Regional Plan Association tag:www.rpa.org,2008-10-30://18 2012-02-02T23:34:01Z Movable Type Pro 4.3-en Bill Threatens Transit Funding Around the U.S. tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4461 2012-02-02T21:11:48Z 2012-02-02T23:34:01Z A new proposal by the House Ways and Means Committee would eliminate a crucial source of mass transit funding, posing a major threat to the nation's transit systems. The bill would prohibit the use of gasoline-tax revenue to support... ESAtunneltrainssmlandsc.png A new proposal by the House Ways and Means Committee would eliminate a crucial source of mass transit funding, posing a major threat to the nation's transit systems.


The bill would prohibit the use of gasoline-tax revenue to support public transportation, a funding stream that has been in place for more than three decades. If the bill were to pass, it would introduce a level of uncertainty that will make planning for capital projects far more difficult and expensive.

]]> In the tri-state region, capital projects such as the Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access to bring Long Island Rail Road in Grand Central Terminal would be endangered if the bill were made law. Long overdue repair and replacement on PATH, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and New Jersey Transit and maintenance of the bus fleet throughout the region also would be affected.

Nowhere in the nation is the success and growth of the regional economy more dependent on the provision of safe, reliable public transit to get people to their jobs. Throughout the tri-state area, the repair and expansion of our mass-transit systems provides thousands of jobs in the construction industry and in the manufacturing of equipment.

"This bill threatens to fracture a longstanding surface-transportation coalition of highway and public-transit advocates that together have been instrumental in enacting the nation's transportation policies since 1982," said Petra Todorovich, director of RPA's America 2050 national planning program.

"Without transit, the transportation bill will not get through Congress this year. Already delayed for two years, this pushes the passage of the transportation bill further into the future, and with it, the job creating effects of our nation's transportation program."

]]> A New Way to Promote Development Near Transit tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4460 2012-02-02T16:23:47Z 2012-02-03T17:41:21Z Connecticut's transit system, already one of the busiest in the country, is about to expand with the addition of the New Britain-Hartford Busway and New Haven-Springfield Commuter Rail. These new services will spur commercial and residential development around transit hubs,... Connecticut's transit system, already one of the busiest in the country, is about to expand with the addition of the New Britain-Hartford Busway and New Haven-Springfield Commuter Rail. These new services will spur commercial and residential development around transit hubs, increasing local property values and tax revenue -- but only if local governments and the state create the regulatory frameworks that enable transit-oriented development.

The Springdale neighborhood in Stamford recently adopted village-district zoning that enables walkable, mixed-use development near its train station on Metro-North's New Canaan branch. (mouse over to view photo simulation)

A new RPA proposal suggests how future station-area development could fund initial planning and improvements in communities with rail stations and contribute to future improvements to the transit network. The proposed program joins supportive planning policies with low-cost, flexible development incentives that can be implemented by municipalities to unlock development potential in their downtown station areas.

]]> A transportation funding forum held last month in Hartford highlighted that Connecticut's transportation infrastructure will require major repairs and reconstruction over the next decade, including replacing rail bridges and rebuilding highway interchanges. Funds will be in short supply for the station-area improvements that help make communities desirable places to live and work. One way to ensure that communities with transit have the resources to support planning and complementary capital investments is to dedicate a small portion of property tax revenue from redeveloped sites near transit to a transit hub development fund that reinvests in existing and new rail station communities. A partnership between the state and its municipalities can support the early regulatory work that must be done to prepare station areas for investment, while providing revenue to maintain station areas and foster future growth.

Read the proposal for a station-area investment program.

Read more about last week's Transportation Funding Forum, co-sponsored by Regional Plan Association: "Transportation Officials Discuss the Unspeakable- Highway Tolls And Surcharges"

]]> High-Speed Rail: Can the U.S. Mimic Britain? tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4433 2012-02-01T16:55:35Z 2012-02-01T19:10:29Z While high-speed rail has struggled to secure adequate financing in the U.S., Britain is moving ahead with plans to build the country's second bullet train. The U.K. government faced considerable opposition to the project, both within Parliament and from some... EurostarWhile high-speed rail has struggled to secure adequate financing in the U.S., Britain is moving ahead with plans to build the country's second bullet train. The U.K. government faced considerable opposition to the project, both within Parliament and from some residents along the rail corridor. But it worked aggressively to persuade the public on the long-term economic benefits of high-speed rail, a strategy that offers guideposts for the U.S. as pursues its own high-speed rail projects in California and the Northeast. Read more, and weigh in with your comments, in the latest edition of Spotlight.

