AMERICA 2050
…There is a steep learning curve for states and regions in developing high-speed and even “classic” intercity passenger corridors. This report aims to educate the public and decision makers about the elements of success for high-speed rail as measured by factors that contribute to ridership demand for these services, particularly as they apply to the unique spatial attributes and travel patterns of America.
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REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION
The most widely accepted definition of “sustainability” comes from the United Nations’ Brundtland Commission 1987 report “Our Common Future.” They define sustainable development as “… development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” This is obviously an extremely broad concept – at some level, it touches on everything relating to land-use and planning.
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REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION/ AMERICA 2050
Infrastructure and transportation is traditionally a bipartisan issue – characterized by equal opportunity “pork.” Under intensely partisan congresses, transportation bills passed in 2005 during the George W. Bush Administration, in 1998 during the Clinton Administration, and in 1991 during the George H.W. Bush Administration. The Surface Transportation Assistance Act even passed in 1982 during Ronald Reagan’s administration and with the president’s support, despite the Gipper’s heavily anti-federal-government stances.
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Over the weekend, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie abruptly halted work on the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project, saying he needed greater assurances that the $8.7 billion commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River could be delivered on budget. This has left transit advocates and New Jersey commuters wondering if the Governor is focused on reducing costs, or whether he intends to cancel one of the nation’s most important transit improvements. We’re all waiting with bated breath.
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AMERICA 2050
America 2050 launched a research program on highspeed rail in 2009 to provide input and help shape the federal government’s new highspeed intercity passenger rail (HSIPR) program. In September 2009, we released the report “Where High-Speed Rail Works Best,” which discussed factors contributing to ridership demand for high-speed rail. The paper argued that the federal government should focus preliminary ARRA grants in corridors with the greatest passenger demand for high-speed rail service.
Moving forward, our research will continue to focus on success factors in developing high-speed rail systems and strategies for developing a national intercity passenger network. To that end, we offer the following recommendations for the long-term National Rail Plan, focused primarily on the elements of success for passenger rail.
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REGIONAL ASSEMBLY 2010: INNOVATION & THE AMERICAN METROPOLIS
“The Regional Assembly is New York’s premier public policy event, bringing together several hundred top business, civic, philanthropic, media, and government leaders from across the metropolitan region and nation. Each year the Assembly focuses on a priority issue. This year, we examine how the innovative spirit and creativity of urban America can build and sustain a better future for our cities.”
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Petra Todorovich is Director of America 2050, a national urban planning initiative to develop an infrastructure and growth strategy for the United States. She has written articles on transportation and infrastructure policy and is a frequent speaker on the topics of transportation policy, megaregions, and national planning. Prior to the launch of America 2050, Ms. Todorovich directed Regional Plan Association’s Region’s Core program and coordinated the Civic Alliance to Rebuild Downtown New York, a network of organizations that came together shortly after 9/11 to promote the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site and Lower Manhattan.
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REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION
Competition is heating up over the federal government’s $8 billion high-speed rail program, with grants due to be announced in early 2010. Leading contenders for the largest category of funding – “Track 2-Programs” for rail corridors, as opposed to site-specific projects – include corridors in California, Florida, North Carolina and the Midwest, among other smaller routes in the Northeast like the Philadelphia-Harrisburg, New York-Albany, and New Haven-Springfield.
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Robert D. Yaro is the President of Regional Plan Association, America’s oldest independent metropolitan policy, research and advocacy group. Mr. Yaro co-chairs the Empire State Alliance and the Friends of Moynihan Station, and is Vice President of the Forum of Urban Design. He serves on Mayor Bloomberg’s Sustainability Advisory Board, which helped prepare PlaNYC 2030, New York City’s new long-range sustainability plan. Since 2001 Mr. Yaro has been Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning at the University of Pennsylvania. He also taught at Harvard University and the University of Massachusetts…
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AMERICA 2050/ REGIONAL PLAN ASSOCIATION
“Climate change, underfunded infrastructure, outdated management approaches, and the pressures of urbanization are creating a looming crisis for America’s water…”
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