pooled fund Projects
In development
Moving Smarter – Exploring Solutions for Canadian Cities
| Research Area | Environmental quality, greenhouse gases |
| Responsible Council / Committee | Urban Transportation Council Sustainable Transporation Standing Committee |
| Related TAC publications | |
| Expected Start Date | TBD |
| Expected Duration | |
| Total Funding Estimate | $200,000 |
| Project Funding Partners to Date | Alberta Transportation, Ville de Montréal, Ville de Québec, Ville de Sherbrooke; Ministère des transports du Québec; City of Calgary |
| Staff Contact | Katarina Cvetkovic |
Abstract
Over the past decade, many governments in Canada have identified aggressive targets for reducing energy use and/or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Since transportation accounts for about one-third of all energy consumed in Canada, significant changes to transportation behavior and technology are necessary to achieve the targets.
This project aims to help municipalities understand the solutions for reducing energy consumed for transportation and the associated GHG emissions. The following are objectives of this project:
- Help participating municipalities identify locally relevant measures and approaches to reduce energy consumption and GHGs from urban transportation.
- Highlight the significant extent to which transportation solutions need to be included in municipal planning processes aimed at reducing GHG emissions as well as achieving broader sustainability and efficiency goals; also highlight the risk to municipalities if they do not pursue energy-efficient solutions for transportation
- Create a framework whereby municipalities can explore non-conventional and innovative approaches for reducing energy use and GHG emissions from transportation without having to be constrained by public or political processes
- Call attention to data gaps that need to be filled in order to better evaluate options to reduce energy use from transportation
- Share and leverage the work that many cities are already undertaking in the areas of climate change mitigation and transportation energy efficiency planning.
The project will examine all major modes of urban transportation addressed through government planning processes, focusing on passenger cars and light trucks, public transit, active transportation, and truck traffic. Other modes such as rail, air and marine can also be addressed to give a more complete picture of the overall energy use. The project will exclude the international movement of both passengers and freight.
This is a unique project that would solicit participation from about 15 municipalities across Canada representing a variety of geographies and sizes of urban areas. The project will be conducted in both official languages and all relevant materials will be made available in both English and French. Participating agencies would be expected to actively represent their urban area and commit to the following:
- Help develop the overall project framework
- Participate in a minimum of two workshops
- Assemble necessary data
- Provide staff resources to develop and quantify locally- specific strategies
- Agree to releasing jurisdictional-specific results for presentation in an overall summary report
A consultant team will be responsible for the following tasks:
- Develop a project work plan, schedule and recommendations for municipalities on their internal team structures and related required resources
- Discuss the issues around energy consumption and GHG emissions from the municipal perspective
- Assemble baseline contextual data and appropriate targets
- Organize and facilitate initial workshops with participating municipalities to launch the project
- Investigate and provide instructions on the use of supporting tools such as Transport Canada’s Urban Transportation Emissions Calculator
- Provide technical assistance to participating municipalities in the area of energy and GHG impact analysis with the goal of promoting consistency in assumptions and approaches by cities
At the conclusion of the project, which is expected to last two years, the consultant team will organize and facilitate workshops that will bring together participants to discuss their results. The team will also assemble a report summarizing the workshop discussions and outcomes and identify key strategies that emerged. The report will include potential follow-up actions and opportunities for all levels of government to address transportation energy and GHG issues. Finally, a briefing, intended for practitioners and decision-makers, based on the project will be prepared.
For planning purposes, it is assumed that up to 15 municipalities will contribute $10,000 each (on average) for their participation. Agencies could also join the project as observers for lesser contribution.