HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem B: Land Use/Transportation Framework
ECC
UGENE ITY OUNCIL
AIS
GENDA TEM UMMARY
Work Session: Land Use/Transportation Framework
Meeting Date: April 28, 2010 Agenda Item Number: B
Department: City Manager’s Office Staff Contact: Kevin Finney
www.eugene-or.gov Contact Telephone Number: 541-682-5017
ISSUE STATEMENT
The City’s land use and transportation policy decisions help shape development and infrastructure
construction, outlining the community’s future. The Sustainability Commission has discussed how it can
most effectively contribute to discussions on increasing the sustainability of land use and transportation
policies and investments, and has requested this meeting to share recommendations for council priorities
and actions that could more fully address the potential changes anticipated by global climate change and
the uncertainty of our long-term energy security
.
BACKGROUND
In June 2009, the council adopted the Sustainability Commission’s FY10 work plan which was
organized into eight outcomes. Outcome 2 of the work plan committed the commission to “Link land
use and transportation planning more closely with sustainability goals,” and the commission developed
the following related goals for their work in FY10:
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Delegate the commission’s Land Use and Transportation Subcommittee to research and prepare
recommendations for discussion by the full commission and then make recommendations to
council on land use and transportation issues;
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Maintain commission member participation on the Eugene Comprehensive Lands Assessment;
and,
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Strengthen relationship with Planning Commission around sustainability issues.
The commission has identified these land use and transportation goals as a top priority for its work and
has focused significant effort on gaining an understanding of the complexities of planning and land use
issues. The attached document, “An Action Plan for Eugene,” describes the foundational factors that the
commission identified in its study and provides specific strategies for advancing a vision for Eugene’s
future.
RELATED CITY POLICIES
Numerous City and regional policies are applicable, including:
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TransPlan,
which guides transportation system planning in the Eugene-Springfield metropolitan
Goal #1: Integrated Transportation and Land Use System. Provide an integrated
area.
transportation and land use system that supports choices in modes of travel and development
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patterns that will reduce reliance on the auto and enhance livability, economic opportunity, and
the quality of life.
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Council Resolution No. 4618, adopted in February 2000, outlining a definition and statement of
intent regarding the application of sustainability principles to the City of Eugene, and affirming the
commitment of City elected officials and staff to uphold these principles.
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Council Sustainability and Transportation Initiatives, adopted in February 2007
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Council vision and values related to sustainable development, adopted in May 2009.
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Eugene Growth Management Policies, adopted in February 1996, specifically -- Policy 10,
Encourage the creation of transportation-efficient land use patterns and implementation of nodal
development concepts. Policy 11, Increase the use of alternative modes of transportation by
improving the capacity, design, safety, and convenience of the transit, bicycle, and pedestrian
transportation systems. Policy 12, Encourage alternatives to the use of single-occupant vehicles
through demand management techniques. Policy 13, Focus future street improvements on relieving
pressure on the City's most congested roadways and intersections to maintain an acceptable level of
mobility for all modes of transportation.
RESOURCE REQUIREMENTS
At this time, no resource requirements have been identified.
COUNCIL OPTIONS
The council may:
1) Provide direction to the Sustainability Commission and City Manager for follow-up.
2)Schedule future discussions.
3)Take no action at this time.
CITY MANAGER’S RECOMMENDATION
This is a discussion at the request of the Sustainability Commission; the City Manager makes no
recommendation.
SUGGESTED MOTION
None.
ATTACHMENTS
A.An Action Plan for Eugene – A Report from the Land Use and Transportation Sub-Committee
(LUTSCO) of the Eugene Sustainability Commission.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Staff Contact: Kevin Finney
Telephone: 541.682.5017
Staff E-Mail: Kevin.p.finney@cileugene.or.us
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ATTACHMENTA
An Action Plan for Eugene
A Report from the Land Use and Transportation Sub-Committee (LUTSCO) of the Eugene
Sustainability Commission. Adopted by the Sustainability Commission, April 21, 2010
The twin challenges of global climate change and declining world oil supply require effective local land
use and transportation policies and actions to sustain our community’s economic, environmental and
social health. Though many view these challenges as beyond the scope and ability of local government
to address, they do inspire us to make decisions that will benefit the community, regardless of our ability
to have an impact on a global scale.
