Download or read book Energy Consumption and Smart Growth in Massachusetts written by Katherine Van Tassel and published by . This book was released on 2007 with total page 68 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: (Cont.) The Baby Steps and Mixed Use Village/Thoroughly Green scenarios reduced VMT by 14% and 32%, respectively. The Baby Steps scenario used 45% less electricity, the Mixed Use Village used 55% less, and the Thoroughly Green scenarios used 65% less than the BAU scenario. The annual cost savings per capita from the above energy savings run from $321 to $737 for transportation and CO2 reduction, and $242 to $408 for housing energy consumption. The total savings per capita run from $563-$1,145. The total savings for the hypothetical development are $1.2 million to $2.4 million. Policy makers should take the results of this scenario analysis to support the inclusion of energy implications in land use planning. Recommended measures include requiring an energy section in master plans, providing state-wide technical support for these plans, supporting processes to incorporate energy considerations in public planning processes, and funding for further research into the quantification of the energy land use connection and what steps towns can take to address it.

Download or read book Smart Growth in Massachusetts written by Kelley Whitmore and published by . This book was released on 2005 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Reasons for Local Smart Growth Efforts written by Jia Jia and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page 172 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Massachusetts model illustrates the latest approach to smart growth - the incentive based program. This study examines the reasons for and actual outcomes of local smart growth efforts through one of the Massachusetts' smart growth incentives - the Commonwealth Capital (CC) Program. The main objectives of this research are built on two conceptual models through a mixed approach that combines qualitative and quantitative methods. The qualitative method is mainly utilized to evaluate the implementation of the CC program. The results indicate that the program is a good measure of municipal smart growth efforts representative of goals of the state. Communities with diverse land bases have some advantage, as a variety of zoning methods can be employed. It is not obvious that communities have changed their own zoning in response to the stimuli of the CC program. The first model is applied through various statistical tests to investigate the relationships among the towns' characteristics and CC data. Homeownership, education and access to the highway system are significant factors related to municipal smart growth efforts in Massachusetts. Wealth, population and quantity of open spaces are only significant for certain type of communities (e.g. maturing suburbs, developing towns etc). Municipal political preferences (e.g. forms of municipal governance, DEM/GOP preference etc) and municipal planners' efforts have some influence on the adoptions of smart growth policies, though the specific outcomes might vary case by case. The second model tests the statistical relationships between CC data and the Urban Sprawl in Massachusetts. The urban sprawl are defined by Urban Sprawl Indicator (USI) as the amount of residential land consumed per building permit in the five past years per community in Massachusetts. The CC scores and USIs negatively fit the regression line well, indicating that local smart growth efforts have generally controlled land consumption in the past. In particular, the USIs in developing suburbs appear more responsive to the CC data. The spatial lag model shows sprawl is a net-effect phenomena and the cluster of sprawl in a region might weaken the effectiveness of particular municipal smart growth efforts. Lastly, this research suggests that the design of state land use policies ought to follow the nature of geographic segmentation of municipal smart growth preferences.

Download or read book The Public Benefit of Energy Efficiency to the State of Massachusetts written by Mark A. Bernstein and published by Minnesota Historical Society. This book was released on 2002 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The future of energy consumption, prices, and intensity remains uncertain, but this analysis suggests that greater energy efficiency has had, and may continue to have, a positive effect on the Massachusetts economy. Together, targeted energy-efficiency programs in commercial, industrial, and residential sectors have the potential to continue to provide benefits to Massachusetts, and they remain a cost-effective option for meeting the state's increasing energy demand. The authors show that savings from commercial and industrial energy-efficiency programs have provided a positive return on utility investment, and they demonstrate benefits of energy efficiency for Massachusetts households, particularly for low-income households.

Download or read book Smart Growth Planning in Eastern Massachusetts written by Jason M. Paukovits and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 164 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Assistance in Local Government Energy Conservation in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. Energy Conservation Project and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 142 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Energy in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. Executive Office of Consumer Affairs and published by . This book was released on 1976 with total page 44 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Massachusetts Energy Plan written by Massachusetts. Division of Energy Resources and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 56 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Smart Growth Opportunities for Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Massachusetts written by Adam Ruder and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Smart Grids from a Global Perspective written by Anne Beaulieu and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-02-15 with total page 283 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a cross-disciplinary approach to smart grids, offering an invaluable basis for understanding their complexity and potential, and for discussing their technical, legal, economic, societal, psychological and security aspects. Smart grids are a complex phenomenon involving new, active roles for consumers and prosumers, novel social, political and cultural practices, advanced ICT, new markets, security of supply issues, the informational turn in energy, valuation of assets and investments, technological innovation and (de)regulation. Furthermore, smart grids offer new interfaces, in turn creating hybrid fields: with the increasing use of electric vehicles and electric transportation, smart grids represent the crossroads of energy and mobility. While the aim is to achieve more sustainable production, transportation and use of energy, the importance of smart grids actually has less to do with electricity, heat or gas, and far more with transforming the infrastructure needed to deliver energy, as well as the roles of its owners, operators and users. The immediate goal is to contribute positively to a sustainable world society. The chapters are revised and expanded texts based upon lectures delivered at the Groningen Energy Summer School 2014. Questions for further discussion at the end of each chapter highlight the key themes that emerge. The book offers an indispensable resource for researchers, professionals and companies in the power supply industry, and for students seeking to broaden and deepen their understanding of smart grids.

