Portland's Smart Growth Pays Dividends, Literally

"What if you could add $2.6 billion annually to your local economy?

That's what Portland has effectively done by getting its citizens to drive just 4 fewer miles a day, according to a briefing paper by Joe Cortright called "Portland's Green Dividend"."

"Critics have long characterized Portlanders as "depriving themselves in the name of saving the environment." Some have argued that "planning, policies and regulations that restrict use or access to resources impede growth and lower household income."

But the new study found that assumption is simply not true. There is, in fact, a Green Dividend that accrues to cities willing to make certain choices about urban form and transportation."