[sustran] VTPI NEWS - Spring 2015

[Todd Litman]

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                 VTPI NEWS

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              Victoria Transport Policy Institute

              "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"

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              Spring 2015    Vol. 15, No. 1

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The Victoria Transport Policy Institute is an independent research
organization dedicated to developing innovative solutions to transportation
problems. The VTPI website (http://www.vtpi.org ) has many resources
addressing a wide range of transport planning and policy issues. VTPI also
provides consulting services.

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NEW REPORTS

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"Analysis of Public Policies that Unintentionally Encourage and Subsidize
Sprawl" (http://bit.ly/1EvGtIN ), in partnership with the LSE Cities program
(http://lsecities.net ) for the New Climate Economy
(http://newclimateeconomy.net ).

This report defines sprawl, low-density, dispersed development, and its
opposite, smart growth. It estimates the costs of sprawl, describes various
market distortions that foster sprawl, and identifies smart growth policies
that can help correct these distortions. Sprawl increases land consumption,
reducing the amount of land available for farming and ecological functions,
and increases the distance between homes, services and businesses which
significantly raises infrastructure and transportation costs. By reducing
per capita land consumption and infrastructure and transportation costs,
smart growth policies can provide significant economic, social and
environmental benefits. Based on this cost analysis the report provides
guidelines for optimal urban expansion, densities and vehicle ownership
rates in various types of cities.

 

This report stimulated significant international media coverage:

 

"Try Jam Today: Policies To Slow Down Warming May Be More Attractive If
Framed As Ways Of Speeding Up Growth" (http://econ.st/1qUeVLQ ). This
article in The Economist cites our research and concludes that smart growth
policies are important because they provide "win-win" economic and
environmental benefits.

 

"The Cost of Sprawl: More Than $1 Trillion Per Year, New Report Says"
(http://on.wsj.com/1FFcqCJ ), Wall Street Journal.

 

"The Steep Costs Of Living So Far Apart From Each Other"
(http://wapo.st/1Bnrm2o ), The Washington Post.  

 

"Sprawl Costs US More Than A Trillion Dollars A Year" (http://bit.ly/1DbPCF9
), Better Cities and Towns. 

 

"In Thrall to the Mall Crawl and Urban Sprawl" (http://bit.ly/1OcJWGN ),
InterPress Service News Agency.

 

"Analysis of Public Policies that Unintentionally Encourage and Subsidize
Sprawl" (http://bit.ly/1DbPWUi ), World Bank Weekly Wire.

 

"Why Smart Growth Cities Are Safer, Healthier, And Wealthier"
(http://bit.ly/1HLzWzX ), City Fix. This article describes specific costs
that tend to increase with sprawl and discusses their implications for
optimal development in Ahmedabad, India.

 

"How Much Sprawl Costs America: More Than $1 Trillion, According To A New
Report" (http://bit.ly/1BpXLVU ), CityLab.

 

"Study: Annual Cost Of Sprawl In America Adds Up To $4,500 Per Person"
(http://bit.ly/1K3p5zX ), StreetsBlog USA.

 

"Report: Sprawl Damaging To Health And The Economy" (http://bit.ly/1Hsu4Kw
), Houston Chronicle.

 

"Atlanta Called Out for Urban Sprawl" (http://bit.ly/1D6YnHg ), GlobeSt.

 

"Suburban Sprawl is Stifling the US Economy" (http://bit.ly/1xiMgEj ), VOX.

 

Transportation Research Board (http://bit.ly/1OE5uXE ).

 

"The Cost Of Bad Urban Design: $1 Trillion A Year" (http://bit.ly/1HFLJwi ),
Fast Company.

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"Twelve Reasons to Support Vancouver’s Transportation Tax"
(www.vtpi.org/VanTransitTax.pdf ). Vancouver, British Columbia currently has
a plebiscite to help determine whether to implement a new transportation
tax. This short report examines the region's transportation system
performance. It indicates that, contrary to critics’ claims, Vancouver
performs very well according to key indicators including per capita transit
ridership, system cost recovery and regional traffic safety. 