Download or read book State Zoning Legislation and Local Adaptation written by Yuqi Wang (M.C.P.) and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 93 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Smart Growth Zoning Overlay District Act (M.G.L. Chapter 40R, the Legislation) was issued in March 2005 with the mission to substantially increase the supply of housing, especially for low- and moderate-income households, and to incentivize Smart Growth land development patterns. Municipalities participate in this program by voluntarily adopting a Smart Growth zoning district in their local zoning ordinance/by-laws which allows dense housing development as-of-right. Participating municipalities will receive a Zoning Incentive Payment upon creating the district, based on the additional number of housing units allowed as-of-right under 40R compared with base zoning, and a Density Bonus Payment for each new unit built in the district. They will also have priority when competing for other state discretionary subsidies. As of December 2013, thirty-three 40R Smart Growth Overlay Districts (40R District) have been approved in thirty-two Massachusetts communities, with an aggregate area of 1,436 acres, and a total number of 12,350 Future Zoned Units; another three 40R districts are pending or under review. Ten 40R Districts have projects (or project phases) that have been built and put into use. This study aims to give a diagnostic evaluation on the current and potential effectiveness of the Legislation in achieving the goals of facilitating quality housing production and promoting Smart Growth. The evaluation is set in the context of housing development and land planning in Massachusetts, which is also the background of the Legislation, and based on four 40R cases from four different municipalities, each of which has adopted local zoning ordinance/by-laws, created a 40R district, and completed development under 40R. In each case, the Smart Growth qualities of the development are evaluated against a set of qualitative criteria developed from the Smart Growth principles outlined in the Legislation, with reference to prevailing Smart Growth standards used in the profession and feedback from 40R's implementers. The role of 40R in leading to these development results are then analyzed, which highlights the prospect of 40R's application and impact in the future. The main conclusions are: Generally speaking, 40R plays an important role in helping communities achieve their own vision of Smart Growth and housing production by resolving the site, financial, or other development obstacles that are imbedded in the local development context and base zoning. This success is achieved through incentive-based stakeholder cooperation, an indispensable part of the entire 40R zoning and (project) permitting process. Also, the Legislation provides a very general and broad description of Smart Growth principles, and therefore each community may interpret and define Smart Growth standards according to local needs. Being flexible, adaptable and context-sensitive is key to creating opportunities where various stakeholders find common interests in establishing partnerships around 40R. Moreover, when used appropriately, 40R as a zoning tool, could potentially have larger impacts in facilitating Smart Growth and housing production over a longer period than other policies that are based on a single project. However, in some cases, being flexible and sensitive to local context seems to have gone too far, and as a result, offset some of the benefits promised by 40R, such as housing being in close proximity to jobs and amenities, streamlining the permitting process, etc. The reasons for this drawback come from both 40R itself and the context in which 40R operates. Some requirements of 40R are too vague and allow a zoning district or project to gain 40R status and incentive payments even though it fails to meet most of the Smart Growth principles outlined in the Legislation. The recent amendment to the 40R Regulations tries to solve this problem by setting more straightforward and explicit requirements; the results of these changes remain to be seen. In terms of barriers, there are general concerns about and oppositions to Smart Growth from the neighborhood, local government, and development community, who tend to use their power as stakeholders to resist Smart Growth policies. They are particularly resistant to a zoning policy like 40R for fear that it will allow Smart Growth types of development as-of-right. The home-rule tradition and a lack of regional planning for Smart Growth land use further weaken the legislative and regulatory foundations of 40R. 40R has limited leverage to overcome these context barriers; its effectiveness in facilitating Smart Growth will remain confined by the development context at least in the near future. Key words: Smart Growth, Zoning, Chapter 40R, Massachusetts.

Download or read book Assistance in local government energy conservation in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. Dept. of Community Affairs. Energy Conservation Project and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Handbook on Smart Growth written by Knaap, Gerrit-Jan and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2022-07-08 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This timely Research Handbook examines the evolution of smart growth over the past three decades, mapping the trajectory from its original principles to its position as an important paradigm in urban planning today. Critically analysing the original concept of smart growth and how it has been embedded in state and local plans, contributions from top scholars in the field illustrate what smart growth has accomplished since its conception, as well as to what extent it has achieved its goals.

Download or read book Assistance in Local Government Energy in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. Department of Community Affairs. Energy Conservation Project and published by . This book was released on 1979 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Legal and Institutional Mechanisms to Manage Local Energy Consumption in Somerville Massachusetts written by Barbara Marie Brennan and published by . This book was released on 1981 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Energy Conservation Guidelines for Cities and Towns in Massachusetts written by Massachusetts. Energy Policy Office and published by . This book was released on 1975 with total page 152 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Smart Growth and Climate Change written by Matthias Ruth and published by Edward Elgar Publishing. This book was released on 2006-01-27 with total page 440 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The consensus on global warming and its effects are now almost unanimous. Even those politicians with serious denial issues are converting. That said, the question becomes: How well does this book deal with urban sprawl and climate change? Professor Ruth is a master at organizing thought (and of creative thought... but an editor most needs the former). He has pulled together a very impressive list of experts from good institutions and organized their contributions to this subject in a meaningful, useful way. I think the coverage of the issue is both very competent and complete.' - Bruce Hannon, University of Illinois, Urbana, US This innovative volume systematically brings together two strands of applied research that, to date, have been carried out separately - 'smart growth' research and climate change adaptability research. By providing theory, models, and case studies from North America, Oceania and Europe, the book creates synergies between the two strands, reconciles differences, and provides insights for decision-makers at national and local levels.