Meanwhile, RPA's Jessie Feller looks at how financially strapped urban centers are tackling persistent infrastructure challenges with smaller and more localized solutions.

]]> Rather than build a new water-treatment facility, for example, cities are finding that green infrastructure such as rain-catching landscaping and porous pavement can help deal with run-off in a less expensive and more environmentally friendly way. And in places such as Denver and Washington, D.C., property owners are banding together to form eco-districts. These micro-neighborhoods tap their joint purchasing power to support local solar arrays and more efficient heating and recycling systems.

IMG_1341And Alex Marshall notes that while New York has made progress in dealing with its potholed streets (you can track NYC's efforts to smooth the streets on a city-managed website, the Daily Pothole), the city still has a way to go to make roads safe for cycling.

]]> Block by Block: Cities Tackle Big Problems With Small-Scale Solutions tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4430 2012-01-31T15:15:41Z 2012-01-31T21:03:43Z Urban centers are grappling with vast challenges, including climate change, population growth and strained finances. To address them, more cities are turning to so-called micro-solutions that are faster and cheaper to implement and take on problems at the neighborhood level. That might mean relying on green infrastructure instead of a new water-treatment facility, or implementing car- and bicycle-sharing in place of a highway expansion. By Jessie Feller, Senior Planner, Energy Policy Program

The world's biggest cities are discovering that it sometimes makes sense to go small.

Urban centers from New York to Sao Paulo to Singapore are grappling with big challenges, including climate change, population growth and fiscal constraints. Rather than addressing these issues solely with large, centralized strategies, some are turning to more diffuse approaches. So-called micro-solutions — which might mean relying on green infrastructure instead of a new water-treatment facility, or implementing car- and bicycle-sharing in place of a highway expansion — are generally much cheaper and faster to implement. They have the added benefit of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

One micro-scale innovation that has taken hold in places as diverse as Portland, Ore., Denver, Malmo, Sweden, and Brooklyn is the eco-district, a neighborhood or section of a city that attempts to use less energy and produce less waste of all kinds. The concept, which was devised by the Portland Sustainability Institute, emphasizes protecting the environment at the neighborhood level.

In eco-districts, property owners are encouraged to tap their joint purchasing and real estate power. In Washington, D.C., landowners have purchased solar panels to create local solar co-operatives. In New York, environmentalists are hoping to persuade clusters of buildings to band together to bring natural gas to their neighborhood, allowing them to replace polluting, hard-to-maintain boilers. Building owners lower their energy costs over the long term and decrease pollution in the process. One organization helping buildings and communities tap their joint purchasing and real estate power is Living City Block, which has active projects in Denver, Washington, D.C. and in the Gowanus Canal area in Brooklyn.

Elsewhere, cities that once would have launched large-scale projects to solve infrastructure problems are finding that some challenges can be meet with a smaller, greener footprint. Philadelphia, for example, has avoided building water storage and treatment facilities by implementing systems to catch rainwater and route it through soils and plants before it enters storm sewers. This means disconnected downspouts on homes (so gutters drain into the lawn), rain barrels to trap rainwater, vegetated swales, and porous pavement. Some of these solutions have the extra benefit of reducing the urban heat island effect and bringing more nature into the city.

Certain cities also are moving toward producing energy closer to where it is needed, through technologies such as solar, wind and co-generation plants. This approach, often called distributed energy generation, can be more efficient than having energy travel long distances on transmission wires. Nearly half the total electricity bill paid by utility customers in the tri-state region goes toward maintaining, replacing and expanding local facilities such as poles, wires, substations, and transfer facilities needed to reliably distribute power. Moreover, as much as 15% of the useful energy generated at a centralized power plant tens or hundreds of miles away can be lost when the energy travels to the ultimate electricity user. The key to successful distributed power is reliable infrastructure and battery storage technology, which is rapidly improving.

Another micro-solution that has caught on is car sharing. Just outside New York City, Hoboken's new Corner Cars Program offers residents a car-sharing program with designated city parking spots. So far, the program has more than 1,000 members. New car-sharing models in Munich, Frankfurt, Boulder, Colo., and San Francisco now allow owners to rent out their own car for hourly segments and share it with other drivers. Innovations in group insurance plans have enabled these models to gain traction, and several companies have sprung up to facilitate the personal car rentals. Other programs allow users to pick up a car in one location and drop it off in another. All these models allow urban drivers to lower their vehicle-related costs, save time and avoid the hassle of looking for overnight parking.

While big infrastructure projects will always be necessary, for some problems, micro-solutions can do much of the work. Cities that are open to these ideas could emerge as the most resilient and able to adapt to energy constraints, climate change and demographic shifts. Most importantly, they will become more enticing places to live in, with less traffic, lower living costs and cleaner air and water.

