Transcript Document

THE COSTS OF
SUBURBAN SPRAWL
AND URBAN DECAY
What is Suburban Sprawl?
Sprawl is unsustainable development that
wastes tax dollars, destroys farmland and open
space, and neglects existing infrastructure and
community resources.
Everything is a Drive Away
Suburban parents spend
17 fullSchools
days a year
Shops
Homebehind the wheel, more than the
average parent spends dressing,
bathing and feeding a child.
Source: Surface Transportation Policy Project
Recreation
Workplace
About Grow Smart RI

Statewide non-profit organization
 Diverse coalition of interests
Mission
Promote patterns of development that……
- Revitalize city & town centers
- Preserve historic, cultural and natural resources
- Expand economic opportunity for all Rhode Islanders
How We Get it Done

Research / Education
 Policy Reform / Advocacy
 Building municipal capacity
The Costs of Sprawl
and Urban Decay
in Rhode Island
Published December, 1999
Rhode Island Growth Trends
1980-2000

Population growth = 6.9%

Housing growth = 17.2%

Motor vehicle growth = 16.4%
Increase in developed land
1961-1995

Core:
 Ring:
 Suburb
 Rural
54% increase
122% increase
169% increase
205% increase
Costs of Sprawl

Loss of farms and forestland
– 1964-1997: farmland reduced by half
– Potential additional loss by 2020:
3,100 acres farmland
24,000 acres forestland
 Infrastructure Costs
– Roads
– School facilities
– Utility lines
•Social Costs
Poverty in Core Cities
Rural/ES
7%
Suburban
14%
Urban Ring
18%
Urban Core
Urban Core
61%
Urban Ring
Suburban
Rural/ES
Loss of jobs from core cities
FIG. 10.2
COVERED PRIVATE JOB GROWTH IN URBAN CORE
AND NON-CORE AREAS, RHODE ISLAND, 1980-1997
250000
212,684
NON-CORE*
200000
165,018
150000
162,667
URBAN CORE
158,035
100000
50000
Urban Core
*Including urban ring, suburban and rural areas.
Non Core Area
0
1980
1997
Fiscal Impacts on
Urban Centers

Lost Tax Revenue
– Estimated loss in assessed valuations:
$1.3 billion
– 1998: 934 acres of vacant lots in
Providence
8% of citywide acreage
– 1999: 560 vacant buildings in Providence
Urban Fiscal Impacts

Reduced property values

Increasing tax rates
Fiscal Impact on suburban
and rural towns

Increased taxes due to:
– Increased cost of community services due to
amount of growth
– Increased cost of community services due to
pattern of growth
Other Impacts

Increased motor vehicle usage = negative
environmental impacts
Increased storm water runoff from roads and
parking lots
 Increased auto emissions

Calculating the Costs

Current pattern = net gain of 25,000 new
housing units from 2000-2020
34,000 units -- ring/suburban/rural
- 9,000 units – urban
25,000
(RI Statewide Planning Projections)

Alternative Core Development pattern
8,750 new units in Urban Core and Ring
6,250 new units in Suburban
10,000 new units in Rural
25,000 new units
Figure 8
Projected Cost of Sprawl, Rhode Island, 2000-2020
In Millions of Dollars
TOTAL COSTS OF SPRAWL --- $1.432 BILLION
Loss of agricultural
products sale
1%
Tax revenue loss due to
excessive residential
development in non-urban
areas
15%
14
212
Tax revenue loss due to
depreciation of remaining
properties in core cities
34%
Captial costs of
redundant infrastructure
17%
243
382
181
Operating costs of
redundant infrastructure
13%
400
Tax revenue loss due to
vacant land in Core Cities
27%
Loss of agr i cul t ur al
pr oduct s sal e
Capt i al cost s of
r edundant
i nf r ast r uct ur e
Oper at i ng cost s of
r edundant
i nf r ast r uct ur e
T ax r evenue l oss due t o
How can communities “grow
smart”?
•
•
•
•
•
•
Encourage growth & development in existing city
and town centers
Mix land uses
Create a range of housing opportunities and
choices
Foster “walkable” close-knit neighborhoods
Preserve & protect open space, farmland, &
critical environmental areas
Provide a variety of transportation choices
•
•
•
•
Promote a “distinctive sense of place”
through preservation
Take advantage of existing community
assets
Make development decisions predictable,
fair and cost-effective
Encourage citizen participation in
development decisions
What Smart Growth “Is” And “Is Not”
More transportation
choices and less traffic
Not against cars and
roads
Vibrant cities,
suburbs and towns
Not anti-suburban
Wider variety of housing
choices
Not about telling people
where or how to live
Well-planned growth that
improves quality of life
Not against
growth
www.growsmartri.com
345 South Main Street
Providence, RI 02903
273-5711
[email protected]