@article{THESIS,
      recid = {3883},
      author = {Kremer Guha, Rohan},
      title = {Driving to Work: The Chicago Region and its Transport  Based Emissions},
      publisher = {University of Chicago},
      school = {B.A.},
      address = {2021-06},
      number = {THESIS},
      abstract = {&lt;p&gt;In 2016, the transportation sector became the single  largest emitter of carbon dioxide in the US, emitting  almost 2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year.  American cities and their metropolitan areas contributed  about 63% of total transport emissions and have been  responsible for 80% of the increase in transport emissions  in the last decade. Less dense urban areas tended to have  higher per-capita CO2 emissions. However, growth in  transport related CO2 emissions has occurred in almost  every US city, even those that are relatively dense and  have lower car dependence per capita. This thesis  investigates the impact of jobs and population on the  transportation emissions in the six county Chicago region.  The Chicago area has been an outlier among its peer cities  in terms of transport based emissions since 1990. Cities  with similar densities either lowered their transport  emissions or exhibited no change between 1990 and 2010,  while Chicago’s population density declined and its  transport emissions increased. This study attempts to gain  insights into the reasons for the higher transportation  emissions.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;This analysis uses the DARTE, Census and  Census’ LEHD databases to analyze population, job and  transport based emissions in the Chicago region from  2005-17. Data analysis indicates that simultaneous job  centralization as well as decentralization is occurring in  the region along sustained loss of population in Cook  County and a trend toward suburbanization. Two additive  models were created to conduct regressions. One used jobs,  and population as independent or explanatory variables, and  transport-related emissions (TREs) as the dependent or  response variable. In the second model, job density and  population density were the independent variables and per  capita TREs were the dependent variable. Regressions were  also conducted for inflow and outflow data of commuting  workers and distance traveled to work against transport  related emissions data.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Jobs were found to have  statistically significant positive correlations with  transport related emissions for the overall region while  population had negative correlations. Within Cook County,  this relationship was only evident after 2010 while for the  five other counties there was only a statistically  significant positive correlation between jobs and transport  based emissions. Inflow and outflow of workers had a  positive correlation with transport based emissions  especially in the outer suburban counties of Will, Kane and  McHenry counties and is a good proxy for transport related  emissions in the five outer suburban counties. Policy  recommendations include expanding transit service,  especially adding inter-suburban connections, encouraging  employment and residential transit oriented development,  and implementing congestion pricing in Chicago’s central  business district (CBD).&lt;/p&gt;},
      url = {http://knowledge.uchicago.edu/record/3883},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.6082/uchicago.3883},
}