Recent Streetsblog USA posts about Studies & Reports

Under Economic Impact Analysis, Highway Expansion Loses Appeal

By Ben Goldman | Jun 12, 2012 | 1 Comment

Despite the common refrains about transportation spending creating jobs, most states don’t actually give serious thought to the economic impact of transportation projects. More often than not, they’re content to sink money into freeways despite a wealth of research that shows that transit, bikeways, and sidewalks deliver a much bigger economic bang for the taxpayer’s […]

One More Time: Here Are 4.6 Billion Reasons to Support Bike Infrastructure

By Ben Goldman | May 23, 2012 | 5 Comments

Cyclists may only account for 1 percent of all trips taken in the U.S., but that’s still good enough to save the American people a total of $4.6 billion per year, according to research recently released by the League of American Bicyclists, the Sierra Club, and the National Council of La Raza. The announcement coincided […]

Arizona DOT Study: Compact, Mixed-Use Development Leads to Less Traffic

By Angie Schmitt | May 18, 2012 | 14 Comments

Does walkable development really lead to worse traffic congestion? Opponents of urbanism often say so, citing impending traffic disaster to rally people against, say, a new mixed-use project proposed in their backyards. But new research provides some excellent evidence to counter those claims. A recent study by the Arizona Department of Transportation [PDF] found that […]

New Equity Atlas Tells a Story About the Future of Denver (With Maps!)

By Ben Goldman | May 7, 2012 | No Comments

As more cities look to revive or expand their transit networks in the face of rising gas prices and maddening congestion, planners have had to remain vigilant to ensure that underprivileged communities are not displaced or adversely affected by the same transit improvements that could offer them numerous benefits. A few different techniques have emerged […]

Mileage-Based Fees or Bust: New Report Says “No More Excuses”

By Noel Popwell | May 3, 2012 | 26 Comments

The shortcomings of the current gas tax are well-known. The federal rate (18.4 cents/gallon) has not been raised in nearly twenty years and is not tied to inflation, yet it remains the primary source of funds for federal transportation spending. The problem is exacerbated by improving vehicle fuel economy. And as electric cars roll off the […]

Let the Debate Begin: NYC, SF Snag Top Spots in First Transit Score Rankings

By Ben Goldman | Apr 26, 2012 | 12 Comments

Today, Walk Score — developer of the popular method for evaluating neighborhood walkability (and filling out NCAA tournament brackets) — announced its first ranking of cities by Transit Score, a measure of the “usefulness” of a city’s transit system. On a 100-point scale, New York and San Francisco took the top two spots with scores of […]

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