To document this linkage, we measured sprawl through a multi-variate analysis of a composite of land use characteristics. These factors are compared in the figure below. While the high price of gasoline or car insurance has been a target of consumer outrage, our analysis showed these had little effect on overall transportation expenses. The most expensive places for transportation in the Consumer Expenditure Survey also provide little transportation choice, as measured by the ratio of transit service to roads. As shown in Figure I , places where road systems dominate have higher transportation expenses.
Wide variations are also clear within metropolitan regions.
A sophisticated automobile cost model based on federal census data and state automobile records allowed us to look at differences in automobile expenses between neighborhoods within a few metropolitan areas. This analysis shows that households in some parts of a metro area spend well over twice as much on owning and operating vehicles as households in other areas. Detailed maps of automobile costs in Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles show that the higher cost areas tend to be in outlying neighborhoods where sprawling development means everything is far apart and other transportation options are few. The lower cost areas tend to be near active transit lines, where neighborhoods are walkable and destinations are close by. Fewer Choices Mean Higher Costs Sprawl increases costs by making automobile travel a necessity.