Do Exurban Communities Want More Development?

This paper reports on a stated preference study of exurban Rhode Island residents that assessed the relative attractiveness of a variety of commercial and recreational land uses. Focus group participants and town planners proclaimed a demand for certain commercial developments such as grocery stores and fine-dining restaurants, but survey respondents generally exhibit a strong preference for no additional development beyond the status quo current rate of development. If additional development is to occur, then recreational type development is generally preferred over commercial development. Results identify distinct groups of residents with heterogeneous preferences for different types of development.