]]> The U.K. Moves Ahead With High-Speed Rail. Can the U.S. Follow? tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4431 2012-01-31T15:13:32Z 2012-01-31T20:58:22Z The U.K.'s decision to move forward with its second high-speed rail line shows that when the economic logic is presented clearly, big infrastructure projects are much more likely to receive a green light. By Dan Schned, Associate Planner, and Petra Todorovich, Director, RPA's America 2050 initiative

While high-speed rail has struggled to secure adequate financing in the U.S., in Britain, the government has given the green light to begin construction on the country's second bullet train. The U.K. government's decision to move forward with the controversial project offers important lessons as the U.S. pursues its own high-speed rail corridors in California and the Northeast.

In proposing the new high-speed line, which will link London to Birmingham in under an hour, the U.K. government sought to emphasize the project's lasting economic and environmental benefits. A government evaluation analyzing the economic costs and benefits of the project showed that every $1 invested in the $29 billion first phase of the London-Birmingham line will generate $1.70 in overall economic benefit. That figure includes a category dubbed "wider economic impacts," a measure used commonly in Europe, but far less often in the U.S., to calculate indirect benefits to society. For example, it might factor in the economic gains that emerge when high-speed rail increases a region's competitiveness and productivity and draws businesses to concentrate along the rail corridor.

With that assessment in hand, economists and transportation planners were able to make a case to the general public and business communities that the decades-long project would pay huge dividends over the long term. Including a measure of wider economic benefits in studies in the U.S. would make it easier to make a more complete case for high-speed rail projects.

One advantage the U.K. has is that it has already successfully built high-speed rail. The first line, known has High Speed 1, opened in 2007, connecting the Channel Tunnel to London. The line's operations and maintenance responsibilities were sold as a concession in 2010 to a consortium of Canadian pension funds, allowing the U.K. to recoup about one-third of its initial investment. The train operators pay fees to use the tracks, creating a revenue stream that is then used to maintain the infrastructure and provide a return to the investors. This deal demonstrates the feasibility of attracting private financing to high-speed rail projects.

In contrast, the U.S. is still awaiting its first high-speed line. The Northeast Corridor stretching from Washington, D.C. to Boston has characteristics similar to the U.K.'s busiest rail route, the West Coast Main Line. The two corridors have comparable lengths: the Northeast Corridor is 455 miles long and the West Coast Main Line stretches nearly 400 miles from London to Glasgow. They also serve similar-size populations and economies: the Northeast megaregion is home to about 52 million people and has an economy valued at $2.9 trillion; England has 52 million residents and a $2.2 trillion economy.

In the late 1990's, the U.K. decided to upgrade the West Coast Main Line at a cost of $20 billion, disrupting traffic on the corridor for more than 10 years. When the overhaul was completed in 2008, the line was already near capacity again. To address future demand on the line, the U.K. has now chosen to embark on its High Speed 2 project, building two dedicated tracks connecting London, the West Midlands and northern England, securing much-needed capacity and transforming intercity travel in the U.K.

The Northeast Corridor also is operating at or near capacity along several segments and has an enormous backlog of critical infrastructure projects. In 2010, Amtrak and states in the Northeast completed a report that concluded $52 billion of investment is needed to bring the corridor back to a state of good repair (much of the normal maintenance on the corridor has been neglected for years, due to battles over Amtrak funding in Congress) and meet capacity needs over the next 20 years. These improvements would probably take until 2030 to complete on the corridor, which serves nearly three-quarters of a million passengers each day. What the U.K. experience upgrading the West Coast Main Line shows is that incremental improvements alone might not suffice, and that pursuing high-speed rail is the most effective way to deal with capacity constraints on the corridor.

In 2011, Amtrak released a high-speed rail plan for the Northeast, proposing two dedicated tracks to run the length of the corridor. The new line would dramatically increase passenger capacity and reduce travel times to 90 minutes from New York to Washington, D.C. and to 100 minutes from New York to Boston. The project is estimated to cost $117 billion over 20 years and is still in the conceptual phase.

Whether the U.S. and the Northeast opt for an ambitious vision of high-speed rail in the Northeast Corridor will be determined by a variety of factors, including the outcome of the presidential and congressional races, progress on the California project, and an environmental impact study on the Northeast Corridor to begin this year.

As the U.S. endeavors to introduce high-speed rail, the U.K. government's push for the London-Birmingham line suggests that a concerted effort to explain the economic benefits could jump-start the effort here. But as in the U.K., proponents of high-speed rail in the U.S. will need to overcome major concerns about the country's financial constraints and deep skepticism about infrastructure projects that take decades to complete.

