Benefits of Compact, Mixed Use Development

This fact sheet finds that higher density helps to reduce transportation costs paid directly by consumers as well as costs borne by the general public (road and bridge repairs, school bussing costs, etc.) and that higher density is needed to make public transportation efficient. Compact development was defined as 5 or more units per acre, whereas dispersed development was considered to be 1-4 units per acre. Compact also features several design elements, such as sidewalks, mix of uses, and multiple stories. It goes on to examine the personal financial burdens of auto-dependency, construction costs of compact and dispersed development, and qualitative and quantitative impacts of form on community character. Data for these aspects was taken from numerous academic, government, and think tank papers and reports.