formerly citizens' greener Evanston
Evanston now has 25 years to achieve its carbon neutrality and zero waste goals as outlined in the Climate Action and Resilience Plan (CARP), and Sustainability and Resilience Manager Cara Pratt has said the city has already accomplished the “low-hanging fruit” in pursuing these targets.
What climate goals and policies would you prioritize in the coming term? How should the city pursue reduction of building emissions?
Do you support phasing out natural gas use in new construction, and requiring existing buildings work toward carbon neutrality over the next 25 years?
In the coming year, I would take a different approach to our long term goal of reducing carbon emission by 50% in 2050 as delineated in the Climate Action and Resilience (CARP) plan. This approach would start with education and engagement of our largest employers and commercial landholders, including Northwestern University, to build a roadmap for reduced carbon emissions as a group, and making a public, joint commitment to the actions and outcomes together. This approach has already been effective to accelerate adoption of solar.
Since 2005, Evanston has significantly reduced our carbon footprint, particularly in reducing commercial vehicle miles traveled as well as reducing residential/commercial electricity usage. The key to additional building emissions is to reduce natural gas consumption which represents over half of all emissions. I do support phasing out natural gas use in new construction, and having existing buildings work toward carbon neutrality of the next 25 years. Finally, I believe development of a Building Performance Standards in conjunction with the business and nonprofit community will lead to additional long-term gains in carbon neutrality.
Nearly 2/3rds of all households in Evanston own one or no cars, and a majority of residents do not commute via car. Each year, more Evanstonians of all ages are walking, rolling, and using bus or train service for convenience, physical fitness, cost-savings, and environmental benefits.
How do you incorporate walking, biking and public transit into your everyday life?
I am fortunate to operate my company from home - our entire team is virtual - but have made a personal commitment to using the El or Metra as much as possible. I also am a n avid cyclist so spend as much time as possible biking when the weather permits.
Academic research and case studies from cities like Paris, Amsterdam, and New York show that reducing car traffic and building protected bike lanes are necessary to meet climate and mobility goals. Plans such as the Chicago Ave Multimodal Project provide an example of how this can be implemented in Evanston.
Where would you want infrastructure improvements, such as traffic calming, pedestrianization/ street closures, and protected bike lanes, to encourage more walking and cycling?
The sixth ward areas that are in most need of infrastructure improvements to encourage walking and cycling are the Hillside area that leads into Wilmette and the challenging three way intersection of Gross Point Road, Central Street and Crawford. Another issue that impedes walkability in the 6th ward is that there are several low and high traffic streets that do not have sidewalks, making it extremely challenging and in fact dangerous for walkers. I would want a full assessment of these areas and a plan in place to ensure full walkability in the ward and beyond.
Public transit has seen a major change in ridership trends, with 9-to-5 commuter services falling short of pre-COVID milestones while off-peak and weekend demand climbs despite infrequent and often unreliable schedules. CTA, PACE, and Metra are facing a ‘fiscal cliff’, as federal dollars to keep transit service operating run out by 2026.
While not in the position to solve this problem on its own, what can the City of Evanston do to support existing bus and train service, and how would you want to see public transportation expanded in our city in the future?
I am very concerned about the access to and reliability of bus routes in the 6th ward, particularly the bus routes to and from ETHS for example. These routes have been reduced and it is creating burden on families to drive students and increased congestion along the routes from 6th ward to the high school. I believe the city of Evanston can advocate for our needs with the various transit authorities and we can also ask our partners at Northwestern to support additional routes or other transit alternatives given the number of college students who utilize the transit systems as well. The 2045 Envision Evanston plan also calls for more moderate density and mixed use development along the western end of Central street. Expanding our transportation support along this corridor will be critical to enable that expansion.
With parallels to Envision Evanston 2045, Minneapolis has modified its zoning code in the past decade to eliminate minimum parking requirements, encourage transit-oriented development, and allow the construction of more “missing middle” housing city-wide. Together, these reforms lead to a stabilization of rent prices, a drop in homelessness, reduced displacement, and increased racial diversity. Environmental benefits were also realized, as more dense and mixed-use developments encourage lower rates of car ownership and generate less embodied carbon from construction.
What changes to Evanston’s zoning code, such as the ones listed above, would you support in response to the housing and climate crises?
I support increased density and mixed use developments along transit corridors because it has the greatest potential to impact affordability and generate new housing stock . I believe Evanston's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance must be updated to ensure more developers of such developments include on-site affordable housing as part of their developments and that these onsite units accommodate families in need for more than 1 bedroom which is critical. I am greatly concerned about eliminating parking requirements for these developments in the sixth ward until the availability of reliable public transit is secured. Other elements of the plan that are critical include climate supportive requirements for developers related to landscaping, efficient energy, use of product materials, etc, in their construction