]]> Bad Asphalt: Streets Need to be Smoother and Safer tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4429 2012-01-31T15:02:24Z 2012-01-31T21:04:21Z New York City has made strides in improving street quality. But many roads remain full of divots, bumps and other hazards that make biking in the city dangerous. By Alex Marshall, Editor, Spotlight on the Region

Trenches, divots, bumps and dips of multiple size and shapes meet or barely miss my wheel as I bike down Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, the Brooklyn neighborhood's main drag.

Any one of these hazards could pitch me over my handlebars and under a passing bus. These are real and present dangers. Their presence here, on a principal street, is typical of roads around the city and the region.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, have made the city more hospitable to biking, as well as walking, strolling and sitting. Their achievements include hundreds of miles of new bike lanes, an imminent bike-sharing program and major public-safety and outreach campaigns.

They also have set their sights on better street quality. In 2007 as part of PlaNYC, Mayor Bloomberg pledged to resurface 1,000 miles of streets a year. It achieved this last year for the first time, resurfacing 1,003 miles, according to Seth Solomonow, spokesman for the city's department of transportation. Also, the city filled an astonishing 400,000 potholes in fiscal 2011, some of which were repaired with recycled asphalt. The city also maintains a website — the Daily Pothole — to keep residents informed about repairs.

The city's street design manual, released in 2009, is a welcome attempt to tackle the streets comprehensively as a vital public space. It addresses one of the most important issues affecting street quality and the elimination of potholes: the work of private utility companies.

Utility companies such as Verizon, Con Edison, National Grid and cable companies such as Time Warner Cable bear a lot of the responsibility for the many patches and cuts on city streets, as well as the heavy metal plates straddling intersections. In October of last year, the city released a companion to the design manual called the Street Works Manual. The aim is for it to be a one-stop reference, according to Solomonow, "to improve coordination among utility companies, contractors and agencies to minimize the number of times streets are dug up, reducing congestion and extending the life of resurfacing projects."

The Bloomberg administration also is continuing its efforts to be transparent and to involve residents. A particularly useful tool is an online map that allows anyone to see the conditions on any street in the city, including when it was last resurfaced. Blocks of streets are given one of three grades, "Poor" "Fair" or "Good."

Given all these efforts, it is sobering to observe how poor so many of the streets are, and how much remain to be done if the city is to be a place where an average person can safely and easily bike to work or a grocery store.

It is revealing to use the city's own diagnostic tool and check out that stretch of Seventh Avenue in Park Slope that I often cycle. Of the 20 blocks that parallel Prospect Park, about three-quarters are labeled "good" and only about a quarter labeled "fair." None are labeled poor. Personally, I would have labeled most of the blocks poor or fair, and none "good." It is also telling that the city has no designation for an "excellent" street. There should be.

Ultimately, repairing and resurfacing streets is a bit like bailing water out of a canoe. The city and its private partners need to be improving streets more rapidly than they deteriorate, or else things will get worse, not better. But if streets are improved, then everyone's bicycle journeys can be safer and more pleasant.

]]> Housing Changes Key to Long Island's Prospects tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4421 2012-01-19T21:03:27Z 2012-01-20T15:59:02Z Long Island is at a tipping point, possessing tremendous innovation potential but hamstrung by a shortage of affordable housing, limited downtown development and gaps in science education, new research suggests. Three studies issued by the Long Island Index, a... LI.png

Long Island is at a tipping point, possessing tremendous innovation potential but hamstrung by a shortage of affordable housing, limited downtown development and gaps in science education, new research suggests.

Three studies issued by the Long Island Index, a 10-year-old research initiative, describe the opportunities and challenges facing the Island. Long Island Profile 2012, written by Regional Plan Association, documents the region's progression from America's poster child of postwar optimism to a place experiencing a midlife crisis of uncertainty. A new poll conducted by the Center for Survey Research at Stony Brook shows Long Islanders concerned about the future but more open to new ways to grow, such as building more apartments in Long Island's downtowns. And the Innovation Index, written by Collaborative Economics, points the urgency of connecting Long Island's research institutions, skilled work force and other assets to restore a high-wage, dynamic economy.

Long Island's economic competitiveness will be on the agenda at a town hall meeting in Hauppauge in Suffolk County on Jan. 31. Everyone is welcome.

]]> And Newsday takes a look Friday at Long Island's high cost of living (subscription required).

