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Joe DiStefano

Principal

Joe DiStefano leads the regional and large-scale master planning team at Calthorpe Associates. He is an urban planner with more than 15 years experience in land use, transportation, and regional and corridor planning and policy. His work and research ranges from federal and local transportation and land use planning and policy to transit-oriented design and implementation strategies. He also specializes in the relationship between land use and climate and energy impacts, and has lectured extensively on the subject.

At Calthorpe Associates, Mr. DiStefano has worked on and managed a variety of projects, including: 

  • Vision California - Leading an effort to explore the critical role of land use and transportation investments in meeting the environmental and fiscal challenges facing California over the coming decades. It will produce robust modeling and scenario development tools, and a series of alternative physical visions for how California can accommodate expected growth. It will clearly express the consequences of these options to inform decisions about the investments and policies that will drive the state’s growth. The project builds upon the challenges set forth by the 2006 passage of the California Global Warming Solutions Act (AB 32), which sets aggressive targets for the reduction of greenhouse gases (GHG). Meeting these targets will require taking a new direction in how we invest in and develop our communities, transportation systems, and critical infrastructure. The project will provide essential context for the implementation of Senate Bill 375 and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) land use-related greenhouse gas-reduction targets for local governments. It will illustrate and comprehensively measure the role of land use and SB 375-mandated regional "Sustainable Communities Strategies" in meeting CARB AB 32 greenhouse gas targets.
  • Louisiana Speaks - Managed the award-winning effort to develop a long range regional vision for Southern Louisiana in the wake of the damage from summer 2005 hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The project explored alternative ways that future development could be accommodated in the context of varying storm protection and coastal restoration schemes, economic futures, and cultural patterns. Detailed regional growth scenarios illustrated various ways Southern Louisiana and its constituent communities can recover and evolve over the long-term. The regional vision that emerged was driven by the input of more than 27,000 citizens and stakeholders. Final products included vision maps illustrating the stages of recovery and growth, as well as a detailed strategic plan that tackles near-term recovery actions, long-term growth policies, and the institutional framework required to realize the vision. The Louisiana Speaks Regional Plan was adopted by the Louisiana Recovery Authority in May 2007 and actions are underway to realize its key components.
  • Fresno Southeast Growth Area (SEGA) Specific Plan - Led an effort to design and implement a 9,000 acre sustainable master plan in Fresno, California. Plans for the SEGA serve as a model for how to better accommodate future population growth to meet vehicle travel, pollution, and green house gas reduction targets and reduce energy and water consumption. The project shows how a more compact land form, organized around transit, walkability, and community health can protect valuable agricultural lands, spur broad-based economic development, and make better use of limited resources and infrastructure dollars. Alternative plans and designs were put to the test and analyzed to ensure they meet goals and targets, and to bring a truly informed discussion about Fresno and the region’s future to citizens and decision makers.
  • Envision Utah - Managed a regional visioning and planning project along the 180-mile Wasatch Front region of Utah. The planning process, guided by an extensive study of the values of local residents, utilized an extensive public workshop process to develop regional growth strategies and a series of preferred development types for the region. In addition, a sophisticated land use-transportation modeling process analyzed a series of growth and infrastructure scenarios that were then be presented to decision-makers and the public through a comprehensive media campaign. See www.envisionutah.org for more info.
  • Southern California COMPASS - Managed the Calthorpe Associates team for this regional planning effort with the Southern California Association of Governments. The region encompasses 6 counties and is home to more than 17 million people. Extensive public input through workshops and other venues formed the basis of alternatives for regional growth that explore different ways the region can accommodate projected population and employment. Land use and transportation modeling measure the consequences of different growth patterns and serve to inform regional decision making. See www.compassblueprint.org for more info.

Prior to joining Calthorpe Associates, Mr. DiStefano worked with the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) in Washington D.C., where he helped prepare the Smart Growth Toolkit, a decision-makers’ manual to aid growth management and smart growth practices at the local and regional level. His work at STPP culminated in the publication of the book Five Years of Progress, which examines state and local projects funded and/or made possible by the Federal Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA).

At a transportation consulting firm in Los Angeles, Mr. DiStefano worked with the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the California Department of Transportation on studies of the Metrolink commuter rail system and the Metro Rail subway and light rail lines.

Joe DiStefano received his Masters in City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of California at Berkeley.