Using Activity-based Travel Models to Inform Climate Action Plans: A Proposed Approach

摘要

State, regional, county, and local governments are developing and implementing plans to amelioratethe impacts of climate change. As part of the California Air Resources Board scoping plan developed inresponse to Assembly Bill 32 (landmark greenhouse gas legislation), California encourages, but does notrequire, cities to develop jurisdictional-specific Climate Action Plans. One challenge in developing theseplans is quantifying the contribution of the transport sector that each city should either take responsibilityfor or attempt to affect – answering this question is yet another challenge – through the plans. As localClimate Action Plans in the US and elsewhere continue to mature and new plans are initiated, efforts tomore rigorously quantify and analyze city-level transportation emissions will grow in importance. Thispaper offers a step in that direction by proposing a methodological approach for quantifying thecontribution of the transport sector that takes advantage of the analytical framework offered by activitybasedtravel models. By applying the proposed approach for three cities in the San Francisco Bay Area,this research illustrates the method and suggests the broad applicability for its potential use elsewhere.