]]> An Energy-Rail-Broadband Highway to Quebec tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4418 2012-01-13T15:54:57Z 2012-01-13T18:24:40Z New York and Montreal are only 330 miles apart, but their economic ties are limited. A corridor linking Montreal with New York City that combines energy transmission with high-speed rail and ultra-fast broadband would allow people and information as well... logoNew York and Montreal are only 330 miles apart, but their economic ties are limited. A corridor linking Montreal with New York City that combines energy transmission with high-speed rail and ultra-fast broadband would allow people and information as well as electrical current to make the journey from Montreal to Albany and then New York City.

In Europe and Asia, railroads, electric transmission and broadband corridors are commonly accommodated in the same shared right-of-way. The opportunity exists to do something similar in the U.S., strengthening the economic, energy and information links between Montreal, Albany and the New York area. Read more on the super-corridor's potential in Spotlight, RPA's newsletter, and see a report RPA prepared on the topic.

]]> Leaders to Speak on Connecticut's Transportation Financing Challenges tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4417 2012-01-12T16:51:22Z 2012-02-01T00:16:55Z Over the past several years, Connecticut has bolstered investment in its intercity rail program with new service planned linking Hartford and New Haven and has approved funding to construct the state's first bus rapid transit system. But Connecticut has significant...

Norwalk Rail Bridge. Flickr: Peter RiveraOver the past several years, Connecticut has bolstered investment in its intercity rail program with new service planned linking Hartford and New Haven and has approved funding to construct the state's first bus rapid transit system.

But Connecticut has significant repair costs ahead and future federal funding is uncertain. A significant gap exists to pay for maintenance projects and for improvements in transit and highway capacity. The state hasn't identified new sources of revenue to pay for these projects or prioritized these unfunded projects in a strategic plan.

Emil Frankel, director of transportation at the Bipartisan Policy Center, will keynote a forum in Hartford on January 20 exploring the state's transportation financing challenges.

]]> Speakers at the forum will be asked how the state can prioritize its transportation investments and develop the funding and financing mechanisms to maintain and expand our transportation system. In addition to Mr. Frankel's keynote, the forum will include remarks by Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro and DOT Commissioner James Redeker and a discussion panel featuring Senators Gary LeBeau, Andrew Maynard and Toni Boucher; Representatives Kim Fawcett and David Scribner; and Don Shubert of Keep Connecticut Moving.

The Forum- Connecticut's Transportation Future: Building a Link Between Needs and Resources- will be held at the old Judiciary Room of the State Capitol on January 20th from 9:00 A.M. - 12:00 P.M. Please RSVP by January 18, 2012 to Valerie Wormely-Radford at 203-787-0646 or vwormely-radford@ctenvironment.org.

UPDATE: The forum can be viewed online at CTN.

Sponsored by Regional Plan Association, Capitol Region Council of Governments, Connecticut Association for Community Transportation, Connecticut Fund for the Environment, O'Neill Endowed Chair at Central Connecticut State University - Legislative Policy Program, Transit for Connecticut and Tri-State Transportation Campaign. Supporters include Connecticut Citizens' Transportation Lobby, Connecticut Conference of Municipalities, Connecticut League of Conservation Voters, Keep CT Moving and League of Women Voters of Connecticut.

]]> Remaking the Far West Side tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4415 2012-01-12T15:25:49Z 2012-01-12T18:53:03Z The proposal to replace the Javits site with a new urban neighborhood heralds a transformational opportunity for Manhattan's Far West Side. By Bob Yaro, President, RPA

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to replace the Javits site with a new urban neighborhood heralds a transformational opportunity for Manhattan's Far West Side.

The area's potential has been undermined for decades by rail yards, empty lots and a hulking convention center that cut off the area from the rest of the city and the Hudson River. With the plan to remove Javits, a decades-long revitalization effort that began with Times Square, continued with the Hudson Waterfront and is under way at Hudson Yards would be fully realized.

The Javits plan was one of a number of major transportation and economic-development investments Gov. Cuomo put forth in his State of the State address last week. Together, they represent a smart, infrastructure-led economic-development strategy for New York State. Although questions remain about where all of the funds will come from for the governor's $15 billion "Build New York Fund," this amounts to the largest set of investment proposals in decades. All of this is good news for New York.

