This piece from the Vancouver Sun advocates using land value capture taxes to fund transit and related improvements. Such a tax would target speculation, the author writes, rather than productive activity.
In the wake of a local vote against regressive tax hikes to fund transit, Paul Finch considers another way. "Land Value Capture, also known as an Area Benefiting Tax. To translate in plain terms: pay for transit improvements by taxing some of the property appreciation that those improvements produce."
In essence, land value capture would cut into the profits of developers speculating on transit-oriented gentrification. "Public infrastructure causes windfall gains for nearby property owners and developers. We could finance construction through government bonds, then repay those bonds over time with an incrementally higher property tax on nearby developable sites."
Finch argues that taxing higher land values doesn't significantly harm the economy. "Such a scheme has no 'dead weight loss' — that is, unlike income and sales taxes, it doesn't stifle the economy and taxes speculation rather than productive activity."
Transit's critics often deride its tendency to operate in the red, at least as far as fare revenues go. Land value capture has the potential to make transit's beneficiaries pay for what they're getting.
FULL STORY: Opinion: Fund transit by taxing land speculators
Transit Agencies Leasing Real Estate to Raise Revenue
As ridership revenues drop, more agencies are looking to diversify their income sources by leasing agency-owned land to developers.
Study: How Does Transit Really Impact Land Values?
The idea that proximity to transit equals higher land values doesn't tell the full story. According to this study, a variety of other factors must be in place to achieve the desired effect.
DC Suburban Light Rail Expansion Prompts Mixed-Use Development
The Purple Line’s expansion into Maryland suburbs in 2027 has spurred TOD along the line.
What ‘The Brutalist’ Teaches Us About Modern Cities
How architecture and urban landscapes reflect the trauma and dysfunction of the post-war experience.
‘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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research