 

This report also stimulated significant media coverage:

 

"More Tax, Less Traffic? A Famously 'Liveable' City Is Becoming Too Popular
For Its Own Good" (http://econ.st/1PeiK7E ), The Economist. 

 

"Referendum Questions: Is TransLink inefficient?" (http://bit.ly/1JsdxoS )
and "Referendum Questions: Will Road Pricing Or New Bridge Tolls Also Come?"
(http://bit.ly/1OE7Ky4 ).

 

"Chauffeuring Non-Drivers Around Has A Cost, And It Reminds Us Of The
Importance Of Transit" (http://bit.ly/1Pbyic6 ), Vancouver's Metro News. 

 

"Battle Lines Drawn In Transit Referendum Fight: ‘Yes’ Side Boasts Diverse
Support Base; Canadian Taxpayers Federation Leading The Charge For
Opposition" (http://bit.ly/1bsjJmt ), Vancouver Sun. 

 

"B.C.'S Transportation Future May Involve Less Driving: Transportation
Expert Todd Litman Says Commutes Will Be Shorter And Smarter"
(http://bit.ly/1GgBAH8 ), Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

 

"What Transportation Funding Alternatives Are There, Should The Congestion
Improvement Tax Fail?" (http://bit.ly/1HSIsfT ), News 1130.

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"Affordable-Accessible Housing In A Dynamic City: Why and How To Increase
Affordable Housing In Accessible Neighborhoods"
(http://www.vtpi.org/aff_acc_hou.pdf ). This report examines ways to
evaluate housing affordability, identifies problems caused by
inaffordability, and describes affordable-accessible housing, which refers
to lower priced homes located in areas with convenient access to essential
services and activities, which minimizes household cost burdens. Demand for
affordable-accessible housing is growing. Increasing affordable-accessible
housing development can help achieve various economic, social and
environmental objectives. Many current policies discourage such development,
leading to shortages, particularly in growing cities. Policy and planning
reforms described in this report can increase affordable-accessible housing
development.

 

PUBLISHED ELSEWHERE

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"Public Transit is Good for Public Health" (http://bit.ly/1wXTygR ), by Dr.
Trevor Handcock. It cites my article, 'Transportation and Public Health'
published two years ago in the "Annual Review of Public Health"
(http://bit.ly/1GrU1Ye ). It concludes that public transit improvements
often repay their costs in public safety and health benefits.

 

"Metro Vancouver Rush Hour Congestion Still Canada's Most Severe"
(http://bit.ly/1xDtrfi ). This Province Newspaper article concerns a recent
TomTom report which ranks Vancouver as Canada's most congested city. It
includes analysis based on our reports, "Smart Congestion Relief"
(http://www.vtpi.org/cong_relief.pdf ) and "Congestion Costing Critique:
Critical Evaluation of the ‘Urban Mobility Report,"
(www.vtpi.org/UMR_critique.pdf ) which points out that indicators such as
TomTom’s measure congestion intensity (the degree that traffic speeds
decline on major roads during peak periods), but do not account for
congestion exposure (the amount that residents drive on major roadways
during peak periods) and so ignores the congestion avoided when people shift
mode or choose closer destinations. Such indicators exaggerate congestion
costs in compact, multimodal cities such as Vancouver, and ignore the
benefits of improving alternative modes and smart growth policies that
reduce peak-period driving. 

 

"Cities with Better Transit have Fewer Traffic Fatalities"
(http://bit.ly/1DAaKWc ), Business Vancouver. This article highlights my
recently-published article, "A New Transit Safety Narrative"
(http://bit.ly/1wKVI0C ) which suggests that for average residents the
incremental costs of funding public transit improvements are more than
offset by financial savings to households, businesses and governments,
including safety benefits. 

