Key Facts About Land Use and Climate Change

California has taken an historic leadership role in combating global warming with legislative and executive action that calls for significant reductions in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the emphasis for emission reductions is often on technological remedies, how and where we decide to grow may ultimately determine our success.

Poorly planned development -- urban sprawl -- is one of the biggest causes of GHG pollution in California. Because so many new communities require a car for every trip, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has increased at nearly twice the rate of California’s population. 38% of California’s GHG emissions are caused by transportation. The vast majority of these emissions are from passenger cars and trucks.

Unless we change our growth and development patterns and build more walkable, transit-oriented communities, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in California will increase 40 - 70% by 2030, canceling out the emissions benefits of improved fuel economy and low-carbon fuel options. (See chart below).

The Impact of VMT Growth on C02 Emissions in California

Smart land use reduces GHG pollution

When walking, bicycling and public transit are convenient, people use them. In the San Francisco Bay Area, a recent study found that when people both live and work within a half a mile of a transit station, 42 percent ride transit to work. Conversely, just 4% of people ride transit to work if they neither live nor work within half a mile of a transit station. In addition, when cars are used in mixed-use, compact communities, the trips are usually shorter. Significant reduction in vehicle travel is typically realized when housing densities of 12-20 units per acre are achieved. In addition to reducing VMT, smart land use minimizes GHG emissions by reducing traffic congestion, increasing energy and water efficiency of buildings, and preserving more natural areas to absorb CO2. This map of the Bay Area demonstrates how people in walkable communities near transit generate less CO2 per household.