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The President's New Sprawl Initiative

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The President's New Sprawl Initiative No. 1263 March 18, 1999 THE PRESIDENTS NEW SPRAWL INITIATIVE: A PROGRAM IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM WENDELL COX The issue of “urban sprawl” recently received • Air pollution is greater, not less, in the com- top billing at a White House event at which Presi- pact city. Generally, the greater the intensity of dent Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore air pollution, the higher the population den- announced their Livable Communities Initiative, sity. As transit-oriented development increases which, it was promised, would reduce traffic con- traffic, it will reduce gestion, promote cleaner air, preserve open spaces, speeds and increase pol- Produced by and retard urban sprawl. Today, organized opposi- lution, because higher The Thomas A. Roe Institute tion to sprawl is led by a relatively new school of pollution is associated for Economic Policy Studies urban planners, the “new urbanists,” who blame with slower, more con- the expanding urban area for a number of prob- gested traffic. To the Published by lems, including increased traffic congestion, extent that new urban- The Heritage Foundation higher air pollution, the decline of central cities, ist policies are imple- 214 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. and a reduction in valuable agricultural land. mented, air pollution is Washington, D.C. (New urbanist policies also go by the label “smart likely to be increased rel- 200024999 growth”). ative to levels that (202) 546-4400 would be experienced in http://www.heritage.org NEW URBANISM VS. THE FACTS less dense environ- ments. The facts demonstrate that major tenets of the new urbanism rest on false premises. Contrary to • Cities are not crowding new urbanist doctrine, for example: out agricultural produc- tion. Expanding urban • Traffic congestion is greater, not less, in the areas do not threaten compact city. Higher concentrations of urban agricultural production. Since 1950, U.S. agri- residential and employment density will pro- cultural acreage has fallen by 15 percent, while duce higher concentrations of automobile traf- production has risen by more than 105 per- fic (and air pollution). Contrary to new cent. The area required for agricultural pro- urbanist claims, traffic congestion is already duction has declined, quite independently of worse in urban areas with higher densities. urban expansion. Between 1960 and 1990, the No. 1263 March 18, 1999 area taken out of agricultural production was affordable for more people. In Europe (as in the greater than that of Texas and more than eight United States) urban rail’s record in attracting peo- times the area consumed by expanding urban ple away from automobiles has been insignificant. areas. THE URBAN SAFETY VALVE • “Smart growth” could be no growth. Increasing density and growth restrictions are likely to Despite all the criticism, America’s spacious have a negative impact on economic growth in urban areas provide significant advantages. Their metropolitan areas adopting new urbanist poli- very geographical expansion has provided a safety cies. For example, even the new urbanist valve that has kept travel times relatively stable. regional government in Portland, Oregon (Metro), found that higher densities and lower • Average peak hour commuting time fell automobile usage rates appear to be associated approximately 6 percent from 1969 to 1995 with “higher housing prices and reduced hous- (from 22.0 minutes to 20.7 minutes). ing output.” As a result of higher housing prices, new urbanist policies are likely to make • The automobile has improved travel times. the American dream of home ownership more According to the United States Department of elusive. Broad implementation of new urbanist Transportation, one of the most important rea- policies could well bring to the United States sons that average commuting time has not the economic stagnation that afflicts Europe, increased materially over the past 25 years is where minimal job creation and high unem- that people have abandoned transit services for ployment are associated with a high-cost and automobiles, which are considerably faster. less competitive economy. The average transit commute trip takes approximately 80 percent longer than the aver- • Policies like those in Portland will produce age automobile commuter trip. more traffic congestion and air pollution, not less. Portland is well on the way to replicating • The flexibility of the automobile has improved the efficiency of labor markets, making a much the traffic congestion problems of Los Angeles. larger market of employers and employees Traffic congestion in Portland already is conveniently accessible to one another. approaching that of the New York metropoli- tan area–which is 15 times larger–and Portland • The competition provided by large suburban projections indicate that, even after building shopping malls and retailers has lowered con- five additional light rail lines, traffic volumes sumer prices. will rise by more than 50 percent by 2015. This is not to suggest