Sustainable Communities

This page last updated July 10, 2017

What's New

Cars on a freewayThe Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (Sustainable Communities Act, SB 375, Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008) supports the State's climate action goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through coordinated transportation and land use planning with the goal of more sustainable communities.

Under the Sustainable Communities Act, ARB sets regional targets for GHG emissions reductions from passenger vehicle use.  In 2010, ARB established these targets for 2020 and 2035 for each region covered by one of the State's metropolitan planning organizations (MPO).  ARB will periodically review and update the targets, as needed.

Each of California’s MPOs must prepare a "sustainable communities strategy" (SCS) as an integral part of its regional transportation plan (RTP).  The SCS contains land use, housing, and transportation strategies that, if implemented, would allow the region to meet its GHG emission reduction targets.  Once adopted by the MPO, the RTP/SCS guides the transportation policies and investments for the region.  ARB must review the adopted SCS to confirm and accept the MPO's determination that the SCS, if implemented, would meet the regional GHG targets.  If the combination of measures in the SCS would not meet the regional targets, the MPO must prepare a separate “alternative planning strategy" (APS) to meet the targets. The APS is not a part of the RTP.

The Sustainable Communities Act also establishes incentives to encourage local governments and developers to implement the SCS or the APS. Developers can get relief from certain environmental review requirements under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) if their new residential and mixed-use projects are consistent with a region’s SCS (or APS) that meets the targets (see Cal. Public Resources Code §§ 21155, 21155.1, 21155.2, 21159.28.).

Target Update Activities

Staff Report
2017 June Public Workshops
2017 March Public Meetings
MPO Target Analysis
2014 Target Update Activities
  • Staff Report on SB 375 Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Target Update Process for the October 24, 2014 Board meeting (Oct. 2014) 
  • Comments submitted to ARB staff in response to September 2014 target update process workshops (Oct. 2014)
  • Target Update Process Workshop presentation slides (Sept. 2014) 
  • Preliminary Draft Staff Report on SB 375 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Target Update Process (Aug. 2014)

Sustainable Communities Strategies Review

Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG)
Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) Shasta Regional Transportation Agency (SRTA)
San Luis Obispo Council of Governments (SLOCOG)
San Joaquin Valley (SJV)  Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG)
Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) 

Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) and Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC)

  • Fact sheet on the Bay Area's Sustainable Communities Strategy (Aug. 2014) 
  • ARB Executive Order accepting ABAG/MTC's determination that the Final SCS would meet the region's GHG emissions reduction targets (April 2014) 
  • ARB staff's technical evaluation of the ABAG/MTC Final Sustainable Communities Strategy (April 2014) 
  • Informational update on the Association of Bay Area Governments' and Metropolitan Transportation Commission's draft Sustainable Communities Strategy (June 2013)
  • Plan Bay Area, adopted July 2013 
  • ABAG/MTC's technical methodology for quantifying GHG emissions (Nov. 2010)

Butte County Association of Governments (BCAG) Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization (TMPO) and Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA)

  • ARB staff's technical evaluation of the Tahoe Metropolitan Planning Organization's (TMPO)/Tahoe Regional Planning Agency's (TRPA) Final Sustainable Communities Strategy (Apr. 2013) 
  • ARB Resolution accepting TMPO/TRPA's determination that the Final SCS would meet the region's GHG emissions reduction targets (Apr. 2013) 
  • Mobility 2035, adopted Dec. 2012
  • TMPO/TRPA's technical methodology for quantifying GHG emissions (Oct. 2011)

Key SB 375-Related Documents

Sustainable Communities Initial Target-Setting Activities

ARB Research to Support Sustainable Communities Strategies Implementation

  • ARB supports regional and local implementation of SB 375 through research.  ARB's research program includes investigation of the impacts of land use and transportation strategies on travel behavior, GHG emissions, air pollution exposure, equity, and health.
    • ARB research on policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from passenger vehicles to support implementation of the Sustainable Communities Act. 
      • Susan Handy, Ph.D., UC Davis, discussed the research on this set of policies at an October 7, 2014 ARB research seminar.  Video of the seminar, the presentation slides, and other related materials are available here.

Related Information

If you would like more information on ARB activities related to Sustainable Communities:

For questions, please contact:

Lezlie Kimura Szeto, Manager
Sustainable Communities Policy and Planning Section at (916) 327-5985


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