Does Smart Growth really reduce travel?
Our research on the relationship between trip generation rates and the 4D’s (development density, diversity, design and destinations) indicates that each 100% increase in development density, diversity or design reduces trips per capita by between 1% and 12%, and reduces VMT per capita by 1% to 17%. The effect of placing development at infill locations (“destinations”) is more variable, ranging from 5% to 50% and is best addressed by 4-step travel models. The following table summarizes findings.
