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Todd Litman

@toddlitman.bsky.social

I am a transport and land use policy analyst. I love doing research about ways to make communities healthier, wealthier and wiser at the Victoria Transport Policy Institute (www.vtpi.org)

147 Posts594 Follower12 Folgt
Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 2w ago

British Columbia's next general local elections will be held on 17 October 2026. I support this project to help voters identify candidates that support livability goals: active and public transport, more affordable housing, arts, climate action, healthcare and good governance.

Press release: Livable CRD coalition to launch candidate scorecard for Capital Region municipal elections

A coalition of Capital Region community groups announces Livable CRD, a non-partisan voter-engagement project publishing a candidate scorecard and questionnaire to make informed voting easier in munic...

livablecrd.ca

Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 2w ago

New blog: "Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 1: Congestion evaluation best practices." Widely cited studies claim that traffic congestion is a huge and growing problem. They exaggerate! Let’s examine how to correctly calculate congestion costs and identify better solutions. Please share!

Congestion Costing Reality Check, Part 1: Congestion evaluation best practices

Widely cited studies claim that traffic congestion is a huge and growing problem. They exaggerate. Let’s examine how to correctly calculate congestion costs and roadway expansion benefits.

planetizen.com

Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 3w ago

Better planning = health and happiness! Research described in "Live Long and Prosper: Local Policies for Improving Children’s Health, Success and Happiness" (www.vtpi.org/llp.pdf) shows the U.S. is inefficient at delivering happiness; residents in other countries achieve more happiness per dollar.

Better planning = health and happiness! My recent research, described in "Live Long and Prosper: Local Policies for Improving Children’s Health, Success and Happiness" (www.vtpi.org/llp.pdf) shows that the U.S. is inefficient at delivering happiness; residents in other countries achieve more happiness per dollar of income. The research suggests that this results from a combination of high living costs, longer working hours, poor health outcomes, inadequate physical activity and social isolation, all problems New Urbanism helps reduce. This is particularly important for moderate income families with children. Conventional child-raising advice reflects a consumerist perspective which assumes that children’s health, success and happiness require costly goods such as homes with private yards in desirable neighborhoods, family-size vehicles, childcare, healthcare, college savings, and sometimes private schooling. Suburban families are even expected to purchase cars for their teenagers. This assumes that family income is the most important factor affecting children’s wellbeing. For example, an internet search for “what does it cost to raise a child/family in America?” finds various estimates including the MIT Living Wage Calculator's $80,000 for a family to “get by,” and an Urban Institute report that estimates a family needs to earn at least $132,400 to be economically secure. This, of course, implies that most parents are economic failures and must work even harder to provide for their children. The report's economic analysis indicates that multifamily housing with unbundled parking in compact, multimodal neighborhoods can reduce housing and transportation costs 20-50%, providing savings that can allow parent to reduce their working hours, childcare costs and tax burdens, and qualify families for lower healthcare costs, greatly reducing the costs of raising healthy, happy and successful children.
Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 3w ago

Our new traffic safety research. “Is Reducing Exposure to Motor Vehicles a Road Safety Strategy?” (papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers....) by Nick Ferenchak, Abbas Sheykhfard and Todd Litman. Reducing vehicle travel increases road safety. Also see “A New Traffic Safety Paradigm” (www.vtpi.org/ntsp.pdf).

Is Reducing Exposure to Motor Vehicles a Road Safety Strategy?

<p><b><span>Objectives:</span></b><span> Given their high mass and speed, motor vehicles are the primary source of kinetic energy in road systems. This study in

papers.ssrn.com

Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 2mo ago

My new research, summarized in the "Congestion Costing Research Slideshow: New Insights and Better Solutions" (vtpi.org/ccrs.pdf ). If you dislike congestion, your best solution is to live in a small city, or in a compact, multimodal urban neighborhood where you can minimize urban-peak driving.

