This document summarizes the benefits of smart growth development compared to urban sprawl. It discusses how smart growth leads to lower household transportation costs, safer communities, healthier lifestyles, and preservation of farmland and green space. Smart growth also provides more mobility options, reduces infrastructure costs, and achieves equity goals. While requiring some additional upfront subsidies, smart growth provides significant long-term economic, social, and environmental returns on investment. Professional organizations support smart growth policies for their multiple advantages over sprawl.

1. Comprehensive
Evaluation of Smart
Growth Benefits
Todd Litman
Victoria Transport Policy Institute
Presented
Smart Growth Debate
Langley, BC
23 February 2012

12. Farmland Preservation Vs Sprawl
• Farms are subdivided.
• Land values and taxes
increase.
• Infrastructure costs rise
(water, sewage,
roads).
• Road traffic increases.
• Farming becomes less
viable, forcing other
farms to subdivide.

13. Farmland Preservation Vs Sprawl
• Farms are subdivided.
• Land values and taxes
increase.
• Infrastructure costs rise
(water, sewage,
roads).
• Road traffic increases.
• Farming becomes less
viable, forcing other
farms to subdivide.

14. Farmland Preservation Vs Sprawl
• Farms are subdivided.
• Land values and taxes
increase.
• Infrastructure costs rise
(water, sewage,
roads).
• Road traffic increases.
• Farming becomes less
viable, forcing other
farms to subdivide.

15. Smart Growth Development
Land use and transport
policies that encourage
development of compact,
mixed, walkable urban
villages where commonly-
used goods and services
(shops, restaurants,
elementary schools, parks,
etc.) are nearby, and high
quality public transit provides
convenient access to other
regional destinations.
Victoria’s Cook Street Village is a example of a
multi-modal urban village where walking,
cycling, automobile and public transport are all
convenient and safe transport options
15

16. Retrofitting Suburbs
Many smaller cities, towns
and suburban strips are now
being retrofitted based on
smart growth principles to
create compact, walkable and
bikeable, mixed use
neighborhoods, reflecting
traditional development
practices.
16

17. Linking the Centers across US29
by Dan Burden, Walkable & Livable Communities Institute

18. Ped/bike bridge from mall to transit stop/garage
18

19. Mixed-use redevelopment on mall parking lot
19

20. Landscaping matures
20

21. Additional redevelopment
21

22. Landscaping matures over time
22

23. Household Transport Costs
Sprawl Smart Growth
Cars per household
 
Annual transport expenses $18,000 $6,000
Mobility for non-drivers Poor (requires Moderate to good
chauffeuring) (independent mobility)
Commute Automobile Walk, bike, automobile or
convenient public transport
Local errands Auto Walking, cycling and auto
Child’s travel to school and Poor (requires Walking, cycling and
friends chauffeuring) chauffeured in auto

24. Land Use Impacts On Travel
24

25. Smart Growth Safety Impacts

26. Healthy Communities
Walkability
• Improves public
fitness and
health
• Improves
mobility options
for non-drivers
• Transport cost
savings and
affordability
• Increases
community
livability

27. “A Heavy Load” Report
Lower-income households
in neighborhoods located
closer to the central cities
spend a much smaller
portion of their income on
housing and transport than
those located in more
sprawled neighborhoods.

30. Return on Investment
High quality public transit
typically requires about $268 in
additional subsidies and $104
in additional fares annually per
capita, but provides vehicle,
parking and road cost savings
averaging $1,040 per capita,
plus other savings and benefits:
• Parking cost savings.
• Congestion reductions
• Accident reductions
• Pollution reductions Improved
mobility for non-drivers,
• Improved fitness and health

31. Equity
A more diverse transportation
systems helps achieve equity
objectives:
• A fair share of public resources for
non-drivers.
• Financial savings to lower-income
people.
• Increased opportunity to people who
are physically, socially or economically
disadvantaged.

