Housing Strategy | ENVISION FRANKLIN 41 CONNECTING HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION Housing and transportation are closely tied and benefit from a coordinated planning approach. Reducing traffic congestion requires either building bigger roads or reducing the number of cars trips on existing roads. Having more mixeduse neighborhoods, where residents can walk or bike to nearby destinations for school, work, or shopping, is a better way to reduce car trips than building bigger roads. Although building bigger roads has long been a common approach, more lanes have actually been demonstrated to attract more car traffic.xxvi The real estate phrase “retail follows rooftops” means that sufficient housing is necessary to support nearby shopping and retail. For example, 1,000 households in a walkable neighborhood are needed to support a corner grocer or other small goods and services businesses.xxvii Larger retailers and supermarkets require an even larger population within the neighborhood or need to be located on a transportation node like a busy intersection. Adding more compact and/or multiunit housing options creates the necessary framework for a successful mixed-use neighborhood. THE DRIVE TO QUALIFY While the population of older adults and retirees make up a greater share of Franklin residents, workers in Franklin are increasingly likely to live outside the city. Of the 65,318 employees that work in Franklin, 87 percent live outside the City limits. Escalating housing costs that are increasing at rates far faster than salaries often push working households further out in search of more affordable housing. With automobile travel as a dominant form of transportation, more incommuters fosters more traffic congestion on the City’s roadways. Trends such as self-driving cars, ride sharing, and remote work are certainly important to monitor and consider for the future – but these are more likely to complement a broader housing/transportation strategy, rather than solve all the current challenges. Image Credit: Eric Chan via Unsplash
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