Clearing the air in Atlanta: transit and smart growth or conventional economics?

The Atlanta's Regional Transportation Plan addresses the problems of pollution and congestion by proposing to expand the existing transit network and to promote a more intensive use of the existing built-up area. This paper argues that neither of these proposals is feasible: the current spatial structure of Atlanta is incompatible with a sizable transit market share; and Atlanta's spatial structure cannot be changed significantly in the next 20 years, even if draconian land use regulations were adopted. As a result, technology and congestion pricing are the only way to solve the problems of pollution and congestion in Atlanta. (C)\ 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.