The Road to Prosperity: Real-Time Approaches to Economic Improvement

People have been driving about 1% less per year for the last 9 years. What can public-private partnerships for transportation alternatives do to stoke this fire?

1 minute read

January 26, 2014, 11:00 AM PST

By Hazel Borys


"Across America, too many people believe that 'no one will get out of their cars.' The newest data based on the American Community Survey, shows 'it ain’t so,' even for small cities and their surrounding areas. The national trend in the US is a drop of almost 1 percent per year in passenger vehicle-miles-traveled or VMT, driven by the high price of transportation generally and more specifically related to the need to drive, a function of the increased distance between people and what they do. People have been driving about 1% per year less for a while now."

Scott Bernstein, President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, goes on to use Doña Ana County, New Mexico, as an example of the road to prosperity. Warning, this long thought piece is not an easy read, but sets out to invoke some heavy lifting for transportation types and PPPs.

2013 saw the 9th consecutive year of a drop in total vehicle miles traveled per household

Monday, January 20, 2014 in PlaceShakers

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

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

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

A pencil rendering of Foundry Park, which shows skyscrapers and public green spaces.

Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment

The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.

October 23, 2026 - Chicago Sun Times

An Ariel view of Ocean Parkway, a busy six-lane highway

This road in NYC is infamously dangerous — and Mamdani can't fix it

New York City's Ocean Parkway is known for reckless driving, but the power to implement safety measures lies with the state rather than the city.

5 seconds ago - Gothamist

People walking in Denver next to a red bus.

One of Denver’s busiest corridors to gain BRT

The project will span 18 miles and contain 74 bus rapid transit stations.

October 29 - Transportation Today News

People board an orange bus in Seattle.

275,000 bus trips are at stake on Seattle's ballot

If passed, the Seattle Transit Measure would trigger a 0.3% sales tax and raise an average of $138 million per year to maintain and expand Seattle’s bus services.

October 29 - Seattle Times