Historically, land use and transportation planning have not been well integrated, which has impeded
efforts to use land and energy in the wisest ways.
Going forward, we need community decision processes based on a clear understanding of the close
interrelationship between land use and transportation systems and the impact of our choices on climate
and energy consumption. On this foundation, our community can take actions to reduce its energy
consumption and impacts on climate. Our community can also become better positioned to weather the
economic and other challenges that may arise from repercussions of climate change and declining oil
supply beyond the scope of local control.
Integrated Challenges of Energy and Climate Change Require Integrated
Decision Making and New Thinking
The content of this document is built on a foundation of the following factors that were developed as the
result of LUTSCO’s input from community policy makers, community members and widely available
scientific data.
1. Climate change will adversely affect cities
Scientific consensus on global climate change has generated action among policy makers at all scales in
virtually every nation. City governments are at the forefront of climate action planning – and rightfully
so, as a carbon-constrained economy and costly climate events will come home to roost at the municipal
level.
2. Energy supplies and costs are becoming increasingly volatile
Energy experts see global energy supply and demand on a collision course, with some predicting a
repeat of 2008’s price spikes coming to world oil markets as soon as the economy recovers. All current
information suggests that an economic recovery will be slow in coming and that the new economy will
have higher unemployment, with its attendant social issues. Many observers believe we are entering a
volatile time in energy markets, creating an urgent need to rethink business models and consumption
patterns.
3. The nexus of land use and transportation is the key focal point
Our economy’s greenhouse gas emissions result overwhelmingly from our dependence on fossil fuels,
so these challenges are inextricably intertwined. Specifically, it is buildings and transportation – our
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roads, homes and commercial buildings, and our patterns of land use, land development and
construction – that together make up more than half of our energy demand, determining much of our
“carbon footprint.”
4. Integrated decision-making is essential
In order to frame our policy discussions and make informed decisions for our community’s future, we
must address the connections between land use and transportation. Our planning processes for
transportation and the built environment are sophisticated, but they don’t integrate well and only
occasionally address the concerns of energy security and climate change. We rarely explicitly consider
land use and transportation together with an eye to our carbon footprint and its effect on our city’s and
children’s future. We can no longer afford to make decisions separately. We need decision-making
processes that ensure we examine land-use/transportation concerns through a twin energy/climate lens.
5. We must align the conversation
The City of Eugene and its residents are already taking on many critical issues in land use, transportation
and the nexus of the two. Many of these efforts will lower greenhouse gas emissions from buildings and
vehicles, leave more dollars in our pockets, and create a more livable community.
But these current land use or transportation efforts are often separate from each other. Some are led by
advocacy organizations, others organized by city staff. Some are grassroots efforts focused on behavior
change, others are focused on improving formal institutions and codes. In many cases, they have
overlapping aspirations, but don’t reinforce each other. We need diverse efforts to create long-term,
positive change, but without shared language and understanding, our work is vulnerable. Narrow short-
term concerns can often pull us off the long path to realizing a new vision.
Success comes when we can identify what we can agree on as a community. We’re more likely to reach
that common vision when we engage each other in a clear discussion about the very real effects of the
coming volatility in energy prices and climate change. We need to frame policy decisions in the context
of the energy and climate future because these issues affect all three components of triple bottom line
sustainability.
Over time, the community is best served by the Council and staff integrating energy and climate
concerns into all policy decisions, regardless of whether they appear to be energy or climate related. The
current challenge is that many ad hoc decisions unintentionally move us in the wrong direction – toward
sprawl, auto-dependence, decreased long-term livability and less economic security.
