorpe: Think Globally-Act Regionally

Peter Calthorpe is one of original founders of the Congress for the New Urbanism. His firm has done major regional plans, as well as urban revitalization projects throughout the United States.

"Now more than ever numbers matter. There is a need to quantify the benefits of urbanism. "

He holds true to the idea that urbanism is the answer to all the problems that confront us as a result of environmental change, not just a few.

But he is very aware that the benefits of urbanism must be proven with "numbers." But, the numbers only work at a regional level. The numbers do not work at a neighborhood level.

That’s why regional scale plans are at the heart of realizing the true benefits of urbanism. Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO’s) must do regional plans that integrate targeted reductions of vehicle miles traveled (VMT’s) and not just plan for more roads and more traffic.

California MPO’s must do this now. They have the authority to do it. If do not succeed, they do not get highway dollars.

“How we spend transportation dollars is the great form-giver of our regions and neighborhoods.”

Total energy consumption per household, including household and travel, is much less in urban neighborhoods than in suburban.

“It’s all about transportation, and transportation is about urban design.”

The Center for Neighborhood Technology compares Co2 emissions per household versus CO2 per sq mile. If you measure the emissions based on square miles- the result is sprawl. If measured by household, then compact urban form the most efficient.

“The residential market melt down was not just about market failure, it also is a result of building the wrong stuff.”

"AC Nelson wrote an article about future demand for housing. We have so overbuilt large lot single family in the suburbs, we do not need to build another. HBA may come back and do it again, but this is not the market!"

Scott Bernstein in Creating Livable Communities argues that the economies of households are based on transportation costs, and those costs are much higher for people and families in the suburbs. That is why transportation planning and land use planning go hand-in-hand. Focusing solely on vehicle miles traveled and green house gas emissions reductions will not get regions to target levels.

Calthorpe talked about how California’s new Climate Change Law avoids land use issues and focuses on VMT and GHG. "California cannot get to targets with Prius’s and bio fuels."

Every California community now must produce a sustainable community plan. Citizens just voted in high speed rail. The environmentalists have gained up against high-speed rail. They are worried that it will turn the central valley into a cheap bedroom community and will catalyze sprawl. They are right. Without regional planning, high-speed rail can become a catalyst for sprawl.

Jobs and housing balance within a region is very important. Want 5 mile commute sheds; otherwise get major commuting within the region and as metro regions merge between regions. The consequence is increasing separation of workers from employment centers with lower income workers having longer commutes.