that traffic congestion is Many new urbanists want to mimic European not a problem. But today’s urban motorist experi- policies, but Europe’s comparatively high public ences much greater mobility and speed than can transit market share has led to the mistaken be provided by any practical alternatives. The impression that transit is gaining at the expense of question is not how governments are going to the automobile. This is not the case. European force people out of their cars, but whether capacity automobile use has grown at three times the U.S. will be provided for the traffic growth that will rate since 1970, largely as a result of increasing occur regardless of which measures are adopted. affluence. In recent decades, transit market shares have dropped from even higher levels in Europe as —Wendell Cox is Principal, the Wendell Cox Con- increased affluence has made the automobile sultancy, St. Louis, Missouri. No. 1263 March 18, 1999 THE PRESIDENTS NEW SPRAWL INITIATIVE: A PROGRAM IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM WENDELL COX For decades, American urban areas have grown Housing and Urban Development the responsibil- in land area much more than they have grown in ity for encouraging and financing “smart growth” population. This geographic expansion is often strategies to encourage attributed to increasing dependence on the auto- “compact development” Produced by mobile and construction of the interstate highway and regional cooperation. The Thomas A. Roe Institute (freeway) system. A relatively new school of urban for Economic Policy Studies planners, the “new urbanists,” blame the expand- THE NEW ing urban area for a number of problems, includ- URBANISM Published by ing increased traffic congestion, higher air The Heritage Foundation pollution, the decline of central cities, and a reduc- New urbanist literature 214 Massachusetts Ave., N.E. tion in valuable agricultural land. (New urbanist Washington, D.C. often touts Europe’s more 200024999 policies also go by the label “smart growth”). compact and more densely (202) 546-4400 Moreover, new urbanists believe that more spa- populated urban areas as http://www.heritage.org cious urban areas typical of the United States are being superior to those in inherently inefficient relative to more compact cit- the United States. The new ies, exhibiting higher costs for infrastructure and urbanist vision includes: public services. Recently, the issue of “urban sprawl” received • Establishment of urban top billing at a White House event at which Presi- growth boundaries dent Bill Clinton and Vice President Al Gore (UGB). announced their Livable Communities Initiative, which, it was promised, would reduce traffic con- • Channeling urban gestion, promote cleaner air, preserve open spaces, development toward “infill” (undeveloped and retard urban sprawl. To achieve these objec- areas within the urban growth boundary). tives, Clinton and Gore propose to provide the suburbs with additional funds for mass transit and • “Transit oriented development” along urban loans to buy land for parks and greenbelts. Their rail corridors, higher population density, and initiative also would assign to the Department of higher employment density. No. 1263 March 18, 1999 • Little if any expansion of street or highway ANALYTICAL DIFFICULTIES capacity. The facts demonstrate that major tenets of the • Retail developments less oriented toward the new urbanism rest on false premises. Contrary to automobile (smaller stores with less parking new urbanist doctrine, for example: located generally in town centers rather than suburbs). Traffic congestion is greater, not less, in the compact city. The new urbanists believe that these strategies will produce a more compact city in which auto- Higher concentrations of urban residential and mobile dependency, traffic congestion, and air pol- employment density will produce higher concen- lution are reduced. New urbanist concepts have trations of automobile traffic (and air pollution). been incorporated into a number of state laws and This is already evident. Contrary to new urbanist regional planning policies. In the United States, claims, traffic congestion is already worse in urban the most advanced model of new urbanist policies areas with higher can be found in Portland, Oregon, where a long- densities. range plan has been adopted by an elected Chart 1 B1263 regional government.1 This plan involves an urban growth boundary;2 Average Urbanized Area Population Density concentrated employment by Roadw ay Congestion Index Value and high-density housing Persons per Square Mile patterns, such as town 4,000 houses and apartments; significant expansion of 3,500 the light rail system; and 3,000 little street or highway expansion. 2,500 New urbanist policies, 2,000 especially as adopted in 1,500 Portland, have evoked considerable interest 1,000 among legislators, local 500 officials, and civic leaders around the world. There Under 1.00 1.00–1.09 1.10–1.19 1.20–1.29 1.30+ are, however, difficulties with new urbanism, both Roadw ay Congestion Index in terms of analysis and in (H ig h e r V a lu e s In d ic a te M o re C o n g e s tio n ) terms of policies.
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