• The break in the relationship between VMT and GDP

    Chris McCahill of the State Smart Transportation Initiative explains how vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has become decoupled with Gross Domestic Product (GDP). While Americans’ driving habits have long been linked to economic activity, this relationship has weakened considerably over the past roughly...Read more
  • Eighty years of false freeway claims

    Eighty years of false freeway claims

    Urban freeways never deliver the congestion relief that transportation planners promise, according to Norm Marshall of Smart Mobility. Marshall created this map that shows examples from around the country where urban freeways have disappointed predictions going back eight decades. Urban freeways,...Read more

  • Conventional suburban vs. sustainable urban

    This diagram [FOOTNOTE:1] explains a key difference between conventional suburban (top) and sustainable urban (bottom) development patterns. The conventional suburban area, governed by conventional zoning codes, separates uses into distinct areas that branch off of the automobile-oriented...Read more
  • Broat to you by public policy

    Sprawl: Brought to you by public policy

    For those who are not land-use planning and development geeks, it may seem like communities are built by market forces or just happen randomly. But most development in America is shaped by zoning codes, other land-development regulations, and finance rules. For the last six decades, these rules...Read more