Next Step for Eugene: A Detailed Vision, with Overarching Goals
1. Elements of a shared vision for Eugene’s future:
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We need a decreased reliance on energy from outside the community, energy sources with
increasing and volatile prices, and carbon intensive energy sources
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For our future success as a city we must lower greenhouse gas emissions from businesses,
households and economic activity
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Patterns of land use and modes of transportation must further energy and climate goals
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Policies, plans and Council-level decision making should incorporate climate and energy
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Economic development policies should encourage businesses that can prosper in a carbon-
constrained economy and help all businesses lower their dependence on outside energy sources
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A sustainable community is one where social justice, environmental stewardship and economic
prosperity are the bases for good policy
2. Specific strategiesthat advance this vision
:
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Facilitate compact residential development that fits with and enhances neighborhood character
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Involve the community in developing a shared vision of sustainability
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Better integrate non-auto transportation corridors with commercial activity
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Foster a vibrant downtown that includes housing options
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Ensure access to open space by transit and non-motorized modes
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Increase bicycle and pedestrian connectivity, especially linking residential and commercial
centers (remove physical and psychological barriers)
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For motorized passenger transportation, plan to adopt forms that lower dependence on outside
energy sources and reduce carbon emissions
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Focus local transportation spending to reflect climate and energy issues, and leverage state and
federal transportation funding to the fullest extent possible to these ends
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Establish codes, incentives and zoning to connect development with transit and other alternative
modes
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Promote and give priority to green building, carbon reduction, site selection, and more efficient
use of existing urban land
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Ensure that policy revisions – for example, to TransPlan and the Urban Growth Boundary – take
the maximum allowable action inside the constraints of state law to meet these goals
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Where state law fails to incorporate energy and climate concerns, seek to incorporate those
concerns prior to accepting outcomes focused on the short run
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Use inter-jurisdictional and inter-agency collaboration to further this vision
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LEE
IST OF XISTING FFORTS
The Land Use and Transportation Subcommittee (LUTSCO) spoke with representatives of the following
efforts, either before the Subcommittee or in other forums:
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Opportunity Siting and Infill Compatibility Standards
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Bicycle and Pedestrian Action Committee (B-PAC)
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West Eugene Collaborative (WEC)
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EmX (Lane Transit District’s Emerald Express)
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Local efforts to prepare for the deployment of electric vehicles
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Eugene Comprehensive Lands Assessment (ECLA)
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Green building strategies currently being advanced by City of Eugene staff
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Energy and climate action planning by City of Eugene staff
R
ESOURCES
Pathways to a low-carbon economy, McKinsey & Company (2009). Available at
www.mckinsey.com/clientservice/ccsi/pathways_low_carbon_economy.asp.
Averting the next energy crisis, McKinsey & Company (2009). Available at
www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/next_energy_crisis.
Descending the Oil Peak: Navigating the Transition from Oil and Natural Gas, Portland Peak Oil Task
Force (2007). Available at www.portlandonline.com/osd/index.cfm?c=42894.
Moving Cooler: An Analysis of Transportation Strategies for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions,
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. (2009). The Urban Land Institute, Washington, D.C. Available at
http://www.movingcooler.info/.
Driving and the Built Environment: The Effects of Compact Development on Motorized Travel, Energy
Use, and CO2 Emissions -- Special Report 298 (2009). Available at
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12747.
Opportunities to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Materials and Land Management
Practices, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response
(2009). Available at http://www.epa.gov/oswer/publication.htm.
ACI
UTHORSHIP AND ONTACT NFORMATION
This memo was prepared for the Sustainability Commission by the Land Use and Transportation Sub-
Committee. If you have questions, please contact the City of Eugene City Manager’s Office and ask for
staff support to the Sustainability Commission. Special thanks to LUTSCO members Joshua Skov,
Howie Bonnett, Josh Bruce and Rusty Rexius. Thanks also go to several Sustainability Commissioners
who provided valuable input, feedback and editing, to David Funk for additional revising and editing,
and to Paul Conte for his helpful critique of the revised document.
For more information, please visit the Commission’s web site:
www.eugene-or.gov/sustainabilitycommission
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