Valid points. And apropos for the thread title.
So let me share my idea of the correct metric to use when deciding land use. Land Value. This metric will contain information that indicates the wealth of the city/town and also factor in things like commercial potential, ease of access, and I’m sure you see the rationale.
So… if that’s a reasonable metric, then you want to increase that value since land is a finite resource. Larger homes will reduce that value. Putting an apartment on a 2 acre lot will be higher value than a single 5 bedroom house. That should be obvious. Putting a mixed use multi story structure, with shops and restaurants on the first floor, office space on the next 3, and residences atop that is even better. Notice that things like water runoff solutions are much lower with the 5 story building than the equivalent structures lid out in 1 or 2 stories. Water falls from the sky and does not dump inordinate amounts on taller structures. That’s just a single item. I’ll bet we could come up with a list of others, but not needed to make the point. About the worst possible use is 4 acres of asphalt to park cars 1/4 of the week. Again, that should be clear.
So, I am not proposing to eliminate single family homes. For those with the means, it’s a dream that could come true. But we have to be realistic and grant that if we make owning a car a virtual necessity to do so…it’s going to put a large segment of the population without a credible way to achieve that dream. You are not going to afford the home and a car without a middle class income. If it takes 2 wage earners in the household, then might as well add in another car. Think of your own living expenses. Do you really want to get your hair cut by a barber making $180,000/yr? Without the lower wage workers everything is gonna cost more.
Lastly, it is important to get a grip on what’s gong to happen when you add capacity to that freeway, allowing more autos to commute “in”. Where are you planning on parking those cars . How much land do you want spend on parking that is used a fraction of the time? Adding road capacity and then shrugging your shoulders with what to do with them when they arrive is irresponsible.
And my example of the mall is simply to highlight the permanence of adding lanes or new roads. They may have been built with great intentions, but sadly things can change in one generation. Desired routes today are not guaranteed to be desired 30 years from now. But it’s wacky to think the city will just let that infrastructure turn to ruble. Roads are not flexible, where as mass transit is very flexible. Routes that are no longer needed are easily discontinued. Routes that need more capacity…add more trains, buses,or trolleys. Easy
To get a sense of the traffic volumes associated with various land uses, we have traffic engineers. They have more data and understanding than we need.
Traffic by land use.
On a more humorous note. Widening freeways causes me to recall a passage from a book I read long ago, “A Child’s Garden Of Grass” it described various places you can hide your pot, each with a pro and con. The last suggestion was my favorite.
“Throw it way up high, it works very well for short periods of time.”
