Basically, the right thing to do, as almost everyone would probably admit, is to make mass transit cheap and convenient. To do this requires a certain density of population that is at direct odds with people's desire for half acre lots and single family houses. It's also at odds with the desires of developers who have a harder and harder time making deals when land is difficult to come by. Cheap, accessible land makes it easy for small developers to participate in what otherwise becomes a big developer with deep pockets only kind of game. Land owners from outlying areas of DC also hate smart growth because it impacts their property values. Land that can be made into tract homes is worth more than farm land and those land owners stand to gain by selling mostly. On the other hand, they don't have to live with what they sell. They leave the area.
So... who profits by smart growth? Farmers who can continue to use their land as farm land. Otherwise taxes eat up what they earn. John Q Citizen also gains, but has to sacrifice his or her dream of a tract home. He or she gains localism, though, as only small spaces become easily available for development and cars are not the primary means of transportation, big box stores have a harder time coming into the neighborhood. Small local store owners are healthier. Utility providers get fatter profit margins as less cable has to be laid to server greater numbers of customers. All services that feed off high population density flourish from the pizza delivery guy to the grocery store. If this sounds a bit thin, you're right. There aren't enough clear money makers with deep pockets to make smart growth win easily. The service industries don't see this as clearly enough intheir best interests to lobby for it and the public hates commuting, but doesn't cleqrly idenbtify the linkage between its love of single family housing and its commute time.
Is there a way to make this a win/win situation? In my opinion, no. What will happen to help people manage their commutes is that places of business will sprawl right along with the housing. It's already happened some. It will happen more. Cheap land will get gobbled up because it can be. I am depressed, but there it is. Too many people profit from constant expansion.
Ugh. Having a pessimistic reaction to this round of elections even though the sales tax defeat should have felt like a victory.
Posted by karen at November 10, 2002 12:00 AM