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Dryad

The width and value of residential streets

Data files

Apr 14, 2021 version files 1.90 GB
May 18, 2023 version files 2.29 GB

Abstract

This dataset provides street-level information on width and the land value of street rights-of-way for 20 of the largest counties in the United States. Land values are expressed in 2019 prices. It uses OpenStreetMap and tax parcel data as inputs to a GIS-based process. Substantively, residential street rights-of-way in the urbanized portion of these counties average 55 ft wide, far greater than the functional minimum of 16 ft required for access. The land value of residential streets totals $959 billion in the urbanized portion of the 20-county sample. In most counties, subdivision regulations are binding; that is, few developers choose to build streets that are wider than code requirements, implying that softening requirements would mean more land devoted to housing and less to streets.