Project Summary
Accessibility has emerged as a central metric for evaluating land use and transportation strategies, yet its application in planning practice is limited by inconsistent measurement approaches and challenges in communicating results. In California, this issue is particularly important because the California Air Resources Board (CARB) is mandated under SB 375 to monitor the implementation of Sustainable Communities Strategies, which aim to reduce vehicle travel and greenhouse gas emissions while advancing health and economic equity. Accessibility is a key indicator used by CARB to assess whether these strategies improve access to opportunity. While existing monitoring provides valuable statewide and regional insights, metropolitan planning organizations, counties, and cities require finer-scale accessibility information to translate regional goals into actionable local decisions. This project proposes to develop a publicly available, web-based accessibility visualization and data platform for California. The tool will provide fine-grained, multimodal accessibility metrics to key destinations integrated with equity and contextual indicators. Users will be able to explore spatial patterns, identify underserved communities, and download data for local planning and analysis. The proposed tool will reduce barriers faced by local agencies and community partners, promote consistent use of accessibility metrics, and strengthen evidence-based, equity-focused transportation and land use decision-making statewide.
