The Personal Cost of Transportation

A new website created by the Center for Neighborhood Technology calculates how much an average household in your neighborhood would spend on transportation, with results for cars and public transit.

1 minute read

September 14, 2010, 6:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


Tod Newcombe reports that the site "uses several sets of data to arrive at average transportation costs. They include money spent on car ownership for your community as well as public transit costs. Other data sets, taken from Census block group data, such as average commute times, job density, transit connectivity, and household income, are factored in."

Called Abogo, the site also calculates the average CO2 emissions related to transportation choice.

Over at the New York Times, reporter Tara Seigel Bernard talks with CNT head honcho Scott Bernstein:

"Abogo's Web site also provides a list of tips on ways to lower your costs. Reducing the number of miles you drive, for instance, may qualify you for a reduction on your insurance premium.

Ideally, Mr. Bernstein said you want to ask yourself this question: Can I spend most of my money within walking distance of my home?

Monday, September 13, 2010 in Governing Magazine

portrait of professional woman

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 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 Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Concrete Brutalism building with slanted walls and light visible through an atrium.

What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities

How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.

February 28, 2025 - Justin Hollander

Complete Street

‘Complete Streets’ Webpage Deleted in Federal Purge

Basic resources and information on building bike lanes and sidewalks, formerly housed on the government’s Complete Streets website, are now gone.

February 27, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Green electric Volkswagen van against a beach backdrop.

The VW Bus is Back — Now as an Electric Minivan

Volkswagen’s ID. Buzz reimagines its iconic Bus as a fully electric minivan, blending retro design with modern technology, a 231-mile range, and practical versatility to offer a stylish yet functional EV for the future.

March 3, 2025 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

View of mountains with large shrubs in foreground in Altadena, California.

Healing Through Parks: Altadena’s Path to Recovery After the Eaton Fire

In the wake of the Eaton Fire, Altadena is uniting to restore Loma Alta Park, creating a renewed space for recreation, community gathering, and resilience.

March 9 - Pasadena NOw

Aerial view of single-family homes with swimming pools in San Diego, California.

San Diego to Rescind Multi-Unit ADU Rule

The city wants to close a loophole that allowed developers to build apartment buildings on single-family lots as ADUs.

March 9 - Axios

Close-up of row of electric cars plugged into chargers at outdoor station.

Electric Vehicles for All? Study Finds Disparities in Access and Incentives

A new UCLA study finds that while California has made progress in electric vehicle adoption, disadvantaged communities remain underserved in EV incentives, ownership, and charging access, requiring targeted policy changes to advance equity.

March 9 - UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation