Study titled "The Impact of Sprawl on Household Transportation Expenses" ranks U.S. cities by transportation costs and finds that sprawl drives up transportation costs. (Complete report)
A study by the SurfaceTransportation Policy Project and the Center for Neighborhood Technologyfinds that sprawl drives up transportation costs in the U.S."The report finds that the metro areas where transportation takes the biggest bite out of the household budget areHouston, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami and Detroit, followed by Minneapolis, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Kansas City andTampa. Much of the difference in transportation expenditures is due to sprawling development patterns, as shownby analysis of land use and transportation factors detailed in the report.The impact of sprawl on transportation costs holds true within metro areas as well. Annual automobile costs foraverage households are often thousands of dollars higher in sprawling neighborhoods with poor transportationchoices. The study finds that sprawl increases distances and reduces travel choices, requiring car ownership anddriving up transportation costs. In more convenient neighborhoods, automobile costs for the average family are$100 to $500 a month lower than in sprawling areas."[Link to complete report (about 50 pages) in HTML and PDF format, a separate Executive Summary, and a Fact Sheet that provides detailed charts and graphs for each of the cities studied. Thanks to PLANetizen reader Andy Alarcon for the link -- Editor]
Thanks to Abhijeet Chavan
FULL STORY: Driven to Spend

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

In Urban Planning, AI Prompting Could be the New Design Thinking
Creativity has long been key to great urban design. What if we see AI as our new creative partner?

Portland Raises Parking Fees to Pay for Street Maintenance
The city is struggling to bridge a massive budget gap at the Bureau of Transportation, which largely depleted its reserves during the Civd-19 pandemic.

Spokane Mayor Introduces Housing Reforms Package
Mayor Lisa Brown’s proposals include deferring or waiving some development fees to encourage more affordable housing development.

Houston Mayor Kills Another Bike Lane
The mayor rejected a proposed bike lane in the Montrose district in keeping with his pledge to maintain car lanes.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont