Analysis ranks transportation climate impact for 100 largest U.S. metro areas

Jan. 22, 2021

The top metro areas generally have low VMT, significant bike and pedestrian activity, high per-capita transit use

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on greenhouse gas emissions, including those from transportation.

To reveal some of those effects, StreetLight Data Inc. recently unveiled its second annual U.S. Transportation Climate Impact Index, which ranks the country’s 100 most populous metro areas based on several carbon-related transportation factors, including Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), bicycle and pedestrian metrics, transit, population density, and circuity.

Streetlight Data notes that in 2020, unemployment increased, as did working-from-home, along with e-commerce, and restaurant delivery. Transit and airplane travel plummeted, while more people rode bikes and walked outdoors. Some city dwellers fled to more spacious locations and college students left campus and adopted remote learning.

Travel shutdowns in the U.S. gave a peek at what might be possible: A healthy economy and population, but with less driving and more bicycle and pedestrian travel.

The top metro areas generally have low VMT, significant bike and pedestrian activity, high per-capita transit use (mainly in the pre-COVID months of 2020), high population density, and low circuity (people drive directly to their destination, instead of burning extra miles using ring roads and other indirect routes).

StreetLight Data’s 2020 U.S. Transportation Climate Impact Index Best Performing Top 10 U.S. Metro Areas:

1. New York-Newark-Jersey City, New York-New Jersey

2. North Port-Sarasota-Bradenton, Florida

3. Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, Oregon-Washington

4. Cape Coral-Ft Myers, Florida

5. San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, California

6. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, Florida

7. Colorado Springs, Colorado

8. San Diego-Carlsbad, California

9. Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, Minnesota-Wisconsin

10. Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, Washington

---------

SOURCE: StreetLight Data Inc.

Sponsored Recommendations

The Science Behind Sustainable Concrete Sealing Solutions

Extend the lifespan and durability of any concrete. PoreShield is a USDA BioPreferred product and is approved for residential, commercial, and industrial use. It works great above...

Proven Concrete Protection That’s Safe & Sustainable

Real-life DOT field tests and university researchers have found that PoreShieldTM lasts for 10+ years and extends the life of concrete.

Revolutionizing Concrete Protection - A Sustainable Solution for Lasting Durability

The concrete at the Indiana State Fairgrounds & Event Center is subject to several potential sources of damage including livestock biowaste, food/beverage waste, and freeze/thaw...

The Future of Concrete Preservation

PoreShield is a cost-effective, nontoxic alternative to traditional concrete sealers. It works differently, absorbing deep into the concrete pores to block damage from salt ions...