Report rebuts pro-sprawl message

CNU has released a new report, “Correcting the Record,” which corrects some of the misinformation spread by pro-sprawl impresario Wendell Cox. The CNU report was released at Rail-Volution, a national transportation and land-use conference at which Cox debated longtime Smart Growth advocate Congressman Earl Blumenauer. CNU members often tangle with Cox, who circulates around the country attempting to derail new transit systems. “Cox seems to think that we are fated to sprawl forever,” says CNU executive director Shelley Poticha. “Our message is that we have a choice. Some cities have chosen to reduce their dependence on cars, and to increase their livability. These numbers show that their strategies work.” The CNU report was written by Portland-based members John Fregonese, of Fregonese-Calthorpe Associates, and Lynn Peterson, of Tri-Met, the Portland region’s public transportation agency. Throughout the report, they used research by Chris Nelson of the Georgia Tech University. “Correcting the Record” responds to assertions in Cox’ two major reports from 2001, one for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation and one for the Texas Public Policy Foundation. In those reports, Cox claimed that policies to reduce sprawl and improve transit actually worsened congestion, increased government spending, reduced economic growth, and made housing more expensive. The CNU report uses well-documented statistics to demonstrate that mass transit and good land use planning actually make housing more affordable, decrease driving, reduce government spending, and improve regional prosperity. The report can be downloaded from the CNU website, cnu.org; paper copies are also available for $1 each. Call 415 495-2255 to order.