Simon Fraser University Next-Generation Transportation Webinar Series

Households often make trade-offs between housing and transportation costs: they can choose a cheaper house at the urban fringe where transportation is expensive, or pay more for a home in a more accessible and multi-modal, “smart growth” neighbourhood where transport is cheaper. Urban fringe homes generally offer more space per dollar, and so appear to be better investments, but there are other economic factors to consider. By shifting household spending from transport to real estate, smart growth tends to increase household wealth. It increases mobility options for non-drivers, which increases their economic opportunities and reduces drivers’ chauffeuring burdens. Smart growth also tends to reduce residents’ traffic risks, and improves their fitness and health. It also increases real estate industry profits, local economic development and property tax revenues. This webinar discusses various benefits to residents, businesses and local communities from more compact, multi-modal neighbourhood design, and how to communicate those benefits to decision-makers and the general public.

Speaker: Todd Litman, Executive Director, Victoria Transport Policy Institute and Planetizen Blogger. Moderated by Gordon Price, Simon Fraser University.

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