Housing & Jobs
Economics
Growth equals economic
development. This long-held belief has, in numerous studies
across the country, proven false. Rapidly growing areas, often
considered desirable precisely because of lower costs, become
suddenly burdened with exponential increases in service demands
from road and school construction to fire and police protection.
At the same time, existing communities struggle with loss of
population and funding to maintain what has already been invested
in, leaving them more vulnerable to further abandonment. In
this manner, the cost of development patterns reaches into the
pockets of every resident.
The true cost of development also includes impacts on natural
resource-dependent industries, such as loss of agricultural
lands or contamination of shellfish. Alternative development
patterns that preserve natural resource lands and economies
have inherent economic values.
Focusing growth within or adjacent to already developed communities
allows for more efficient utilization of public investments,
supports the local tax base, and reduces negative environmental
costs. More compact development patterns can save millions
in costs. For example, local governments in Pennsylvania could
save $120 million per year, according to the 2000 report,
"Costs of Sprawl in Pennsylvania."
Economic Studies
| Commuting Calculator | Economic
Resources
|
