Trends Favor Core

Funny, that's not what the folks at Reason, most of New Geography, or Cato tell me.

Most demographic and market indicators suggest that growth and development across the country are moving away from the suburban and exurban fringe and toward center-cities and close-in suburbs.

But why?

What's behind this shift? Empty-nesters don't need the big house and don't want to mow the big lawn. High gas prices are making long commutes less practical. The urban renaissance in big cities ranging from New York to Portland, Ore. — and the revival of charming, vibrant downtowns in small cities like Missoula, Mont. — is making the bedroom suburb and the strip mall seem positively dull.

Triple Standards for Transit

One wonders why people must always be forced to vote for light rail but not roads. But yet the Columbian is editorializing just that and being very blatant about it:

Whatever the answer, a more general light-rail question should be presented to Vancouver voters, to cover all bases. There is no need for a vote on the new bridge itself (transportation infrastructure routinely is decided by transportation officials) or tolls (voters generally don't vote on user fees), but the light rail question is different. As we editorialized on Feb. 24, "Light-rail critics have complained loudly — and correctly — that people should be allowed to vote on the matter."

Really? Why is light rail different? Why shouldn't transportation officials be allowed to decide about this transportation infrastructure? And why are critics the only reason to vote? I'm sure there are plenty of critics of the CRC. Why not let them vote as well if you really believe in such deep democracy. The answer is that the Columbian doesn't believe in anything except for the George Will doctrine. If its not a car, its not transportation.

You Chose...Wisely

It's not even funded yet and already changing things:

“I chose this location so that we could be right on the streetcar line. If you want to start looking at a return on investment, for the streetcar, then you can look at us. We’re going in here with the streetcar in mind,” says Rose.

H/T Cincy Streetcar Blog

Pushing Back on the Status Quo

And if you didn't think JSK rocked, here's your quote of the day:

And more than a little ironic, seeing as Moses constructed his empire of roads and highways while serving for 26 years as the city’s Parks commissioner. One wonders what he would think of a Transportation commissioner who dismantled New York’s most famous street and turned it into a park.

Rumor Mill

Fred Hanson to Adelaide? Are they going for a huge light rail expansion? What's up with transit agency heads leaving lately? Simonetta from Phoenix, Marsalla from Denver, Hanson from Portland...

Update: Just an advisory role. But now there's also word that Keith Parker of Charlotte might head to San Antonio. Magical jumping CEOs. Nat Ford, you next?

Missing the Point

Blah blah Earmark blah.... Sound familiar? That's the sound of no context. Anyone else want an earmark story that discusses how our transportation funding is so broken that the only way for some places to get federal funding for transportation needs that George Will deems not important is through the earmark process? With a backlog of 50 years or more on the New Starts process, how many legislators are going to try to go through the back door to get something done? We all know what happens when there is an extreme shortage or overpriced good, a black market develops. In transportation funding world, the earmark system is just a black market for goods that are missing from the market. Is there a way to solve this issue? Perhaps if we figured this out, would earmarks disappear? Unlikely, but I believe there would be less need for certain types.

Finally a Candidate That Gets It

I wish more gubernatorial candidates in any state would understand how important cities are to their state's economy. You would think that the powerhouses would get more play but unfortunately they are more often than not neglected. At least Mayor Rybek seems to get it.

“Regional economies drive states, Georgia and Minnesota included,” Rybak said, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle. “Our governor clearly does not get the value of the cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, which is ironic because they pay a disproportionate amount of the budget that he’s trying to balance.”

Another interesting piece is the willingness of the region to give back for civic goods:

It was Minneapolis’ business and philanthropic sector that started the idea of the “5 percent club.” Companies and individuals pledge to give 5 percent of their pretax earnings to charity and to philanthropic causes. As a result, the cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul have an extraordinarily strong arts and cultural community with first-class facilities.

George Will Despises You, Livable Community Advocate

Really, how out of touch with America do you have to be to hate jeans and Portland simultaneously. Never mind the fact that roads don't pay for themselves or suburbanites want city amenities, usually without having to pay for them.

Of the 32 percent of respondents who live in the suburbs, 51 percent said they wish their community had a wider variety of offerings.

The top three amenities desired include access to convenient public transportation (23 percent), a broad array of housing options (22 percent) and a more walkable environment (22 percent). More than half (52 percent) of suburban residents say they would move to a community that offered more of those characteristics.

Look Georgie boy, if you want to waste your wealth on transforming that corn field into a single family home go ahead, but last time I checked, the Great Society Subway has created actual tangible wealth in the parts of DC it touches. So give me a break about freedom, especially when the freedom you espouse costs me more as a taxpayer than the "behavior modification" you're so fearful of.

What's Cookie Cutter?

I'm not sure I understand. FRA rep Karen Rae (Who was head of Cap Metro in Austin during the first Light Rail Election) has said that they don't want a cookie cutter approach to HSR.

"And one of the things we're trying not to do is create a cookie cutter, where everything is exactly the same," Rae said. "It really needs to be designed around the local and state needs."

I hope that doesn't mean we rid ourselves of standards that make all these lines interoperable. The last thing we need is BART like decisions which make the line so specialized that it becomes more expensive in the long run. I have a feeling it's the issue of different speeds being allowed. Though it would be nice if the FRA would stop being such morons on the issue of split rail operations and buff strength requirements for those vehicles. That's another post.

Portland Unveils First American Made Modern Streetcar

Portland Transport has the skinny with photos and a video. With the recent passage of the Eastside Extension, it looks as if there will be a lot more of these coming. I've also heard rumors that Tuscon could order from OIW as well.

As a side note but not entirely unrelated, the Wall Street Journal ran a piece on how places like Portland and Austin are hitting a mid-life crisis. They are getting such a huge influx of past college folks that there just aren't enough jobs for them. But why are people moving there? What makes these places cool?