Over the last 15 years, the Internet and mobile communications technologies have transformed the way Americans live and work. During that same period, growth in vehicle travel slowed and then stopped, with Americans today driving about as much on average as we did in 1996. Early evidence suggests that new innovations in technology and social networking are beginning to change America’s transportation landscape.
Economic Impact
Development of Tools for Assessing Wider Economic Benefits of Transportation (TRB, 2013)
A new study by SHRP2 details the development of tools to help assess the wider economic benefits of transportation projects. In addition to the study, four sets of spreadsheet tools that can aid in transportation project impact assessment are provided.
More Development for Your Transit Dollar: An Analysis of 21 North American Transit Corridors (ITDP, 2013)
Cities short on funds have wondered whether BRT, a low-cost form of transit, cold be used to leverage TOD. This report compares BRT, light-rail, and streetcar projects and finds that per dollar of investment BRT leverages more development than either light rail or streetcar. Other conclusions are that all three types of transit investments show a significant return, and both government support how well the BRT meets best practices are keys to TOD success.
Tools for Estimating VMT Reductions from Built Environment Changes (Anne Vernez Moudon and Orion Stewart , University of Washington, 2013)
This report reviews the built environment characteristics associated with travel and the tools available that utilize these built environment characteristics to estimate travel and related outcomes such as vehicle emissions and health co-benefits. Tools ranged from simple to complex, and a number of factors should be considered when applying a tool to a planning effort.
Who Pays for Climate Change? (National Resources Defense Council, 2013)
U.S. taxpayers outspend private insurers three-to-one to cover climate disruption costs. Paying for climate disruption was one of the largest non-defense discretionary budget items in 2012. Private insurers themselves only covered about 25 percent of these costs, leaving the federal government and its public insurance enterprises to pay for the majority of the remaining claims.
Assessing the Extent and Determinates of Induced Growth (Montana DOT, 2013)
Transportation improvements affect the accessibility of places, which in turn can result in changes in land use in combination with factors that support or discourage development (such as land prices, market demand, local land use regulations, and environmental constraints). Transportation projects alone cannot change surrounding land use. The Montana Department of Transportation has released a report that discusses a legally defensible process for assessing the indirect land use and environmental effects of transportation projects.
The New Majority: Pedaling Toward Equity (League of American Bicyclists and Sierra Club, 2013)
This report features data on demographic ridership, the effect of safe cycling infrastructure on ridership, new immigrant perceptions of bicycling, as well as the economic impact of transportation and health inequity.
Aligning Strategies to Maximize Impact: Case Studies on Transportation and Economic Development (National Association of Development Organizations, 2012)
Ten case studies from 11 states document how the fields of transportation and economic development can complement each other and create an environment for increased collaboration and aligning of resources.
The New Real Estate Mantra: Location Near Public Transportation (APTA, National Association of Realtors & CNT, 2013)
This analysis investigates how well residential properties located in proximity to fixed-guideway transit have maintained their value as compared to residential properties without transit access between 2006 and 2011 in five regions. Across the study regions, the transit shed outperformed the region as a whole by 41.6 percent.
Transit-Oriented Development in the States (NCLS, 2012)
This report from the National Conference of State Legislatures examines state legislative action to define transit-oriented evelopment, plan for and fund TOD, provide “last-mile” transportation solutions to get to and from a transit stop, and a number of other states strategies to encourage TOD.