Goldwater Institute

The modern metropolis, as critics see it, sends irregular tentacles of low density development snaking through pristine areas, leaving behind large amounts of unused land and under-used infrastructure. To many, the Phoenix metropolitan area epitomizes the problem. Policies to encourage more infill-that is, to locate more development within the urbanized area rather than on its fringes-are advocated as a route to more efficient use of land and existing infrastructure, preservation of open-space, decreased cost of public services, and improved economic and social conditions, as well as to alleviate the general atmosphere of disorder.

Traffic congestion and air pollution are urban problems that warrant attention. The wasted time and damage to our health posed by these problems merit efforts to mitigate their impact. For best results, the efforts to mitigate both traffic congestion and air pollution should focus on measures that are cost-effective. That is, we want to achieve the greatest reductions of traffic congestion and air pollution at as little cost as possible. This paper examines a variety of alternative methods for dealing with traffic congestion and air pollution.

Should taxpayers pay to fund expansions in existing public transit? That is the question facing city governments throughout the Phoenix metropolitan region. Admittedly, the purported benefits of expanded public transit are seductive: reducing traffic congestion, improving urban air quality, helping the poor and promoting a community's prosperity. The following report examines each of these claims in detail and finds that public transit cannot make a cost-effective contribution to any of these objectives.

In February, Congress overwhelmingly passed and President Clinton quickly signed into law the Telecommunications Act of 1996 (called TA96 in this report). The Act amends the Communications Act of 1934. Under the philosophy of the 1934 Act, telecommunications was considered a "natural monopoly" that needed to be regulated. The 1934 Act created the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to do the regulating at the federal level, leaving state regulation to State regulatory commissions.

As the Phoenix area continues to grow and add new residents, problems of air pollution, traffic congestion, finance, and transit will continue to receive attention from citizens, media, and policymakers.