Prominently featured in the governor's address was an endorsement of Regional Plan Association's longstanding proposal to develop new convention facilities on Manhattan's Far West Side and in Queens and then to remove the outmoded Javits facility and redevelop its 18-acre site into a major mixed-use waterfront community. This proposal would provide a range of important economic and other benefits to the city and state, including both short- and long-term job creation. The plan also would:

  • Recapture the estimated $4 billion value of this large development parcel and put these funds to work in rebuilding New York's economy and infrastructure.
  • Allow New York the join the ranks of virtually every other global city in relocating its large convention/trade-show facility from the central business district to a peripheral site that can provide better truck, car and airport access and accommodate the large, single-story structures that these events require.
  • Provide for development of a smaller convention facility for high-value conferences and shows that need to remain in Manhattan. While the governor didn't recommend a specific site for this facility, RPA strongly believes that it should be located in the western half of the landmark Farley Post Office, adjoining the new Moynihan Station. The publicly owned Farley building, with its ample floor space and location adjacent to the country's busiest rail station, would be ideal for this facility.

Gov. Cuomo also endorsed RPA's proposal that redevelopment of the 7-block Javits site be administered in much the same way as the successful Battery Park City project. Under this model, the site would be owned by a public agency, which would restore the Manhattan street grid to the waterfront, construct the infrastructure and then subdivide the site into parcels that would be leased over time to private developers. Lease payments would reflect the increase in rents over time as Midtown West develops into a mature part of the Manhattan Central Business District. Lease payments would be directed to key infrastructure investments, including the capital needs of the MTA, which owns a 50% interest in the site. The precise mix of activities on the site could be adapted to changing economic needs and market conditions as the site develops over a generation or longer. As with Battery Park, this model permits continued public oversight to guide the site's evolution over time.

So far the most controversial aspect of the governor's announcement is his proposal that a large convention facility be developed at the Aqueduct Race Track site near JFK Airport in Queens to accommodate the biggest trade and consumer shows that wouldn't fit in the smaller Manhattan facility. Genting, a Malaysian casino developer and operator with projects in a number of Asian cities, already operates a slot-machine casino at Aqueduct.

The Aqueduct site, at close to 200 acres, is one of only a handful of sites in the city that could accommodate a very large, single-story convention facility. Another is Willets Point in Queens, which New York City has proposed as an alternate site for a convention center. Whichever of these projects moves forward, improved transit and roadway access to the convention center site will be critical to its success.

With the Aqueduct site, the state and Genting have reached a preliminary agreement through which the developer would self-finance, build and operate a 2.6 million square foot convention center as well as 1.2 million square feet in an expanded gambling facility, hotels and related entertainment venues. While some have questioned the size of the facility and the mix of activities at the site, Cuomo has made it clear that the developer will be investing its own, and not state funds on the site. Further, Genting's business model calls for the creation of an entertainment, hotel and gambling destination, and not just a free-standing convention facility.

While the convention industry has had longstanding concerns about Javits's inadequacies, they have also questioned whether a new facility in Queens could draw conferences, trade and consumer shows that are currently held in Manhattan. Some of these events would remain at the proposed in-town convention facility, while the largest, such as the Car Show and Boat Show, would move to the Queens facility. But these large shows, and the hundreds of trucks required to set them up and take them down, are increasingly incompatible with the Midtown West area, which is rapidly becoming the city's newest business and residential district. These events need to go somewhere outside Manhattan.

All of the concerns surrounding this initiative must be debated and addressed. But in so doing, we shouldn't lose sight of the large and compelling economic-development, infrastructure and city-building vision laid out by Gov. Cuomo that would provide enormous benefits to New Yorkers for decades to come.

]]> An Energy-Rail-Broadband Expressway to Quebec tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4414 2012-01-12T15:13:22Z 2012-01-12T18:56:40Z New York and Montreal are only 330 miles apart, but their economic ties are limited. A corridor linking Montreal with New York City that combines energy transmission with high-speed rail and ultra-fast broadband would allow people and information as well as electrical current to make the journey from Montreal to Albany and then New York City. By Bob Yaro, President, RPA, and Jessie Feller, Senior Planner, RPA Energy Policy Program

While Montreal is only 330 miles from New York City, there are relatively few links between Canada's second-largest metropolitan area and the tri-state region.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for changing that in last week's State of the State address, when he proposed creating what he dubbed an "energy highway" between Quebec and New York City. Suggesting that private companies would supply the estimated $2 billion in infrastructure, Gov. Cuomo said that new and updated electric transmission lines could bring low-cost and clean hydroelectric power from Quebec as well as wind power from upstate New York to millions of businesses and residential customers in the Downstate Region.

"Just like we built the Northway, we will develop an energy expressway down from Quebec," Gov. Cuomo said.

RPA supports this idea, and would take it a few steps further. RPA believes we should investigate the potential to create a multi-use corridor linking Montreal with New York City, combining new energy transmission lines with a higher-speed or high-speed rail corridor and ultra-high-speed broadband. This multi-purpose corridor would allow people and information as well as electrical current to make the journey from Montreal to Albany and then New York City. Currently, Amtrak's Adirondack service takes nearly 11 hours to make this trip - averaging about 30 miles per hour - severely curtailing its utility for business travelers and tourists.

