Opponents of new developments often argue that more construction will bring more traffic, frequently convincing developers to reduce the scale of their projects or seek out less densely-populated areas to build. Although such compromises may lead to less congestion on the road, they don’t necessarily reduce driving and driving’s associated environmental effects. But what if how much a community actually drives provides a better measure of how a new development stands to affect a neighborhood?
Although it’s not a silver bullet, research from Northeastern University finds that that new approach — called vehicle miles traveled (VMT) — is a better way to measure a developments’ environmental impacts related to transportation. “We replaced something that was counterproductive with something that makes a lot more sense,” said Serena Alexander, an associate professor in civil and environmental engineering and public policy and urban affairs at Northeastern. “But it doesn’t mean that it’s perfect.”
