Urban Planning Tools for Climate Change Mitigation

Posted by on August 24, 2009

Urban Planning Tools for Climate Change Mitigation (Policy Focus Report)

Abstract
Land use and urban form are key contributors to greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) through the physical arrangement of streets, building types, and land uses that influence vehicle use and energy consumption in buildings. City and regional officials now facing new emissions reduction requirements are increasingly turning to urban design as a key component of climate mitigation. But, this approach requires decision support tools that illustrate the GHG implications of land use and transportation options. While a wide spectrum of tools currently exists, few have the capacity to work simultaneously at both the regional and local scale, or to capture both building performance and transportation demand analysis.

This report reviews existing tools by scope, scale, methodology, and policy support, and presents four case studies illustrating how existing tools at various stages of development have been used.

http://www.lincolninst.edu/pubs/1573_Urban-Planning-Tools
Contents
2 Executive Summary

4 Chapter 1: The Relationship Between Climate Change and Urban Planning

5 The Challenge of Climate Change

6 The Relevance of Urban Form

8 Tools and Frameworks for Urban Planners and Policy Makers

10 Chapter 2: Characteristics of Modeling and Support Tools

10 Scope

11 Methodology

12 Scale

13 Support for Policy Making

16 Chapter 3: Existing Tools to Assess GHG Emissions

20 Chapter 4: Case Studies: Applications of Selected Tools in Planning Projects

20 INDEX: Designing a Cool Spot Neighborhood

27 I-PLACE3S: Initiating Health and Climate Enhancements

31 Envision Tomorrow: Using Prototype Buildings and Scenario Modeling to Measure Carbon Footprint

37 Development Pattern Approach: Measuring GHG Impacts of Land Use Decisions

43 Chapter 5: Conclusions and Recommendations

46 References and Web Resources

47 About the Authors and Contributors

48 Acknowledgments