To investigate this idea, last August RPA convened a roundtable on the topic and is now actively engaged with stakeholders to vet the proposal further. In Europe and Asia, railroads, electric transmission and broadband corridors are commonly accommodated in the same shared rights-of-way, providing efficiencies and cross-subsidies between each use.

The opportunity exists to do something similar here, strengthening the economic, energy and knowledge links between Montreal, Albany and the Downstate Region, to the advantage of all. A true high-speed rail link - which would involve substantial infrastructure improvements and features like handling customs on the train, as is done in parts of Europe - could make this trip in less than four hours, enabling businesses in each city to serve customers in the others, as well as propelling tourism in both regions. It would change, for the better, the economic geography of New York State and Quebec.

In his address, Gov. Cuomo said his administration would request proposals for a master plan to carry out his energy highway. The administration should broaden its outlook to include rail and broadband links in this first step as well.

]]> Save the Date: RPA's 22nd Annual Regional Assembly tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4416 2012-01-12T15:05:33Z 2012-01-12T18:52:14Z Bold Plans - Big Innovations - Bright Future, April 27, 2012, Waldorf-Astoria, New York Bold Plans - Big Innovations - Bright Future
April 27, 2012, Waldorf-Astoria, New York

Each spring, RPA's Regional Assembly brings together close to 1,000 civic and business leaders to discuss major issues affecting the prosperity and quality of life in the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region. The conference is the premier opportunity for participants to discuss and debate approaches the tri-state region should take to expand our economy and sustainably meet our needs for housing, employment and transportation. This year's conference will look at topics including:

  • How to break the commuter logjam crossing the Hudson River
  • Will technology and housing changes spell the end of central business districts?
  • How can we meet the region's accelerating energy needs without harming the environment?

Stay tuned for more details and registration information.

]]> Javits Proposal Will Revitalize Far West Side tag:www.rpa.org,2012://18.4407 2012-01-04T15:51:06Z 2012-01-05T16:30:43Z New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday proposed redeveloping the Javits Convention Center site in Manhattan, bringing new momentum to an idea that has been a longstanding goal of Regional Plan Association. Under the governor's proposal, everybody wins. The plan... javitssmallpost.jpgNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday proposed redeveloping the Javits Convention Center site in Manhattan, bringing new momentum to an idea that has been a longstanding goal of Regional Plan Association.


Under the governor's proposal, everybody wins. The plan will create much-needed convention space for professional conferences and large trade events. It will generate revenue and jobs in New York through the creation of the largest economic-development project in the state, and it will provide new engines of growth for Queens and Manhattan's West Side. Read RPA's proposal on Javits, Unconventional.

]]> New York needs a "state-of-the-art venue to be competitive for the largest trade shows and conventions," Gov. Cuomo said in his State of the State address. The governor proposed building the nation's largest convention center at the site of the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens through a joint venture with casino operator Genting Resorts World.

RPA has called for replacing the Javits center with new facilities -- a world-class trade-show and exposition center in Queens and a smaller conference center in the future Moynihan Station in Manhattan to host professional meetings that have long bypassed New York. These new facilities would allow the city and state to redevelop the Javits site, which occupies waterfront property valued at an estimated $4 billion. The redevelopment would generate tens of thousands of construction and permanent jobs and billions of dollars in additional tax revenue. It also would underpin the development of the Midtown West district that will be the focus of much of New York's growth in this century.

The governor said that the 18-acre Javits site would be developed into a mixed-use facility to revitalize New York City's West Side, following the successful model of Battery Park City, where the state leases land parcels to developers. In his address on Wednesday, Gov. Cuomo said that as part of the Javits redevelopment, the state would explore serving the needs of smaller and midsize conventions on the West Side of Manhattan.

"We can't wait for Washington to act or hope for the economy to recover on its own," said RPA President Robert Yaro. "We need to invest in New York. It is only right that the nation's premier convention center be in New York City, and this project, combined with the repurposing of the Javits Center and the billions of dollars in infrastructure investment across the state, will be a shot in the arm for our state's economy and put New York back on the path to prosperity."

"Revitalizing the Javits site would create a huge driver of economic activity for New York," said RPA Chairman Elliot G. Sander. "This project will allow development of a vibrant residential and commercial neighborhood on Manhattan's Far West Side."

