From Smart Growth America — A national epidemic of pedestrian deaths

A national epidemic 
of pedestrian deaths

We’re walking more often, for fun and to get to places in our neighborhood. We turn to WalkScore when figuring out where to live and our most walkable places often are among the most economically vibrant in the country. Hundreds of cities have adopted Complete Streets policies to ensure walking is in the forefront of our decisions regarding street design. Public health officials from the Office of the Surgeon General to the local doctor’s office are encouraging us to get out for a walk for physical activity and to combat chronic disease.

But we are still dealing with a legacy of roadways that fail to account for the safety of people on foot. In the decade from 2003 through 2012, more than 47,000 people died while walking on our streets. That is 16 times the number of people who died in natural disasters during in the same ten years, but without the corresponding level of urgency.

In 2012, pedestrians accounted for nearly 15 percent of all traffic deaths, up 6 percent from 2011 and representing a five-year high.  Read more: A national epidemic of pedestrian deaths | Smart Growth America

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From Streetsblog Capitol Hill —Taxes Too High? Try Building Walkable, Mixed-Use Development

Smart growth could increase Fresno’s tax revenue by 45 percent per acre. In Champaign, Illinois, it could save 23 percent per year on city services. Study after study has demonstrated: Walkable, mixed-use development is a much better deal for municipalities than car-oriented suburban development.

Smart Growth America recently conducted an analysis of research examining the impact of efficient development patterns on municipal bottom lines. The authors looked at 17 case studies, from California to Maryland, and, taken together, they say the findings clearly illustrate how walkable development leads to healthier city budgets than drivable sprawl.

For starters, smart growth is cheaper to build. On average, municipalities save about 38 percent on infrastructure costs like roads and sewers when serving compact development instead of large-lot subdivisions. Furthermore, SGA researchers say, “this figure is conservative, and many communities could save even more.” In the case studies, these upfront cost savings ranged from 20 percent to 50 percent. Read more: Taxes Too High? Try Building Walkable, Mixed-Use Development | Streetsblog Capitol Hill

From Smart Growth America — Building Better Budgets: Savings and Revenues of Smart Growth

Local governments across the country have compared development strategies to understand their impact on municipal finances. These studies generally compare two or more different development scenarios, and help local leaders make informed decisions about new development based on the costs or revenues associated with them. No national survey has examined these savings as a whole until now. This report is the first to aggregate those comparisons and determine a national average of how much other communities can expect to save by using smart growth strategies. (Pic links to report pdf).

	1. Smart growth development costs one-third less for upfront infrastructure. Our survey concluded that smart growth development saves an average of 38 percent on upfront costs for new construction of roads, sewers, water lines and other infrastructure. Many studies have concluded that this number is as high as 50 percent.
	2. Smart growth development saves an average of 10 percent on ongoing delivery of services. Our survey concluded that smart growth development saves municipalities an average of 10 percent on police, ambulance and fire service costs.
	3. Smart growth development generates 10 times more tax revenue per acre than conventional suburban development. Our survey concluded that, on an average per-acre basis, smart growth development produces 10 times more tax revenue than conventional suburban development.

Read more: Building Better Budgets quantifies average savings and revenue of smart growth development | Smart Growth America

Smart Growth Stories — Mayor Marilyn Strickland on Development in Tacoma, WA

“One of our biggest challenges is attracting private investment that doesn’t require a large government subsidy. And I think as we talk about what that means, we need to increase our density. We need to build walkable neighborhoods, we need a very very good, solid public transportation system. And we have to make sure that we’re able to attract employers and people don’t have to drive a long distance or ride a long distance to get to work.”

Read more: Smart Growth Stories: Mayor Marilyn Strickland on development in Tacoma, WA | Smart Growth America