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A new report says over half of Connecticut residents live in 9 percent of the state’s land, along existing transit corridors. Those areas have significant opportunities to add even more housing, the report concludes, when combined with areas with existing sewer infrastructure.

The Regional Plan Association released its report Monday, timed do a major conference of housing advocates going on in New Haven.

The report argues that state officials should aim for creating “transit-oriented communities” by integrating residential, commercial and recreational spaces around public transportation hubs.

The strategy would make for a more “vibrant” Connecticut, the report argued, but also reinforce existing efforts by the Connecticut Municipal Development Authority to support the state’s economic nodes.

“While RPA has promoted regional housing and community development for decades, recently our challenges have become more acute as local zoning restrictions and political obstacles have stymied efforts to provide the affordable housing we need,” Tom Wright, president and CEO of RPA, said in a statement. ​“This report powerfully demonstrates how Connecticut can reverse this trend by capitalizing on the opportunity to build more housing and generate economic development near transit to create more prosperity, affordability and diversity.”

After Gov. Ned Lamont vetoed a major housing reform bill, HB5002, under pressure from suburban politicians, the state’s pro-housing forces are still looking for a way forward to add more homes in Connecticut.

The report found that 48 percent of Connecticut households and 65 percent of the state’s jobs are within a half-mile of a train station or a quarter-mile from a bus stop.

But while almost half of Connecticut’s statewide housing stock is located near a transit stop, most of it is situated in areas that lack the necessary residential density and ridership to support transit service. Even in areas close to transit, approximately 291,000 units (42 percent of the homes within the transit zone) are situated in areas that lack the density to support even low-cost bus service.

“This report lays out the vast and urgent opportunity for the state to focus its capacity and resources on getting the most out of this area to grow the state’s economy and protect its environment. Many important efforts are underway, but the state must do more to assist local and regional partners that see the potential for transit-oriented communities,” Pete Harrison, the Connecticut director at the RPA, said in a statement.

The report also found that most of Connecticut’s housing stock is not affected by high flood risk areas, despite significant anxiety about the issue in many parts of the state.

Over 660,000 units (45 percent of Connecticut’s housing stock) are located both within a transit corridor and in an area of low flood risk. Only about 40,000 units (2.6 percent of the state total) are in a high-flood risk area as well as in a transit corridor.