Smart growth can help stem climate change

As many within the coalition work to establish the link that land use and smart growth have on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, overall energy consumption, and improving energy security, one state implemented a new policy requiring consideration of the impact a new development will have on greenhouse gases (GHG’s). Building on the recent Supreme Court decision that GHG’s are pollution and can be regulated, Massachusetts will soon be requiring all new large-scale developments to consider the amount of GHG’s a new project will create, and to address them with “green” technologies.

Site and context are part of the equation for measuring the environmental impact of projects. As the Boston Globe wrote, “Not only will the state look at direct emissions from smokestacks and heating with fossil fuels, but it will consider the indirect effect of thousands of workers driving to a new office park.”

Kristina Egan with the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance says they’re excited about this new policy change by Governor Deval Patrick. Although it only applies to new large-scale developments that trigger an environmental review, she says it’s a step in the right direction — including GHG emissions in environmental review and considering the impact of site and location as well as design.