Figure 1.21 Urban Density and Transport-Related Energy Consumption

Figure 1.21 Urban Density and Transport-Related Energy Consumption

Source: Kirby (2008).

aff ect the design capacity and capital costs of infrastructure systems.

Land use plans also need to consider existing and planned infrastructure capacity and direct growth plans accordingly. Certain locations within a city may be especially suitable for infi ll or new development precisely because they have excess capacity for power, roads, and water. In other locations, capacity may be nonexistent, and land development may require major new investment for one or more systems. Ideally, infrastructure capacity needs to be analyzed and mapped on a fi ne scale and included in the overlay analysis that guides land use planning.

At the same time, spatial development (and its coordination with broader investment strategies and plans) has signifi cant implications for economic competitiveness, and it aff ects land and real estate markets. Spatial development and infrastructure investments set in place and shape the contours of these larger economic dynamics. Spatial development is also infl uenced by these dynamics. (For more detailed information on how spatial form and land use regulations aff ect mobility and aff ordability, see part 3.)

Poor spatial planning can fragment labor markets and make cities unaff ordable for people who cannot buy cars. They render the cities vulnerable to fl uctuations in oil prices. For instance, the spike in gasoline prices in the United States in spring 2008 resulted, over a four-month period, in a 6 percent drop in vehicle kilometers traveled. By moving people out of cars and onto public transit, the area required for roads and parking may be drastically reduced, as suggested by the photographs of Houston. Cheap or free parking subsidizes car use, as do massive land investments in roads. In cities, parking should be market priced and compete for real estate.

Policies that aff ect the viability of transit also aff ect the cost and performance of transportation infrastructure. For example, densities of around 50 people per hectare are required to provide convenient alternatives to