The TDM Professional

New Development. It's All About Sustainability

So says San Francisco Zoning Administrator and Assistant Planning Director Lawrence Badiner in reference to his City's 2005 ordinance requiring new residential buildings to reduce parking requirements and promote transportation options. "The idea is that if there are fewer cars in the world, more people use the Muni (local transit line) and there are less carbon emissions. It's all about sustainability." We learn this from the always interesting Neil Takemoto at his Cool Town Studios blog in a post entitled Developers Provide Green Incentives to Home Buyers (November 13, 2008).

Mr. Takemoto, who's blog has for years been on the cutting edge of placemaking development trends, says there's an emerging market for "green housing and transportation." He brings a few examples from the the bay area in Oakland and San Francisco where developers are offering free carsharing services and memberships, free bikes, bike repair lounges and lockers and free annual transit passes. And we learn that as of September, 2008 Oakland requires all developers with projects of more than 50 residential units or 50,000 s.f. of non-residential space to complete a "transportation demand management" plan, including strategies to increase bicycle, pedestrian, transit and car-share use. We also find from Neil that in San Francisco the parking requirements are as low as one parking space per four units in some neighborhoods. Now that's aggressive.

In our area these kinds of requirements have been in place since the late 1980's in Montgomery County (Adequate Public Facilities Ordinance) and the City of Alexandria (TMP Ordinance) and since 1990 in Arlington (TDM Policy). And to good effect. We'll come back and share some examples and findings in the future. It should be noted that the District and Fairfax are now exploring wasy to implement these kinds of TDM policies with new development too. What's interesting is that while these policies seem to have generally started as way to fight traffic congestion, they are now gaining additional currency as a green or sustainability issues. Let's hope more areas catch on to these good practices, regardless of the reason.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

 

Cosmoburb. Does That Come With a Twist?

In an Op-Ed (Diversity and the Changing Face of Suburbia, July 18) at Next American City they argue that for some American suburbs the old stereotypes don't apply anymore. They are characterized by diversity and a majority of households without children. They have essentially the same elements that make a place urban - they just arrange it a bit differently than traditional central cities. And "Cosmoburbs" is the term used to describe these places.

According to the book, Boomburbs: The Rise of America's Accidental Cities, the term is used to describe wealthy suburbs that are also divers and increasingly contain non-traditional households. Places like Lakewood, Colorado and Arlington, Virginia. From the article:

"Lakewood, Colorado is following a land-use planning model set by Arlington, Va., in the 1980s when it focused denser growth along the Washington Metro system’s Orange Line. Arlington in 1980, like Lakewood today, contained mostly post-World War II single-family housing in mostly homogeneous neighborhoods. But the Orange Line changed the city into a more diverse and vibrant place. Lakewood is poised to do the same over the next decade, as will other suburbs with new light-rail systems, such as Tempe, Ariz."

While the op-ed focuses on diversity as a drawing card for attracting a creative class of people to these prospering places, another element is there too. These places are also largely more dense and transit-oriented than traditional suburbs. All together these elements make for what the authors call the new economic hubs for an increasingly “brain"-oriented economy. And I bet they drink of lot of cosmos there too.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

It's Not About Rising Fuel Costs. It's About Time.

So says noted urbanologist and creator of the term "creative class" Richard Florida from his new perch as Toronto University's Director of the Martin Prosperity Institute. In an article in the Globe and Mail (The Days of Urban Sprawl Are Over...But Not for the Reasons You Think, July 11, 2008) Florida says it isn't rising gas prices that are sealing the end of development in the suburban fringe and driving consumer interest in developing and redeveloping neighborhoods closer to the core but rather its time costs that really matter. Says Florida:

"With the constant pressure to be more efficient and to innovate, it makes little sense to waste countless collective hours commuting. So the most efficient and productive regions are the ones in which people are thinking and working – not sitting in traffic. And, according to detailed research by the Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman, commuting is among the least enjoyable, if not the single least enjoyable, of all human activities."

He goes on to say that in the world's major urban centers the trend is even more pronounced "as talented, ambitious people trade more space for shorter commutes." Hmmm...reminds of the Think Arlington campaign. Regardless, it makes sense that smart people don't want to waste all that time commuting and that places without the long commutes will continue to capture more and more of the creative class and prosper.

Enjoy the article. Mr. Florida is always an interesting read.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

44 Seconds on Fixing Our Roadways

From the Smart Growth America blog we find a nice 44-second video that illustrates how traffic congestion can be conquered. Says the video's creator Eric De Place of the Sightline Institute:

"It's difficult to illustrate the opportunities that are available now on our roads. We don't need big expensive building projects, just smarter systems that protect both our pocketbooks and our natural resources.

