Moving Away From Heavy Gasoline Use

With a gallon of gasoline costing around $3.75, up more than a dollar from a year ago, affordable housing isn't just a measure of your mortgage and related expenses, but also the cost of transportation to and from work, school, stores, and all the other locations you regularly travel. The closer you live to these destinations, the less money you'll spend on gasoline.

If you want to reduce your gasoline usage (and the associated high costs) consider moving to a transit oriented development (TOD). TODs are communities designed to encourage compact growth around transit stops. They include pedestrian-friendly development with easy access to essentials. They are viable in both urban and suburban settings and provide mobility options for the elderly, young, low-income, or people who just prefer not to drive or own cars.

TODs can help defray gasoline costs by lowering demand and reducing the environmental impacts of pollution and sprawl. They reduce annual household driving times by 20 to 40 percent, thereby reducing associated driving expenses by thousands of dollars per year. This reduced drive time further translates into reduced air pollution and energy consumption. Estimates show than each TOD household can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2.5 to 3.7 tons per year. TODs likewise consume less land than low-density growth and reduce the need to convert farmland to development spaces.

Finally, by creating active communities that are busy through the day and evening, TODs put more "eyes on the street" and increase safety for pedestrians, transit-users, and others.