32. Sprawl Is Costly
$10,000
• Increases infrastructure
Annual Transport Expenditurs
and public service costs. $8,000
• Increases transportation $6,000
costs and reduces travel
options. $4,000
• Environmental costs
$2,000
(reduced greenspace and
wildlife habitat). $-
Smart Sprawl
Growth
32

33. Smart Growth Benefits
Economic Social Environmental
Infrastructure cost savings Improved transport options, Greenspace & habitat
particularly for non-drivers preservation
Public service cost savings
Increased housing options Energy savings
Transportation efficiencies
Community cohesion Air pollution reductions
Agglomeration efficiencies
Cultural resource preservation Water pollution reductions
Economic reliance (historic sites, traditional
neighborhoods, etc.) Reduced “heat island”
Supports industries that effect.
depend on high quality Increased physical exercise
environments (tourism, and health
farming, etc.)
33

34. Memo From Future Self
Hope for the best but prepare for the
worst:
• Physical disability – diverse and
integrated transport with universal design
(accommodates people with disabilities
and other special needs).
• Poverty and inflation – affordable
housing in accessible, multi-modal
locations.
• Higher fuel prices – improve efficient
modes (walking, cycling and public
transport).
• Isolation and loneliness – community
cohesion (opportunities for neighbors to
interact in positive ways).

35. Trends Supporting Multi-Modalism
• Motor vehicle saturation.
• Aging population.
• Rising fuel prices.
• Increased urbanization.
• Increased traffic and
parking congestion.
• Rising roadway
construction costs and
declining economic return
from increased roadway
capacity.
• Environmental concerns.
• Health Concerns

36. Housing Demand By Type (Nelson 2006)
The current supply of
large-lot suburban is
approximately adequate
to satisfy demand for
the next two decades.
Most growth will be in
smaller-lot and multi-
family housing.

37. High Quality Public Transit
• Geographic coverage (serves many
worksites, schools, stores, recreational
areas, neighborhoods).
• Relatively fast, reliable and and frequent.
• Comfortable and clean vehicles and
waiting areas.
• Convenient information and payment
systems.
• Affordable relative to incomes and
driving costs.
• Safe and secure.
• Courtesy and responsiveness.

38. Walking and Cycling Improvements
• More investment in
sidewalks, crosswalks,
paths and bike lanes.
• Improved roadway
shoulders.
• More traffic calming.
• Bicycle parking and
changing facilities.
• Encouragement, education
and enforcement programs.

39. Motorists Benefit Too
More balanced transport policy is
no more “anti-car” than a healthy
diet is anti-food. Motorists have
every reason to support these
reforms:
• Reduced traffic and parking
congestion.
• Improved safety.
• Improved travel options.
• Reduced chauffeuring burden.
• Often the quickest and most cost
effective way to improve driving
conditions.

40. Supported by Professional Organizations
• Institute of Transportation
Engineers.
• American Planning Association.
• American Farmland Trust.
• Federal, state, regional and
local planning and
transportation agencies.
• International City/County
Management Association
• National Governor’s Association
• Health organizations.
• And much more...

41. Roadway Costs
Transport Canada reports that in
2009–10, all levels of Canadian
government spent $28.9 billion on
roads, about $900 annually per
capita, and collected $12.1 billion
in fuel taxes and $4.4 billion in
other road user fees, indicating
that in Canada, user fees cover
about 64% of roadway costs.
Transport In Canada: An Overview,
Transport Canada
(www.tc.gc.ca/eng/policy/report-aca-
anre2010-index-2700.htm).

42. “Where We Want To Be: Home Location Preferences & Their Implications for Smart Growth”
“If Health Matters: Integrating Public Health Objectives into Transportation Decision-Making”
“Evaluating Transportation Economic Development Impacts”
“Affordable-Accessible Housing In A Dynamic City”
“The Future Isn’t What It Used To Be”
“Evaluating Smart Growth Benefits”
“Online TDM Encyclopedia”
and more...
www.vtpi.org