It's fairly easy to make the case analytically, but it often doesn't sink in. To find that intuitive hook, I was planning an interpretive modern dance about traffic congestion. But at the last minute, we were all saved from what would surely have been an uncomfortable experience. Instead, I give you Sightline's new 44 second video on fixing our roadways."

But we knew this already, no? The visuals work though.

Enjoy

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C..

Chicken or Egg on Auto-Oriented Land Use Planning

The good folks at the always interesting Planetizen discuss the chicken and egg nature of doing land use planning for encouraging more people to walk, bike and use public transit (People Like Cars, and There's Not Much We Can Do About It, May 7, 2008, by Christian Peralta). Says Peralta:

"Even though many planners want to think that lots of people would relinquish their cars if they just had a light rail stop nearby, I feel like most Americans remain whole-heartedly committed to private auto ownership, single-family homes, big box retail stores, and the slew of other elements that have created the modern urban landscape."

So he asks if this is a chicken and egg situation where the physical landscape has to change before people consider changing their auto-oriented lifestyle. He seems to posit that it is a combination of city design, policy that increases the costs associated with driving and education to encourage behavior change. Most planners and transportation folks would agree.

I'd say its not so much chicken or egg. Planners do indeed need to move forward with designing for density and more around people and less around cars. They also need to coordinate these efforts with building more transit, bikeways and pedestrian-friendly environments and providing information and services that encourage their use. As an example, here in Arlington we believe that creating the conditions where more people bike, walk and take public transit rest on these three things:

1. Great planning that focuses density in transit corridors,
2. Providing a robust amount of multi-modal transportation infrastructure that focuses on people not vehicles, and
3. Great educational TDM programs.

All together these three things help contribute to a more vibrant, growing, prosperous and sustainable community.

Additional related information.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Longer Commutes = Steep Drop In Housing Prices

NPR tells us (Home Prices Drop Most in Areas With Long Commutes, April 21, 2008, by Kathleen Schalach) that the real estate market is fairing better in areas with shorter commutes rather than those with the long drives into the city. Real estate experts say the trend is true here in the D.C. area as well as areas across the country. The conclusion. The longer the commute the steeper the drop in home values. Says one expert:

"Home buyers' attitudes have changed. The old rule was, "Drive 'til you qualify" - meaning they should go out from the city until they could get what they wanted at a price they could afford. Buyers are now asking different questions: "What is the cost of gasoline? What is the cost of my time?"

As a result, the experts say the market is responding. Over the last two years new construction on forest and farmland has dropped 70 percent while construction in town has held steady. Pushed by changing demographics, the trend is expected to continue. Says another expert:

"We don't live in the Ozzie and Harriet era anymore," Goldberg said. "We live more in the Seinfeld, Sex in the City era, in which young people find cities to be compelling."

Seems like demographics, congestion and energy prices are all having an effect on the housing market. I'm certainlly glad I live in town.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Parking Policy Shapes Our Cities

Rob Goodspeed over at the always interesting Goodspeed Update has a great post (The Urbanists' Panacea: Parking Reform, February 24, 2008) on urban parking policy and how it shapes our cities and impacts traffic. Rob discusses the ideas contained in UCLA planning professor Donald Shoup's book The High Cost of Free Parking.

Mr. Goodspeed also compares the amount of parking required by some of the local zoning codes. He tells us that the District is launching a major revision of it's zoning code and provides a "District of Columbia Zoning Requirement for Parking Study" PowerPoint and links to best practices in parking policy.

Everyone interested in reducing traffic congestion and improving the quality of life in our urban areas should take a look at Rob's post. There's lots to chew on here. Enjoy.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Escape from the Suburban Fringe

The Brookings Institution's Christopher Leinberger has an awesome article in the March Atlantic Monthly (The Next Slum?) about what the future may hold for the outer suburbs and their McMansions. He posits that they may become tomorrow's slums.