 

"Despite Metro’s Yellow Line Accident, Transit is Safer than Driving"
(http://wapo.st/1zhyUIA ), Washington Post. This article, published soon
after a fatal subway accident in Washington DC, also incorporates my
research on public transit’s overall safety benefits. 

 

Recent Planetizen Blogs (http://www.planetizen.com/blog/2394 ):

"Public Policies For Optimal Urban Development" (http://bit.ly/1PeN6Xt )

"Communicating Transit Benefits: We Can Do Better" (http://bit.ly/1HiJDpM )

"How Not To Evaluate Public Transit Risks" (http://bit.ly/1J9q1Fe )

"More Critique of Demographia's International Housing Affordability Survey"
(http://bit.ly/15L5mqo ) 

"New Transit Safety Narrative" (http://bit.ly/1DLBu9m )

 

Let’s be friends. Todd Litman regularly posts on his Facebook page
(http://www.facebook.com/todd.litman ). Befriend him now!

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BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

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Presented at the 2015 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting:

"Evaluating Household Chauffeuring Burdens"
(http://www.vtpi.org/chauffeuring.pdf ). This paper develops a Chauffeuring
Burden Index which can be used to quantify chauffeuring costs and therefore
the savings and benefits of transport improvements that reduce chauffeuring
burdens. The analysis indicates that in automobile dependent communities
chauffeuring costs often exceed congestion costs.

 

"Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Predictions: Implications for Transport
Planning" (http://www.vtpi.org/avip.pdf ). This paper explores the impacts
that autonomous (also called self-driving, driverless or robotic) vehicles
are likely to have on travel demands and transportation planning. It
discusses autonomous vehicle benefits and costs, predicts their likely
implementation, and explores how they will affect planning decisions such as
optimal road, parking and public transit supply. 

 

Transforming Transportation (www.transformingtransportation.org ) conference
held at the World Bank (http://tinyurl.com/n66hqh7 ). Keynote speaker,
Felipe Calderón, former President of Mexico and current Chair of the Global
Commission on the Economy and Climate (http://newclimateeconomy.net ) cited
my current research concerning the costs of sprawl and the benefits of smart
growth (http://tinyurl.com/o2ulzg7 , see minute 19). 

 

Brookings Institution workshop, “Driving in the 21st Century: Current
Trends, Future Needs” (http://brook.gs/1G0phfb ) which discussed how
demographic and economic trend are affecting travel demands, and their
implications for transport planning and investment practices.

 

"Proceedings of 2014 International Transportation Economic Development
Conference" (http://1.usa.gov/1DAaTsJ ), included presentations,
"Economically Optimal Transport Prices and Markets: What Would Happen if
Rational Policies Prevailed?" (http://www.vtpi.org/ITED_optimal.pdf ), "
Economically Optimal Transport Prices and Markets: What Would Happen if
Rational Policies Prevailed?" (http://www.vtpi.org/ITED_optimal.pdf ), and
"The Mobility-Productivity Paradox" (http://www.vtpi.org/ITED_paradox.pdf ).

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UPCOMMING EVENTS

===================

"Sustainable Transportation Performance Evaluation Data Needs" to be
presented at the Transportation for Sustainability–An International
Conference, May 7-8, Washington DC, (http://bit.ly/1yNUe94 ). 

 

"A New Traffic Safety Agenda: Incorporating Transportation Demand Management
Safety Strategies" to be presented at the International Conference on
Transportation, 8-11 June 2015, Athens, Greece
(http://www.atiner.gr/transportation.htm ).

 

"Evaluating Household Chauffeuring Burdens: Understanding Direct and
Indirect Costs of Transporting Non-Driver" to be presented at the
International Transport Economics Association (ITEA) Annual Conference June
17-19, Oslo, Norway (https://www.toi.no/ITEA2015 ). 

 

"Mobility In Smart Cities: Round the World Seminars," Gothenburg, June 24.
To celebrate the completion of the Volvo Ocean Race, Gothenburg City invites
innovative ideas on the efficient use of natural resources and sustainable
urban development (http://cometogothenburg.se ). 