]]> Town Halls Focus on the Jobs-Transit Link tag:www.rpa.org,2011://18.4404 2011-12-22T17:17:52Z 2011-12-23T16:09:14Z Support is growing for more prosperous, livable communities. Efforts to foster job creation, improve infrastructure and protect natural resources in New York and Connecticut got a big boost this month as Long Island and Stamford, Conn., won government grants aimed... stamford town hallSupport is growing for more prosperous, livable communities.

Efforts to foster job creation, improve infrastructure and protect natural resources in New York and Connecticut got a big boost this month as Long Island and Stamford, Conn., won government grants aimed at promoting development around transportation hubs. At the same time, a consortium co-led by RPA kicked off a series of town halls in the region to listen to residents' ideas for transforming their communities. Read the full story here and see a video report on the Stamford town hall. Also, read a story in Planning magazine on RPA's work to create more livable, sustainable communities.

]]> Transit as a Stepping Stone to Prosperity tag:www.rpa.org,2011://18.4400 2011-12-21T16:48:17Z 2011-12-21T19:30:18Z By Christopher Jones, Vice President for Research, RPA Christmas came early to the tri-state region this year. In the span of a week, two high-profile, competitive awards landed on Long Island and in Stamford, Conn. While they have different objectives... By Christopher Jones, Vice President for Research, RPA

Christmas came early to the tri-state region this year. In the span of a week, two high-profile, competitive awards landed on Long Island and in Stamford, Conn. While they have different objectives and scopes, both should help further the twin goals of revitalizing the metropolitan economy and supporting more sustainable, transit-oriented development.

By coincidence, each was announced within a day of town hall meetings convened in Mineola on Long Island and in Stamford by the New York-Connecticut Sustainable Communities Consortium, a federally funded effort co-led by Regional Plan Association to create more livable, economically prosperous communities by leveraging the region's robust transit network. Together, these events show that years of efforts by civic, business and political leaders across the region are bearing fruit.

On Dec. 8, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that Long Island had won a $101.6 million economic-development grant, part of a $785 million pool of funding awarded state-wide that day. In Long Island, an umbrella group representing business, education and civic interests from across Nassau and Suffolk counties has proposed a wide-ranging program to foster job creation, improve infrastructure and protect natural resources. Much of the funding is slated to support transit-oriented development projects on Long Island, including the Ronkonkoma LIRR-MacArthur Airport transportation hub, where plans are underway to foster a vibrant residential and business community around Long Island's busiest train station.

A week later, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced that Stamford would receive a $10.5 million federal grant to improve the city's combined rail and bus station, already one of the most heavily used hubs in the Metro-North Railroad system. As Stamford has evolved from a commuter suburb of New York City into the commercial and entertainment center of lower Fairfield County, the station's customer base has expanded and diversified. The grant will help fund pedestrian access bridges and improvements to waiting areas, including new lighting and signage, that will move the transportation center closer to meeting growing regional demand.

In both instances, these grants reflect the growing recognition that regional prosperity, better transportation choices and more livable communities are inextricably linked and require coordinated strategies. That recognition is also at the heart of the federal Sustainable Communities Partnership, a joint effort of the U.S. Departments of Housing and Urban Development and Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency.

The partnership is funding more than 70 regional initiatives across the country to implement coordinated economic, housing, transportation and environmental strategies, including a grant to Regional Plan Association on behalf of a consortium of 17 cities, counties and metropolitan planning organizations in New York and Connecticut. A full description of the consortium's partners and activities can be found at www.sustainablenyct.org.

The awards to Long Island and Stamford brought an added dimension to the agenda of the New York-Connecticut consortium that RPA is co-leading. The consortium has just launched a series of public forums across the region to gather input on the program's goals and launch a set of projects that are designed to create equitable, energy-efficient housing and jobs at key transit hubs. At the recent town hall in Mineola, for example, participants debated how to balance denser office and residential development around train stations while providing enough parking for commuters.

The group's efforts to identify new transit-oriented development projects in Nassau County and to encourage the transfer of development rights away from environmentally sensitive locations in Suffolk County complement Long Island's efforts to generate new economic activity and protect open space. Similarly, plans for transit-oriented development projects in Stamford, Bridgeport, Norwalk, New Haven, New Rochelle and the Bronx, all linked to the Stamford Transportation Center, will receive added impetus from the federal grant.

Additional town halls are planned for early 2012 in New York City; Bridgeport, Conn.; Hauppauge in Long Island; and Mount Vernon in Westchester.

The trick, as always, will be to coordinate efforts and maintain momentum, particularly in economically treacherous times. But for a moment, let's give thanks for the holiday gifts and the efforts of all who made them possible.

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