Note: Updated 10/28/2024

Introduction

In 2008, the California Legislature passed the Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act, Senate Bill 375 (SB 375). SB 375 is a first-of-its-kind law to recognize the critical role of integrating transportation, land use, and housing decisions. The law requires each of California’s 18 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to include a sustainable communities strategy (SCS) in its long-range regional transportation plan. The SCS identifies strategies to meet regional greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets set by the California Air Resources Board (CARB).

In 2017, the Legislature passed Senate Bill 150 (SB 150), tasking CARB with issuing a progress report every four years that assesses progress each MPO has made in meeting the regional GHG emission reduction targets set by CARB. This dashboard showcases over two dozen data-supported metrics that CARB analyzed to support the 2022 SB 150 Progress Report.

How to Use This Dashboard

The purpose of this dashboard is to highlight transportation, land use, and housing metrics that CARB analyzed to support the 2022 Progress Report. Users can interact with the visualizations below to filter data or reveal additional information.

Filter Data

Use filters at the top of each visualization to narrow down data of interest. Most visualizations allow filtering by MPO region. Some visualizations also allow filtering by year. 

Find Additional Information

Hover or click on a chart or graphic to reveal additional information about a given metric. For details on how a metric was calculated, see the linked methodology below each visualization. 

Passenger Vehicle VMT and GHG Emissions Per Capita

Changes in transportation, land use, and housing are essential to meeting the State’s climate and equity goals. Despite California’s aggressive work on vehicle technology, advancing vehicle electrification alone will not be enough to get to carbon neutrality.

CARB estimated passenger vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and associated GHG emissions compared to each MPO’s regional GHG emission reduction targets (which are set relative to a 2005 baseline). This comparison shows that California is not on track to reduce GHG emissions from passenger vehicle travel under SB 375. Actual per capita GHG emissions and VMT continue to increase throughout the state. However, per capita VMT and GHG increases have slowed down since 2017.

Methodology (Appendix A)

Transportation Choices and Travel Patterns

Transportation and land use development can reduce GHG emissions by making it easier for people to get around on foot, by bike, or by transit. Travel indicators such as vehicle ownership, transit ridership, commute mode share, and commute time paint a picture of how transit, carpooling, and active transportation usage have changed relative to driving. In general, Californians continue to drive alone more and carpool less to work. Household vehicle ownership is growing, transit ridership is falling, and the small percentage of people that walk or bike to work is declining.

Methodology (Appendix A)

Regional Growth

One way to reduce the need to drive long distances is to build and connect homes, jobs, and other key destinations closer together. CARB examined changes in land use to assess whether development patterns were becoming more compact. This included evaluating changes in three types of land use: developed acres, agricultural acres, and conserved acres. Developed acres are areas that have been converted from other uses to urban land. Agricultural acres lost are areas that have been converted from agriculture to other uses. Conserved acres are areas that are protected from development of any kind. All three of these indicators vary by region, as illustrated in the maps below.

Methodology (Appendix A)

Accessible Communities

When people live near shops, schools, parks, and transit, they can meet many of their daily needs without having to drive long distances. They may even be able to walk, bike, or ride a bus to their destination.

For each region, CARB evaluated the percentage of the population that lived within a 15-minute walk to four key destination types: park/open space, educational facilities, transit stops, and grocery stores. Unfortunately, most residents in California lack good accessibility to key destinations: less than half of the population in every region can access all four destination types by walking.

Methodology (Appendix A)

Housing Choices

Housing development is an essential component for achieving SB 375 goals. For example, housing policies that promote multi-family units and equitable development can improve transit accessibility and help reduce trip length.

CARB compared permitted new housing construction to each region’s housing need by income group as defined by the State Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) 5th planning cycle. Housing permitting and constructions were significantly behind regional housing allocations, especially for low-income housing.

CARB also analyzed the growth rate in single-family and multi-family housing units. The state continues to build more single-family housing than multi-family housing. However, since 2013 the growth rate of new housing has started to rebound, and the share of multi-family housing units has outpaced the percentage of single-family housing units.

Housing costs can be a substantial financial burden to predominantly low-income households. CARB analyzed the percentage of households that are overburdened by housing costs (defined as households that spend more than 35% of their income on housing). The percentage of overburdened households increased from 2010 to 2014 and slowly decreased in recent years.

Methodology (Appendix A)

Investment in Transportation Choices and Development

Funding for SCS projects comes from local, regional, state, and federal funding programs. Planned financing can explain whether a region is implementing projects and programs that reduce VMT and GHG emissions.

The charts below illustrate planned spending by mode in each region according to the MPOs most recent Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). RTPs typically cover a period of two or three decades and must cover at least 20 years. MPOs have discretionary authority over only a portion of the funds in RTPs, and that portion differs by region. Local governments, County Transportation Commissions, and transit agencies are examples of authorities with decision-making power over funds in the RTPs. Certain funding sources also have constraints attached.

With a few notable exceptions, most regions have more spending dedicated to roads than transit or active travel. Many regions continue to include significant funding for road expansion.

Methodology (Appendix A)

Additional Information

For additional information, please see:

• 2022 SB 150 Progress Report for details on CARB’s findings and methodology

For assistance with web accessibility, please email webaccessibility@arb.ca.gov.