My new research, summarized in the "Congestion Costing Research Slideshow: New Insights and Better Solutions" (https://vtpi.org/ccrs.pdf ) and detailed technical reports shows that most studies studies greatly exaggerate congestion costs and roadway expansion benefits. However, I don't want to dismiss these costs. I personally dislike driving in congestion and am frustrated when buses are delayed. This research identifies efficient, fair and effective solutions. If you dislike congestion, your best solution is to live in a small city, or in a compact, multimodal urban neighborhood where you can minimize urban-peak driving. Central neighborhood residents spend about half as much time commuting as workers in auto-dependent, urban fringe locations, as illustrated in the Commute Duration Dashboard map below. This is particularly true for people with caregiving responsibilities who would need to spend time chauffeuring non-drivers if they live in an auto-dependent, sprawled areas. Most congestion cost studies only compare urban regions rather than neighborhoods, so they provide no practical guidance for choosing a home or lifestyle that minimizes congestion exposure. This research (https://www.vtpi.org/cong_relief.pdf) indicates that multimodal planning, TDM incentives, and Smart Growth strategies can quickly and efficiently reduce congestion and provide other benefits. Their impacts tend to be synergistic; they become more effective if applied together. Roadways should not be expanded until all low-cost, high-benefit solutions have been fully implemented. Current evaluation practices, which only measure impacts on motorists, overlook the congestion costs avoided when travellers use non-auto modes, which tends to undervalue the quickest, cheapest and most beneficial congestion solutions. I'm tired of motorists complaining about traffic congestion; they are responsible for it. What do you think?
Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 2mo ago

You shouldn't be surprized to learn that commonly-cited studies such as the Urban Mobility Report exaggerate congestion costs and highway expansion benefits, but my new research (vtpi.org/ccrs.pdf) shows exactly how they do it, like pulling back the curtain to see how a charlatan performs a trick.

vtpi.org

Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 4mo ago

You probably work too hard! Graph from "Live Long and Prosper" (www.vtpi.org/llp.pdf) shows a negative relationship between life satisfaction and work hours. Americans have low satisfaction relative to income; we work more than optimal. We need new economics that maximizes happiness per dollar.

Graph from "Live Long and Prosper" (www.vtpi.org/llp.pdf) shows a negative relationship between life satisfaction and work hours. Americans have low satisfaction relative to income; we work more than optimal. Graph from "Live Long and Prosper" (www.vtpi.org/llp.pdf) shows that life satisfaction increases with low to moderate wealth, but beyond about $25,000 annual GDP per capita the relationship is flat, and peaks around $50,000. Once our basic material needs are met, more wealth provides no more happiness.
Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Montreal proves that North American cities can become affordable by encouraging middle-density infill. This graph compares average asking rents for two-bedroom apartments in Canadian cities converted to U.S. dollars. Half of all apartments rent for less than US$1,200 per month. C'est bon!

Montreal proves that North American cities can become affordable by encouraging middle-density infill. Its neighborhoods are compact, mixed and multimodal, making it easy to live car-free. This graph compares average asking rents for two-bedroom apartments in Canadian cities converted to U.S. dollars (data from https://lnkd.in/gWa7HR35). In Montreal, half of all apartments currently rent for less than US$1,200 per month. For guidance see, "Build the Middle Playbook" (https://lnkd.in/g_7AaFA7) by Zillow and the Casita Coalition. It is a snapshot of best practices and successful strategies collected from around the United States, Canada, and beyond for inspiration. My report, "Learning from Montreal: An Affordable and Inclusive City; Leçons de Montréal : Une Ville Abordable et Inclusive (https://lnkd.in/gyCyQxkp) provides more information.
Todd Litman@toddlitman.bsky.social · 4mo ago

This paper I co-wrote is now available free. “Air Pollution and Transportation: Evaluating Different Factors from a COVID-19 Outbreak Perspective,” ASCE (lnkd.in/gQ3isRPA) This study examines how the COVID-19 outbreak affected travel activity and air pollution emissions in Tehran.

Air Pollution and Transportation: Evaluating Different Factors from a COVID-19 Outbreak Perspective | Journal of Urban Planning and Development | Vol 152, No 2

Abstract This paper examines how the COVID-19 outbreak affected air pollution. People around the world experienced severe changes in daily activities due to COVID-19 being an infectious disease. From ...

ascelibrary.org