Pew: Building Homes Near Jobs, Stores, and Transit Saves Public Dollars

Relevant snippets:

The research offers a key insight: Development patterns have real fiscal consequences. New housing built near existing workplaces, retail, and transit entails lower infrastructure construction and maintenance costs because these new homes generally rely on roads and utility connections that are already in place. Housing built at the urban fringe, on the other hand, often requires new roads, sewer and water lines, and other public services. Adding homes around existing amenities maximizes per-acre property tax revenue by making efficient, compact use of land.

* The up-front cost to government and taxpayers of building roads, water and sewer lines, and other public utilities to serve new homes near existing jobs, stores, and transit is approximately $21,000 lower per home than the infrastructure costs associated with building homes at the outer edge of cities and towns.

* **The ongoing costs to government and taxpayers of maintaining roads and utilities that serve new homes are 50% lower, on average, when those homes are built near existing jobs, stores, and transit.**

*Property taxes generated per acre are 13% higher, on average, when new homes are built near jobs, stores, and transit.

*On average, the payback period for infrastructure associated with new homes is 50% longer when those homes are built in outlying areas than when they are built near existing jobs, stores, and transit.