The Biggest Move in Climate Action: Legalize Infill Housing
Adding to a growing body of research on the intersections between climate and housing policy, a new report prepared for the Colorado Energy Office looks at the impact of various land use policies on residential growth and greenhouse gas emissions in Colorado.
Key Takeaways:
- Land use reform can significantly shift new housing development away from sprawl and toward compact housing typologies in more energy-efficient locations.
- Parking reform is particularly impactful in their model, generating two to three times as many new homes as accessory dwelling unit (ADU) reform and legalizing transit oriented development (TOD).
- Zoning reform to allow infill housing can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation and housing by significant amounts.
The study models three scenarios: a Baseline Scenario reflecting existing land use laws, Scenario A incorporating policies for accessory dwelling units (ADUs) and transit-oriented development (TOD), and Scenario B adding policies for multi-family housing along commercial corridors, middle housing, and parking reform.
Key findings indicate that Scenario A and Scenario B significantly shift new housing development towards more compact, energy-efficient types and locations. Scenario A increases the share of new residential units in infill areas from 48% to 58%, while Scenario B pushes this to nearly 80%. Housing near transit rises from 27% in the Baseline to over 50% in Scenario B. Compact housing types, such as townhomes and multi-family units, increase from 42% in the Baseline to 73% in Scenario B.
These shifts result in substantial GHG emissions reductions: Scenario A reduces building operations emissions by 10% and transportation emissions by 4%, while Scenario B achieves reductions of 31% and 15%, respectively.
The study also notes that additional policies and investments, such as targeted transit and active transportation infrastructure, could further enhance these benefits.
These findings underscore the importance of enabling higher-density, transit-oriented, and infill development to meet housing needs while reducing GHG emissions. Colorado’s recent legislative actions, such as HB24-1313 (Transit-oriented Communities), HB24-1152 (Accessory Dwelling Units), and HB24-1304 (Minimum Parking Requirements), are steps in the right direction but may need to be expanded and refined to maximize their impact.