POLICY IN MOTION: TRANSPORTATION PLANNING IN CALIFORNIA AFTER AB 32
Authored by Lauren Michele
Foreword by Dr. Daniel Sperling
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Policy in Motion Becomes a Book!
While state and federal actions have been taken to set new requirements for vehicle efficiency and fuels, tackling travel behavior policies that reduce vehicle-miles-traveled and improve transportation network management is needed if California is to reduce its transportation sector’s 38 percent contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. California’s unique democracy and global economy is unparallel to any other union. The State is setting new policy directions for sustainable living through transportation planning, but outdated regulatory frameworks must be aligned with supporting paradigm shifts if California is to move forward in a truly unified vision for people-oriented development and transportation.
“This book examines California’s transportation planning initiatives since AB 32, with a nuanced eye toward the State’s particular rules, laws, politics, and institutions. Lauren Michele provides insights and lessons for policymakers and practitioners—in California and elsewhere—as they strive to create more sustainable communities and transportation systems.”
–Dr. Daniel Sperling; Director/Professor, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis
In a time where both state and federal efforts are pointing toward sustainable planning, Lauren Michele covers five key topics that are necessary for policymakers and practitioners to understand in order to implement sustainable transportation solutions at all levels of government:
- The Four Circles of GHG Reduction Strategies from Travel Behavior:
categorizes the existing literature on GHG reduction ranges from land use and transportation strategies into four major themes
- Planning Theory and Frameworks in California:
analyzes how environmental review frameworks, funding structures, and the land use/transportation planning process work at the local, regional, state, and federal levels
- Implementing SACOG’s Blueprint and Metropolitan Transportation Plan:
reveals what aspects of California government need policy reform in order to successfully implement SB 375’s “Sustainable Communities Strategies” through an analysis of SACOG’s Blueprint process, successes, and challenges
- Recommendations for New Policy Frameworks in California:
contains suggestions for statute changes, agency actions, and framework reforms that support AB 32, SB 375, AB 857, and SB 391 objectives
- Creating a Federal Framework for Integrated Planning:
provides recommended language for evolving federal climate/energy bills and the transportation reauthorization to support GHG reduction through the planning process
ABOUT THE AUTHOR….
In a time where transportation policy efforts are pointing toward economic, environmental and equitable stewardship, Lauren Michele – Principal and Founder of Policy in Motion – supports planning practitioners, policy makers and public participants in understanding how sustainability policy impacts community values. Her combined knowledge as a practicing transportation planning consultant and sustainable policy analyst allows her to connect federal and state legislative priorities with local and regional implementation.
Lauren Michele crafts and implements transportation projects and regulatory frameworks which work toward complete community sustainability and people-oriented development – facilitating access to affordable living near quality jobs, food, schools and health services. A graduate of the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies and researcher with the University’s Urban Land Use and Transportation Center, Ms. Michele’s background extends from in-classroom teaching of undergraduate courses in transportation policy to experiential learning while living and researching multi-modal transportation planning in Europe.