The Economic Benefits of Better Streets

"Using tax data from the New York City Department of Finance, the DOT analyzed the impact of street re-design and transportation enhancements on retail businesses. Laid out in 'The Economic Benefits of Sustainable Streets' [PDF], the data show encouraging results in seven test cases taken from three of the city's boroughs, representing a wide range of neighborhood types," reports Sarah Goodyear.

The report is a follow-up to last year's Measuring the Street report, which provided evidence of "the economic value of safety, parking, mobility and design improvements to city streets".

"Overall, the numbers revealed broad economic benefits for the streets that had been changed," notes Goodyear. "Numbers like these provide yet another powerful rational argument for street design that puts people above cars."