National Academies Study

A requirement of Section 1827 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (Public Law 109-58), the National Academies has formed a committee to assess the implication that land development patterns in the U.S. have an adverse impact on energy use and efficiency, including the correlation between land development patterns and increases in vehicle miles traveled.

The specific scope of the study (as detailed in the act), sponsored by the Department of Energy, includes:

1. the correlation, if any, between land development patterns and increases in vehicle miles traveled;
2. whether petroleum use in the transportation sector can be reduced through changes in the design of development patterns;
3. the potential benefits of:
1. information and education programs for state and local officials (including planning officials) on the potential for energy savings through planning, design, development, and infrastructure decisions;
2. incorporation of location efficiency models in transportation infrastructure planning and investments; and
3. transportation policies and strategies to help transportation planners manage the demand for the number and length of vehicle trips, including trips that increase the viability of other means of travel; and
4. such other considerations relating to the study topic as the National Academy of Sciences finds appropriate. Section 1827 (b).

Among the other considerations that the study will include are:

• Considering development trends and projections as the context for understanding development patterns
• Other factors that influence residential location decisions beyond transportation.
• State, regional, and local level "mismatches" between agencies responsible for land use decisions and those responsible for transportation investments.
• Estimates of the possible energy conservation benefits from vehicular energy efficiency changes and land use changes, and the time period over which these changes might happen.

The committee that has been proposed includes the following individuals (APA members noted in bold):

Jose A. Gomez-Ibanez (Chair), John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

Marlon G. Boarnet, University of California, Irvine

Dianne R. Brake, The Regional Planning Partnership

Robert B. Cervero, University of California, Berkeley

Andrew Cotugno, Portland METRO

Anthony Downs, The Brookings Institution

Susan Hanson, Clark University

Kara M. Kockelman, The University of Texas at Austin

Patricia L. Mokhtarian, University of California, Davis

Rolf J. Pendall, AICP, Cornell University

Danilo J. Santini, Argonne National Laboratory

Frank Southworth, Georgia Institute of Technology

A report will be produced approximately 30 months from May 29, 2007. More information on the study may be found at http://www8.nationalacademies.org/cp/projectview.aspx?key=48808.