Selling Smart Growth: Communicating the Direct Benefits of More Accessible, Multi-Modal Locations to Households, Businesses and Governments

Households often make trade-offs between housing and transportation costs: they can choose a cheaper house at the urban fringe where transportation is expensive, or pay more for a home in a more accessible and multi-modal, “Smart Growth” neighborhood where transport is cheaper. Urban fringe homes generally offer more space per dollar, and so appear to be better investments, but there are other economic factors to consider. By shifting household spending from transport to real estate, Smart Growth tends to increase household wealth, and by providing more affordable transport options it increases economic resilience. It increases mobility options for non-drivers, which increases their economic opportunities and reduces drivers’ chauffeuring burdens. Smart Growth reduces residents’ traffic risks, and improves their fitness and health. Smart Growth also increases real estate industry profits, local economic development and property tax revenues. This report examines these factors and describes how to communicate them to consumers, real estate professionals and policy makers.

• Record URL:
  http://www.vtpi.org/ssg.pdf
• 
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2016 Todd Litman.
• Corporate Authors:

  Victoria Transport Policy Institute

  Victoria, British Columbia  Canada 
• Authors:
  • Litman, Todd
• Publication Date: 2016-5-10

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 24p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Accessibility; Communication; Consumers; Economic factors; Households; Mobility; Multimodal transportation; Neighborhoods; Smart growth; Sustainable development
• Subject Areas: Economics; Planning and Forecasting; Transportation (General);

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01616931
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 21 2016 1:26PM