10 percent more smart growth, 20 percent less driving
A 10 percent rise in smart growth leads to a 20 percent drop in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), according to a paper by Dr. Sudip Chattopadhyay of San Francisco State University — published in the B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy. Chattopadhyay looked at 18 US metro areas to examine what program would have a bigger impact — raising fuel taxes or implementing smart growth policies. Smart growth was measured in residential and job density and per capita expenditures on transit. Raising the cost of driving by 10 percent would reduce VMT by 18 percent, the research found. Smart growth policies could have a significant impact, the paper said. "If mid-sized California cities like Modesto, Fresno, and Bakersfield had similar density and transit amenities as some of the state’s larger cities — the Bay Area and Los Angeles — they could expect to see a 55 percent reduction in per household driving activity, or about 5,238 miles per year," reports Streetsblog.
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