Newest Resources (February 2010)

Raise My Taxes, Please! Evaluating Household Savings From High Quality Public Transit Service
This report uses data from U.S. cities to investigate the incremental costs and benefits of public transit service improvements. It indicates that high quality service typically requires about $268 in additional subsidies and $104 in additional fares annually per capita, but provides vehicle, parking and road cost savings averaging $1,040 per capita, plus other economic, social and environmental benefits. This indicates that residents should rationally support tax increases if needed to create high quality public transit systems in their communities.

Parking Pricing Implementation Guidelines: How More Efficient Pricing Can Help Solve Parking Problems, Increase Revenue And Achieve Other Planning Objectives
Parking pricing refers to direct charges for using a parking space. Efficient parking pricing can provide numerous benefits including increased turnover and therefore improved user convenience, parking facility cost savings, reduced traffic problems, and increased revenues. This report provides guidance on parking pricing implementation. It describes parking pricing benefits and costs, ways to overcome common obstacles and objections, and examples of successful parking pricing programs.

Where We Want To Be: Home Location Preferences And Their Implications For Smart Growth
This report investigates changing consumer housing location preferences. Market research indicates that an increasing number of households want to live in accessible, compact, multi-modal communities. The supply of small-lot and attached housing will need to approximately double by 2025 to meet consumer demands.

Are Vehicle Travel Reduction Targets Justified? Evaluating Mobility Management Policy Objectives Such As Targets To Reduce VMT And Increase Use Of Alternative Modes
This report investigates whether transportation policies should include mobility management objectives, such as targets to reduce vehicle travel and encourage use of alternative modes. It evaluates the justificatons and criticisms of such targets. Mobility management can provide many benefits, and specific policy objectives provide guidance for strategic planning.

Litman's Planetizen Blogs
VTPI Executive Director Todd Litman shares information and insights in blogs posted on Planetizen, a public-interest information exchange for urban planners, designs, and developers.