Analyzing the Economic Benefits and Costs of Smart Growth

California’s Senate Bill 375, (Chapter 728, Statutes of 2008), aims to reduce transportation related greenhouse gas emissions through more efficient patterns of land development. Advocates claim these smart growth policies will reduce vehicle travel while benefiting residents, cities, and regions in the form of more attractive communities, more affordable housing, and healthier municipal finances. In this study, the authors analyzed the economic impacts of existing smart growth plans similar to those currently being considered and adopted throughout metropolitan California. Through five case studies of neighborhood-level plans already implemented in California, the authors examined the effects of smart growth interventions on residential development, commercial development, municipal budgets, and vehicle travel. The authors used a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to estimate the net benefits and costs from the regional, municipal, and household perspectives. The authors found the plans, in most cases, produced net benefits for the stakeholders considered. The benefits emerged from plans that resulted in denser development in relatively central locations with good access to transit. However, in some cases the plans produced costs, and impacts were not evenly distributed. The research suggests smart growth policies can produce benefits, but planners must be aware of potential costs.

• Record URL:
  https://merritt.cdlib.org/d/ark%3A%2F13030%2Fm5pp410d/1/producer%2FARB%20Contract%2011-326.pdf
• Record URL:
  https://ntrl.ntis.gov/NTRL/dashboard/searchResults/titleDetail/PB2016103250.xhtml
• Corporate Authors:

  University of California, Berkeley

  Department of City and Regional Planning
  Berkeley, CA  United States  94720

  University of California, Los Angeles

  Department of Urban Planning
  Los Angeles, CA  United States 

  California Air Resources Board

  1001 I Street, P.O. Box 2815
  Sacramento, CA  United States  95812
• Authors:
  • Chatman, Daniel G
  • 0000-0001-5475-8544
  • Rayle, Lisa
  • Gabbe, C J
  • Plowman, Jonathan
  • Sohn, Paul
  • Crane, Rebecca
  • Spevack, Anne
  • Wise, Ella
  • Stoy, Kelan
  • Giottonini, M Paloma
  • Ordower, Aaron
  • Crane, Randall
• Publication Date: 2016-3-23

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Maps; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 485p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Economic impacts; Greenhouse gases; Land use planning; Neighborhoods; Real estate development; Redevelopment; Smart growth; Sustainable development; Transit oriented development; Travel patterns
• Geographic Terms: California
• Subject Areas: Economics; Environment; Highways; Planning and Forecasting;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01634598
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: PB2016103250
• Contract Numbers: ARB contract 11-326
• Files: BTRIS, TRIS
• Created Date: May 9 2017 3:30PM