Denton Developing Its First Climate Action and Adaptation Plan
December 13, 2022
The City of Denton is developing its first Climate Action and Adaptation Plan (CAAP) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase Denton’s resiliency. As part of the process, the City is hosting its first community engagement meeting on Wednesday, December 14 at 6 PM on Zoom.
Register for the December 14 “Climate 101” meeting
The top single source of community greenhouse gas emissions in the City of Denton is transportation, according to Denton’s 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory.
Denton’s Community Emissions by Sector (Source: 2019 Greenhouse Gas Inventory)
Passenger vehicles make up more than 85 percent of total vehicle miles traveled in Denton, according to the inventory.
Reducing transportation emissions is one of the most impactful actions the City of Denton can take. While transitioning to electric automobiles plays a role in reducing emissions, reducing Denton’s car dependency and enabling residents to drive less reduces emissions more dramatically while improving Denton’s resiliency, fiscal sustainability, affordability, health and safety.
Car-oriented land use and community design is a key cause of increased emissions in the United States, according to Smart Growth America’s report, Driving Down Emissions. City zoning policies that encourage sprawling development have forced each resident to drive further and spend more money on transportation to access their daily needs.
Driving distance in compact versus sprawling developments. (Source: Driving Down Emissions: Transportation, Land Use, and Climate Change)
To reduce community emissions, Smart Growth America’s recommendations are to:
Meet the demand for homes in walkable, compact neighborhoods
Build safer, walkable streets
Set targets for vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions
Provide transportation options and make transit a priority
Prioritize connecting people to destinations
An emissions mapping tool introduced by the New York Times on December 13 demonstrates the importance of land use in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Denton’s low-density, car-oriented areas generate more emissions per household than compact areas where driving trips are shorter or can be replaced with walking, rolling, bicycling or public transportation.
Map of emissions footprint of areas in and around Denton. Green is below nation average and orange is above national average. (Source: The Climate Impact of Your Neighborhood, Mapped)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations to build resiliency are to:
Build compactly and use energy-efficient, green building techniques to reduce emissions from both transportation and electricity generation.
Reuse existing infrastructure and buildings to take advantage of previous investments and the energy already used to build them.
Put homes, jobs, stores, parks, schools, and other destinations close to each other so other transportation options are easier and driving trips are shorter.
Preserve green space by conserving ecologically valuable land and promoting infill development in previously developed areas.
In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, compact mixed-use development patterns that place housing and destinations closer together:
Reduce household transportation costs by allowing households to own fewer automobiles and consume less energy to run them.
Reduce the cost of city infrastructure and services, lowering the property tax burden for each household.
Improve public health and reduce medical expenses by providing more opportunity for daily physical activity by walking, rolling or biking to more destinations.
Improve public safety by reducing the number of automobiles on the road, thus reducing risk of traffic crashes and injuries.
Reduce the risk of someone becoming homeless because loss of an automobile resulted in loss of a job and income.
Promote more independence for Denton’s youngest and oldest residents who would otherwise depend on someone with an automobile in order to participate in society.
To support a Denton that is more resilient, healthier and more affordable, get involved the development of the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan.
