The Width and Value of Residential Streets

Problem, research strategy, and findings The width of street rights-of-way is normally determined by traffic engineering urban design conventions, without considering the immense value underlying land. In this article, I develop an economic framework that can inform decisions on width, use tax parcel data to quantify widths, land areas, streets in 20 largest counties United States. Residential urbanized portion these average 55 ft wide, far greater than functional minimum 16 required for access. residential totals $959 billion 20-county sample. most counties, subdivision regulations are binding. That is, few developers choose build wider code requirements, implying softening requirements would mean more devoted housing less streets. Although highlight potential narrower rights-of-way, did not consider detailed issues. Nor analyze how any windfall from reduced be divided among landowners, developers, house purchasers.Takeaway practice Particularly places with high values costs, reallocating increase efficiency. expensive county set—Santa Clara (CA)—narrowing right-of-way save $100,000 per unit through consumption. Where have little or no function traffic, costs benefits accrue almost exclusively neighborhood residents. Thus, planners could reduce even eliminate ordinances, leaving make trade-off between housing.