This document discusses sustainable transportation strategies for San Antonio, focusing on reducing vehicle miles traveled (VMT). It notes that VMT is a key measure of transportation sustainability, and that San Antonio has set goals to reduce daily per capita VMT. High VMT contributes to urban heat islands and greenhouse gas emissions. Transportation infrastructure like roads and parking lots covers a significant portion of urban land. Comparable cities that have reduced VMT the most have invested more in public transit and implemented smart growth policies. The document recommends San Antonio pursue strategies like expanding rail transit, reducing parking minimums, and evaluating new roads for their impact on VMT.

1. Sustainable Transportation for San Antonio
Bill Barker, AICP
Adjunct Associate Professor
Urban & Regional Planning
College of Architecture, Construction & Planning
September 22, 2017

2. Vehicle miles of travel (VMT)
a key measure of transportation sustainability
• The most sustainable areas are those
with the least vehicle miles of travel
(VMT)
• “…reducing vehicle miles traveled
(VMT) is an official goal of the U.S.
Government policy”
• In 2011, SA2020 set a goal of a 10%
reduction in the 2007 value of 21
miles/day/capita by 2020
• In 2016, SA Tomorrow Sustainability
Plan set a goal of reducing VMT from
22.4 miles/day/capita in 2013 to 16.5 in
2040
2
Black, William R. "Sustainable transport and potential mobility." European
Journal of Transport and Infrastructure Research 2.3-4 (2002): 179-196.
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/
hpms/epastat.cfm
http://www.sa2020.org/wp-
content/themes/sa2020/pdf/SA2020_Final_Report.pdf
http://www.sasustainabilityplan.com/files/managed/Document/160/SA%20Tomorrow%20Sustai
nability%20Plan%20
Adopted%2008%2011%202016%20S.pdf

3. VMT Urban Heat Island Impact
beyond greenhouse gas emissions
• Cities are warmer than surrounding countryside
due to impervious cover and anthropogenic heat
• San Antonio temperatures are increasing -
impacting human health and the economy
• Auto-oriented development pattern creates
more impervious cover
• 47-62% of anthropogenic heat in the summer is
from VMT
3
http://www.climatecentral.org/news/sizzling-summers-20515#dangerdays
www.vtpi.org/landuse.pdf
Sailor, David J., and Lu Lu. "A top–down methodology for developing diurnal and seasonal anthropogenic
heating profiles for urban areas." Atmospheric environment 38.17 (2004): 2737-2748.

4. Transportation Impervious Cover Needs
4
http://blog.cellbikes.com.au/2012/09/australia-re-creates-world-famous-transport-photo/
McCahill, Christopher, and Norman Garrick. "Automobile use and land
consumption: Empirical evidence from 12 cities." Urban Design
International 17.3 (2012): 221-227.
https://www.planetizen.com/node/72454/land-vehicles-or-people
• Roads and parking cover
10-25% of urban land
• Road space
requirements increase
with vehicle speed
• Parking space area
increases with auto use
Litman, Todd. "Evaluating Complete Streets." Victoria
Transport Policy Institute 6 (2013).
USGS National Land Cover Database 2011

5. Twenty-year (1995-2015) change in VMT/Capita
urbanized areas with comparable population in 2015
5

6. Urban Vehicle Miles of Travel Factors
Based on a 10% Increase in the Factor of Interest in 144 U.S. Urbanized Areas
6
-2.00% -1.50% -1.00% -0.50% 0.00% 0.50% 1.00%
Road
Density
Supply of Bus Transit
Supply of Rail
Transit
Jobs-Housing Balance
Center City Orientation
Relative Impact on Urban VMT
Increase VMT
Reduce VMT
Source: Antonio M. Bento, Maureen L. Cropper, Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, Katja Vinha, The Impact of Urban Spatial Structure on Travel Demand in the United
States, The World Bank Group Working Paper No.: 3007, March 20, 2003

7. How to Reduce VMT
7
PORTLAND
SAN JOSE
SACRAMENTO
• Create a 21st century
approach to transit
funding to include rail
transit
• Implement smart
grow strategies
• Reduce impervious
parking area
• Evaluate road projects
for VMT impact
“Seattle Climbs but Austin Sprawls: The Myth of the Return to Cities”,
The New York Times, May 22, 2017
2015 Per Capita
Transit Funding

8. Bill Barker, AICP
bill.barker@utsa.edu