While past research has explored the impacts that new, large-scale highway construction projects have on local businesses, a recent study investigated the effects of smaller improvement projects, such as repaving and bridge replacements, and who tends to benefit from such improvements. The study found these types of projects are more common in higher-income neighborhoods, but that local, non-chain businesses were most likely to be negatively impacted by ongoing construction and altered traffic patterns compared to nearby multi-location, chain businesses.
investment
National Opportunity Zones Ranking Report
The newly created federal Opportunity Zones program will likely go down as the largest and most significant federal community development initiative in U.S. history. One way to make the most of that investment is by directing state transportation funds to further catalyze economic development in those distressed communities. This report helps identify which Opportunity Zones should be prioritized for investment in order to deliver positive economic, environmental, and social returns. It ranks 7,800+ Opportunity Zones, broken out by state, according to their smart growth potential and current social equity. It also provides a policy framework and case studies to ensure equitable, inclusive development in Opportunity Zones through transportation, land use, and development decisions.
VMT in the news: A warning to investors, a policy lesson for Congress, a reality check on climate policy, and charts
Flat-to-declining highway transportation demand has been with us for about a decade, and consensus is building for the position that it is not a historic aberration but rather a durable trend. A roundup of recent VMT-related news.
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.
Florida’s freight infrastructure investment named an innovation to watch
Florida’s statewide approach to freight infrastructure investments has been highlighted in the Brookings-Rockefeller Project on State and Metropolitan Innovation’s Top 10 State and Metropolitan Innovations to Watch. Florida’s strategy is unique in that it aligns infrastructure systems across the state, thus allowing the FLP to consider the entire state’s freight interests rather than just those of individual ports and intermodal centers.
Smart Growth America helps Tennessee with familiar problem: Many projects and limited funds
A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America revealed that Tennessee DOT has a problem: nine times more projects in its work plan than it has funding. They needed an analysis of which projects were a priority and how some needs might be addressed by less expensive solutions.
Smart Growth America helps Tennessee with familiar problem: Many projects and limited funds
A technical assistance report from Smart Growth America revealed that Tennessee DOT has a problem: nine times more projects in its work plan than it has funding. They needed an analysis of which projects were a priority and how some needs might be addressed by less expensive solutions.
Infrastructure 2011: A Strategic Priority (Urban Land Institute and Ernst & Young, 2012)
Based on extensive research and interviews with industry leaders, this report surveys global infrastructure trends and activities in 2011, then examines in depth current U.S. infrastructure policy and the outlook for meeting the nation’s significant repair and rebuilding challenges.
Economic Effects of Public Investment in Transportation and Directions for the Future (CNT and SSTI, 2012)
This report examines current economic analysis practices in state Departments of Transportation through examples in nine state transportation agencies and an extensive literature review. For additional understanding of the methods in practice, we also incorporated information …
New report proposes ways to increase municipal infrastructure investment
A new report from IBM argues that the health of the country depends on the health of our cities, but the current “business model” of most local governments is not sustainable in the current environment of budget cuts and little to no local revenue growth. Local governments’ current problems, the report’s authors argue, are structural, and not totally a symptom of the recession, and the provision of public infrastructure cannot be financed with existing public revenue streams.