Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Economics

Virginia’s Transpo Future: Charge Drivers Less to Build More Roads

By Tanya Snyder | Feb 26, 2013 | No Comments

Congratulations are owed to Bob McDonnell. He’s scored a victory on his transportation funding plan, cementing his legacy (though infuriating conservatives, including his hand-picked successor). His achievement is being called the first bipartisan initiative to pass in Virginia in decades. And what does this great deed accomplish? Secure revenue to fuel a new era of […]

Fiscal Cliff Deal Leaves Big Questions on Transportation

By Tanya Snyder | Jan 3, 2013 | 2 Comments

The most significant part of the fiscal cliff deal for transportation was the bump that some transit riders got in the form of a commuter tax break that’s now on par with what drivers get. There are two more minor elements in the bill for transportation — both of them random enough to fit into […]

What Do Anti-Density NIMBYs and Road-Wideners Have in Common?

By Tanya Snyder | Dec 19, 2012 | 18 Comments

Matt Yglesias made an excellent point about NIMBYs over at Slate yesterday. Writing about opposition to multifamily residential construction in the tony neighborhood near Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis, Yglesias wondered how much value residents really place on keeping the area a “single-family residential community.” Just because there’s value in something doesn’t mean people are willing to […]

Why It Can Be More Affordable to Live in an “Expensive” City

By Katie Pearce | Oct 19, 2012 | 18 Comments

So, how did Washington, D.C. — widely perceived as one of the most expensive cities in the country — end up topping a “most affordable” housing list? First and most importantly, adjust for average income levels. Then, factor in transportation costs. Using that formula, the D.C. region is tops among 25 American metro areas in […]

Pro Walknomics/Pro Bikenomics

By Gary Kavanagh | Sep 17, 2012 | No Comments

In order for our society to tackle the challenge of creating a more walkable and bikeable North America, with the appropriate devotion of money, resources and public space, we have to build a solid political consensus. Unfortunately, some of the compelling reasons to prioritize active transportation have been unnecessarily politicized into partisan issues. We can […]

Tennessee DOT Moves Past Road-Widening as a Congestion Reduction Strategy

By Tanya Snyder | Aug 30, 2012 | 2 Comments

In the late eighties and nineties, every traffic issue the Tennessee Department of Transportation faced was assigned the same solution: a bypass. But over the years, the department has come around to a new way of doing things, according to 40-year TDOT veteran Ralph Comer. Comer says the current commissioner, John Schroer, wants to become […]

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