2259 Funding Transportation for Prosperity Sustainability & amp; Equity

Publication date: June 2018 Source:Journal of Transport & Health, Volume 9, Supplement Author(s): Rick Rybeck Studies have shown that urban sprawl creates auto-dependency, contributes to crash deaths and injuries, sedentary lifestyles and increases per-capita energy consumption and associated air pollution. Sprawl also increases impervious surfaces (roofs, streets, parking lots, driveways, etc.) which exacerbate stormwater runoff and water pollution. Some extol compact development (“smart growth”) as the antidote. But, if smart growth is so “smart,” how come there's so much “dumb growth” – and what can be done about it? Part of the answer lies in the economics of infrastructure. Infrastructure is created to facilitate development. Yet, if it is well-designed and well-executed, resulting increases in nearby land prices can chase development away to cheaper but more remote sites. When infrastructure is extended to these remote sites, the cycle begins again, with development being chased even farther away. Rising land prices also thwart community improvement. Perhaps there's a distressed community that would benefit from better roads or transit. If the improvements are successful, land prices and rents rise. Intended beneficiaries may be displaced. Tax dollars, spent to help the poor, end up enriching affluent landowners instead. The ability of private landowners to appropriate publicly-created land values is the fuel behind land speculation – a parasi...
Source: Journal of Transport and Health - Category: Occupational Health Source Type: research