Non-Fiscal Instruments of Public Transit Infrastructure Funding: Engaging Beneficiaries and Private Capital at the Local Level

Public transit systems in Germany were becoming increasingly strapped for funds to support capital infrastructure investments, as traditional funding sources were no longer available. As CDP fellow Oliver Mietzsch states in this policy brief, fiscal realities dictated that Germany began looking at alternative methods of financing, especially public-private partnerships and land value capture policies that took advantage of transit oriented development strategies. The United States had been at the forefront of many of these innovative financing approaches for many years and could provide valuable lessons for Germany as it sought to maintain existing and built new transit infrastructure.

Through a first-hand examination of alternative financing strategies employed in Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; the San Francisco Bay Area and San Diego, California; Chicago, Illinois; and Denver, Colorado; the author identifies a number of potential strategies that might be applicable in the German context and sets them forth for further consideration.