Image: Beige Alert Flickr CC

There is an inescapable link between building and personal transportation: what we build where determines where we drive when. All the greenhouse gases (GHGs) and smog emitted by cars come about because someone is trying to get somewhere, usually a building. When green building is mentioned the design, materials, and functionality of a building typically come to mind.

However, there is a larger town planning aspect which also must be considered. Sustainable town planning includes placing buildings in such a way that self-powered and public transportation are encouraged.

If you have to get on the highway to get to anything zoned for nonresidential use, it’s very hard to live a sustainable lifestyle. Sustainable town planning doesn’t just help the environment, it leads to more livable communities and a higher quality of life.

In the effort to reduce GHG emissions from electricity generation an energy efficiency/renewable energy tag team is being employed. Energy efficiency reduces the overall demand for electricity, and renewable energy proves clean sources to meet an increasing proportion of electricity demand. These two forces work together to make the strongest impact quickly.

Green car technologies (hybrids, PHEVs, EVs, bio-fuels, clean diesel, etc.) and town planning considerations must both be part of the solution to reduce the environmental impact of our cars. Sustainable town planning will reduce our dependence on cars, while green technologies will make the cars we drive more environmentally friendly.

Changes to town planning, unfortunately, are unlikely to have as strong an immediate impact as energy efficiency improvements–whose affect is usually immediate. The existing built environment will be unaffected. New construction is especially slow after the real estate bubble burst. Changes can, however, slowly reshape our towns and cities.

It is simply not sustainable in the long-term to continue to build more and bigger roads to accommodate more traffic, whether that traffic is powered by gasoline, electricity, bio-fuels, or hydrogen.

Some trends will naturally lead to more sustainable land use. Online shopping, telecommuting, and virtual meetings should become increasingly convenient.  Rising prices of scarce resources (including land) will also create an incentive for sustainable development. Global warming will continue to be a factor.

Although progress should be inevitable, sustainable town planning codes are a way to band together and build the communities we want to live in.