Giving Compass' Take:

· Chris Teale discusses a new report explaining that cities are still too car dependent and not doing enough to reduce their contributions to climate change. A large cause of this issue is that cities continue to grow without any plans to provide better public transportation. 

· What are some ways for cities to reduce the number of cars on the road? Should companies coordinate carpooling services for their employees? 

· Here's more on this topic and the future of urban transportation. 

The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy found municipalities do not provide enough transit to connect low-income communities to jobs.

The report paints something of a gloomy picture of the state of transit in U.S. cities, which the report finds are still far too reliant on personally-owned vehicles, despite worries about congestion and the impact on the fight against climate change.

ITDP noted the likes of Memphis, TN, San Antonio and Nashville, TN as some of the worst offenders in being almost totally dependent on cars. In low-income communities especially, that puts many job opportunities out of reach and makes it difficult to carry out even simple tasks like getting to school or medical appointments.

"In the U.S., there is a narrative that if people work hard, then they can get out of poverty, but we’ve built cities that make this narrative impossible,” Chestnut said.

Minneapolis came in for special praise in part due to its ambitious "Minneapolis 2040" plan, which encourages transit-oriented development and calls for investments in bike facilities and trails among others. It increased the number of people that live near frequent transit from 64% to 73%, the largest jump among the cities that ITDP evaluated. "Minneapolis has very intentionally tied transportation and land use decisions together in policy, focusing growth near transit and prioritizing infrastructure improvements in growing parts of the city," Minneapolis City Council President Lisa Bender said in a statement.

Read the full article about transportation and climate change by Chris Teale at Smart Cities Dive.