Mr. Leinberger finds that the recent decline of some of these places is usually attributed to the subprime-mortgage crisis and its wave of foreclosures. And while true, he believes that in the future, that a structural change in the housing market, in the way that more Americans want to live and work, is what will really work against these places. Says Leinberger:

"Twenty years ago, urban housing was a bargain in most central cities. Today, it carries an enormous price premium. It is urban life, almost exclusively, that is culturally associated with excitement, freedom, and diverse daily life. It’s crucial to note that these premiums have arisen not only in central cities, but also in suburban towns that have walkable urban centers offering a mix of residential and commercial development. People are being drawn to the convenience and culture of walkable urban neighborhoods across the country—even when those neighborhoods are small. "

He says builders and developers have noticed and are responding to accommodate the demand by providing an alternative to conventional car-based lifestyles. They do so by developing infill in the cities and inner suburbs and even finding a way to bring the city to the newer suburbs. He calls these new places "lifestyle centers." Think Reston. He says demographic changes and increases in gasoline and heating costs will only hasten this change in development patterns that favor new and traditional downtowns aligned with transit. He also echos much recent data that says the turn towards more walkable living means better health. So as America moves toward these changes he paints a sad picture that awaits many of today's sprawling outer burbs:

"... much of the future decline is likely to occur on the fringes, in towns far away from the central city, not served by rail transit, and lacking any real core. In other words, some of the worst problems are likely to be seen in some of the country’s more recently developed areas—and not only those inhabited by subprime-mortgage borrowers. Many of these areas will become magnets for poverty, crime, and social dysfunction."

If you live there now, escape while you still have time.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Is Sprawl Contributing to America's Health Care Problems?

According to a recent look at the problem by Forbes Magazine, the answer is yes, sprawl is a contributing factor. According to the article (America's Most Sedentary Cities, October 29, 2007, Rebecca Ruiz) bad eating habits, a lack of exercise and sloth lead to obesity and this in turn leads to chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. So using a criteria of body mass index, TV watching habits and physical inactivity, Forbes looked at America's 50 largest metropolitan areas and found the most sedentary cities as follows:

1.  Memphis
2.  New Orleans
3.  Las Vegas
4.  Detroit
5.  Birmingham
6.  Louisville
7.  San Antonio
8.  Jacksonville
9.  Nashville
10. Miami
11. Houston
12. Tampa
13. San Diego
14. Pittsburgh
15. Oklahoma City
16. Indianapolis
17. Atlanta
18. Richmond
19. Cleveland
20. Philadelphia

Seven cities couldn't  be ranked because of a lack of available data. The lowest or best ranking went to San Francisco coming in at #43. According to their findings "While obvious trends plague most cities - sprawl was mentioned consistently - although it also become clear that each city battles very specific problems."

"We have heavily invested in a sedentary, sprawling lifestyle" says Tom Jones, a Memphis-based consultant for Smart City Consulting. Jones' former colleague, Carol Coletta, president of the non-profit organization CEOs for Cities, also points out that the economically bifurcated population, lack of transit options, unwalkable neighborhoods and favored Southern cuisine are a "deadly formula" for the city.

It's a very interesting puzzle, says Dr. Thomas Glass, an associate professor of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health says, "Suburban sprawl is a major player. There are very different scales of urban density and finding the best ones could be a prescription for reducing inactivity."

So a compact built environment, walkable neighborhoods, and options to driving can make us healthier. Need more help or information? Find out how many calories you can save by switching trips from driving to taking transit, biking, walking or telecommuting on Arlington's Car-Free Diet Calculator.

Additional Resources: Fit Arlington web site.

Related story: U.K. Report: Walk More and Loose Weight, Save the Environment, August 16, 2007

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.

Bold Move: Transportation in 2030 Means Travel Choice

On November 13 the Arlington County Board adopted goals and policies as it began the process of revising it's Master Transportation Plan. Arlington is already nationally renown for it's smart growth, transit-oriented development policies. With adoption of the plan, last updated in 1976, Arlington embarks on a path to to adopt a host of progressive, cutting-edge transportation policies that will complement the development plan and take it through the year 2030.

According to the press release, "a key goal is to provide enough high-quality choices for each trip made in Arlington and to reduce dependence on cars." Says County Board Chairman Paul Ferguson: "This plan will make our transportation system even more efficient by offering more alternatives to driving private cars."

The plan emphasizes expanding travel choice by:

• Expanding a system of high-frequency transit routes,
• Upgrading walkways,
• Expanding the bikeway network, and
• Expanding TDM programs and services.

The revolutionary part of all this is that Arlington is going boldly into the future, adding new residents and workers, and planning to do so without adding any traffic. How? By getting people to take transit, walk, bike, and telework. No new roads. That's a tall order. But over the past 10 years the County has added population and jobs and traffic hasn't really increased. With the adoption of this new plan, Arlington will have a guide that marries good planning and a commitment to expanding transportation options infrastructure and world-class TDM programs. These three things should help Arlington grow and prosper in a sustainable fashion through 2030.

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Chris Hamilton is the Commuter Services Chief for Arlington County, manager of CommuterPageBlog and The TDM Professional blog and is a biking/Metrorail commuter from Alexandria, Virginia just outside of Washington, D.C.