Now Arriving: Transit-Oriented Development
Much of the talk on the Streetsblog Network in the past few days, perhaps prompted by the recently concluded Congress for the New Urbanism conference, is about transit-oriented development. The real estate crisis, it seems, may finally be pushing the issue into the mainstream.
Hub and Spokes cites a recent article in the New York Times about new and proposed light rail lines in communities around the country, such as Carrollton, TX. "Are we finally seeing the key connection between transit and housing?" Hub and Spokes asks. "The drive-to-qualify model is no longer viable."
Over at CUNY's Sustainable Cities Blog, they picked up a piece by Grist about "the best US transit systems you never knew existed":
I was familiar with a few of their case studies (the Olympics-driven Salt Lake light rail, for example, is fantastic) but some were a complete surprise. Who would have thought that tourist-clogged Orlando was an up-and-comer? Or that the proud Confederate capital, Richmond, was a contender? Perhaps these success stories can be read as a sort of silver lining to our current economic woes.
Meanwhile, Mobilizing the Region has the latest on New Jersey's transit village program, which "provides financial incentives to communities committed to community revitalization, traffic reduction and air quality improvement in the areas surrounding their transit hubs." Orange, NJ, is the 20th municipality in Jersey to get the designation, which comes with $100,000 in funds and technical assistance in planning improvements around the train station there.
And Light Rail AZ is writing about how real estate agents are marketing apartments along the rail line that goes from Phoenix to communities like Mesa and Tempe. One is offering a free 31-day rail pass for new tenants. And the apartments are attracting a rare breed in the Sun Belt, the carless human:
Over at the La Paloma Apartments in Tempe, Veronica tells us that a lot of their residents are students, and she also mentions that "many of our residents are people that don’t have cars."
Imagine that.
Stay in touch
Sign up for our free newsletter
More from Streetsblog New York City
Why Sustainable Transportation Advocates Need to Talk About Long COVID
Covid-19 transformed many U.S. cities' approach to sustainable transportation forever. But how did it transform the lives of sustainable transportation advocates who developed lasting symptoms from the disease?
Analysis: ‘Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program’ is a Failure By All Measures
The Department of Transportation wants the Dangerous Vehicle Abatement Program to simply expire in part because it did not dramatically improve safety among these worst-of-the-worst drivers and led to a tiny number of vehicle seizures.
School Bus Driver Kills Cyclist in Boro Park, 24th Bike Death of 2023
Luis Perez-Ramirez, 44, was biking south on Fort Hamilton Parkway just before 3:15 p.m. when he was struck a by school bus driver making a right turn.
‘Betrayal’: Adams Caves to Opposition, Abandons Bus Improvement Plan on Fordham Road
The capitulation on Fordham Road is the latest episode in which the mayor has delayed or watered down a transportation project in deference to powerful interests.
Friday’s Headlines: Yes He Said Yes He Will Yes Edition
That headline above is a reference to the last line of James Joyce's Ulysses, which we won't pretend to have read. But we have that ... and other news.
