Land Use and Air Quality
Sprawl Growth
The design of our cities and rural communities can have great
impacts on the quality of our air. Sprawl development isolates
residential properties in areas far removed from employment centers
and essential services. This, combined with poor neighborhood design
such as cul-de-sacs, retaining walls and other barriers, increase
dependence on the private automobile as the only means for staying
connected.
This vehicle dependence results in increased air emissions and
long-term impacts on our air quality.
Smart Growth
Appendix
E of the District's Clean Air Plan and the document "Creating
Transportation Choices Through Development Design and Zoning"
outline development practices that can improve our communities,
reduce vehicle dependence and decrease impacts on our air quality.
Recommended development practices include:
- Building compact communities to limit urban sprawl;
- Mixing complementary land uses, such as commercial services
located within and/or adjacent to medium or higher density
housing;
- Develop core commercial areas within 1/4 to 1/2 miles of
residential housing areas;
- Develop residential housing areas within 1/4 mile of transit
centers and transit corridors;
- Providing a balance of job opportunities and housing within
communities;
- Increasing residential and commercial densities along
transit corridors;
- Orienting buildings toward streets with automobile parking
in the rear to promote a pedestrian-friendly environment and
to provide convenient pedestrian and transit access;
- Providing a pedestrian-friendly and interconnected
streetscape to make walking more convenient, comfortable and
safe;
- Providing good access for pedestrians, bicyclists, and
transit users; and,
- Directing new developments toward in-fill locations that
provide development within the urban core and urban reserve
lines.
Links
It
Takes Our Region - SLO County regional planning effort
Ahwahnee
Principles
ARB's
"Land Use - Air Quality Linkage" Report
California
Futures Network
Local Government
Commission
Smart
Growth Network
Sustainable
Communities Network
CEQA Tools
Contact us for more information
on this topic.
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