A study by the Transportation Research Board calculates "land use effect" and "ridership effect" to show how much land is saved when cities include public transit.
Angie Schmitt shares news of a "study published by the Transportation Research Board quantifies the spatial impact of transit in new ways [PDF]. Without transit, the researchers found, American cities would take up 37 percent more space."
The crux of the study's findings, as described by Schmitt: "By allowing urban areas to be built more compactly, the 'land use effect' of transit reduces driving much more than the substitution of car trips with transit trips. Total miles driven in American cities would be 8 percent higher without the land use effect of transit, the researchers concluded, compared to 2 percent higher if you forced everyone who rides transit to drive." The study also found evidence of a "ridership effect," or the substitution of transit trips for car trips, but the "land use effect" is four times as large.
Schmitt also notes that the study includes a Land Use Benefit Calculator [xls], which is intended to be used just as its name describes.
FULL STORY: Without Transit, American Cities Would Take Up 37 Percent More Space
Study: Crime Concerns Cause Transit's Gender Gap
A new study of transit use in Los Angeles finds safety concerns are keeping women off of public transit.
Study Quantifies Job Access in U.S. Cities
An annual survey by the Accessibility Observatory at the University of Minnesota measures job availability, job location, population density, and the availability of transit.
Well Planned Bus Routes Can Help Improve Poverty
A new study by Rahul Pathaka, Christopher K. Wyczalkowskib, Xi Huangb produces new evidence for the most effective method for improving conditions of poverty.
Manufactured Crisis: Losing the Nation’s Largest Source of Unsubsidized Affordable Housing
Manufactured housing communities have long been an affordable housing option for millions of people living in the U.S., but that affordability is disappearing rapidly. How did we get here?
Americans May Be Stuck — But Why?
Americans are moving a lot less than they once did, and that is a problem. While Yoni Applebaum, in his highly-publicized article Stuck, gets the reasons badly wrong, it's still important to ask: why are we moving so much less than before?
Using Old Oil and Gas Wells for Green Energy Storage
Penn State researchers have found that repurposing abandoned oil and gas wells for geothermal-assisted compressed-air energy storage can boost efficiency, reduce environmental risks, and support clean energy and job transitions.
Colorado Lawmakers Move to Protect BRT Funding
In the face of potential federal funding cuts, CDOT leaders reasserted their commitment to planned bus rapid transit projects.
Safe Streets Funding in Jeopardy
The Trump administration is specifically targeting bike infrastructure and other road safety projects in its funding cuts.
Six Reasons Why Housing Is a Human Right
Is housing a human right? A law professor shares six reasons why it should be, from its role in protecting other rights to global recognition and U.S. legal traditions. As public support grows, could housing be the next right written into law?
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.
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
City of Moreno Valley
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
City of Cambridge, Maryland