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USEFUL RESOURCES

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"The Metropolitan Century: Understanding Urbanisation and its Consequences"
(http://bit.ly/1bsxlOp ), Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development. This comprehensive report is a useful companion to our study,
"Analysis of Public Policies that Unintentionally Encourage and Subsidize
Sprawl" (http://bit.ly/1EvGtIN ).

 

"Missing Middle Housing: Responding to the Demand for Walkable Urban Living"
(http://missingmiddlehousing.com). This terrific new website dedicated to
the "missing middle" urban housing types such as duplexes and fourplexes,
and small apartment buildings designed to fit into residential
neighborhoods. This helps create affordable infill housing in
moderate-density neighborhoods.  Also see, "Affordable Housing Design
Advisor" (http://designadvisor.org ). 

 

"Beyond Traffic: US DOT's 30 Year Framework for the Future"
(www.dot.gov/beyondtraffic ). This report outlines trends that are likely to
shape the needs of the United States’ transportation system over the next
three decades. Also see, "Federal Highway Administration Quietly
Acknowledges the Driving Boom is Over: Agency Slashes Forecasts of Future
Driving Growth 24-44%" (http://bit.ly/1L0Nyr9 ). The American Association of
Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) also incorporated lower-bound
growth estimates in it's recent "Bottom Line" (http://bit.ly/1FcTStY )
report, which projects transportation investment requirements.

 

"TOD Index" (http://todindex.com ). Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Index
analysis indicates that home values near rail stations outperforms national
market, yet are more affordable for residents overall, and that TOD
households demonstrate the low vehicle ownership rates and high rates of
transit, walk, bike commuting (http://bit.ly/1yNP0KE ).

"Surging City Center Job Growth"
(http://cityobservatory.org/city-center-jobs ), City Observatory. For over
half a century, American cities were decentralizing, with suburban areas
surpassing city centers in both population and job growth. It appears that
these economic and demographic tides are now changing. Over the past few
years, urban populations in America’s cities have grown faster than outlying
areas, and our research shows that jobs are coming with them.

 

"Safer Streets, Stronger Economies" (http://bit.ly/1PeGDM9 ) , Smart Growth
America. This report summarizes the impacts of 37 U.S. Complete Streets
projects for which before-and-after transport and economic data were
available. The analysis indicates that Complete Streets projects tended to
improve safety for all street users, increased biking and walking, and
showed a mix of increases and decreases in automobile traffic, depending in
part on the project goal. 

 

"Menos Cajones Más Ciudad" (http://bit.ly/1OcXOAW ), ITDP Mexico.  This
short video, which translates to "Less Parking More City," describes how
more efficient parking can help improve overall urban transportation system
efficiency. Click the "CC" button for English translation.

 

"The Changing Shape of American Cities" (http://bit.ly/1b0iTNk ), University
of Virginia (http://bit.ly/1Nv95cT ). This is a terrific new information
resource provides data on demographic and economic trends in U.S.
metropolitan areas between 1990 and 2012. The graphs clearly show the large
increases in younger and affluent residents, and growth in overall
population, in most city centers. 

 

"Remaking the City Street Grid – A Model for Urban and Suburban Development"
(http://bit.ly/1OcY9DI ), by Fanis Grammenos and Gordon Lovegrove. This book
proposes a new street pattern which encourages more efficient and
multi-modal urban transport.

 

"Curing your Clown-Like Car Habit" (http://bit.ly/1cYjZdi ), Mr. Money
Mustache. This blogger describes ways to live frugally and enjoyably. A key
strategy is to reduce automobile ownership and use, what he calls the
"clown-like car habit."

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Please let us know if you have comments or questions about any information
in this newsletter, or if you would like to be removed from our email list.
And please pass this newsletter on to others who may find it useful.

 

 

Sincerely,

Todd Litman (litman at vtpi.org)

Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)

Office: 250-360-1560 | Mobile: 250-508-5150

1250 Rudlin Street, Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, CANADA

     Efficiency - Equity - Clarity