American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) Test 2025 – 400 Free Practice Questions to Pass the Exam

The disaggregated per capita method is the most effective approach for fiscal impact analysis that focuses on area usage because it dissects the costs and revenues associated with different land uses or zoning classifications. This method allows planners to analyze fiscal impacts with greater specificity, taking into account individual characteristics of various land uses such as residential, commercial, and industrial developments.

By employing this method, planners can generate a detailed understanding of how different areas within a jurisdiction contribute to or detract from the local public budget based on their unique needs and resource requirements. This granularity allows local governments to make informed decisions about land use planning, infrastructure investment, and resource allocation.

Other methods, while useful in their own right, do not provide the same level of detail regarding specific area usage. For instance, the average per capita method calculates an overall average impact based on population figures but lacks the sensitivity to distinct land uses. This can lead to less tailored and potentially less accurate fiscal analyses.