We want places where our Quality of Life grows faster than our Cost of Living.
Nature Towns are clearly superior when it comes to Human & Planetary Health
Nature Towns: Inspiration photo of Neuf Brisach, France developed in the 1700’s by King Louis XIV of France, and his architect Vauban.
The benefits of a Nature Town to the community total almost a billion dollars. For homeowners, this translates to over $650,000 over the 40-year life of a home, or almost $17,000 per household per year.
This means that people living in sprawl are exposed to an average of $17,000 more per year in taxes, fees, costs, and risk equivalents than residents of Nature Towns.
Perhaps the most interesting finding is that planning and designing for maximum environmental and ecosystem health produces equal financial benefits and four times more social benefits.
Driving Less
A significant portion of the benefits accrues through reduction of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) by residents, due to the fact that the town is designed for pedestrians: any resident can reach both necessary and recreational amenities, including nature, with a short walk.
This result arises from the incremental assumption that members of each household in a walkable Nature Town (with 100+ stores and hundreds of on-site jobs) are expected to drive an average of only 12,000 miles/year, a reduction of 25,400 from the assumed 37,500 mi/yr in sprawl zip codes in the Austin MSA.
Lower VMT means reduced accident risk, reduced private vehicle operations and costs, and decreased commuter times for the individual, as well as lower road maintenance costs and less noise and pollution for the community.