A report released today by the Brookings Institution shows the New York-New Jersey region ranks 13th out of the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the nation in providing its residents with transit access to jobs. A separate ranking for the region covering most of Fairfield County ranked 31st. The report, Missed Opportunity: Transit and Jobs in Metropolitan America, found that while 70 percent of all residents in the largest metro areas can get to public transit, the typical resident can reach only 30 percent of the region's jobs by transit.

Today Regional Plan Association issued a report analyzing the structure and costs of unionized construction in New York. Open shops (union and nonunion) have grown from just 15 percent of the market in the 1970s to about 40 percent now--and are 20-30 percent less expensive than union shops. The report, researched and written by Julia Vitullo-Martin and Hope Cohen of RPA's Center for Urban Innovation, recommends elimination of wasteful work rules and practices that add more than 20 percent to the cost of union labor. The report finds that a 10 percent differential between union and nonunion construction is tolerable to union developers and contractors, while the existing 20-30 percent differential is not.

RPA submitted comments yesterday on the Connecticut Department of Economic and Community Development's draft Economic Strategic Plan. RPA applauds DECD's efforts but calls for explicit policy objectives to guide state actions, better assessment of long-term costs and benefits, ongoing measurement of indicators that can demonstrate progress toward the State's goals, and stronger commitment to regional planning and governance restructuring. 

The plan, developed in response to a legislative mandate, describes a vision for a Connecticut with a "vibrant, diversified, and resilient economy" that promotes "responsible transit-oriented growth." Included is a proposal to sweep state discretionary municipal grant money into a "Responsible Growth for the 21st Century" fund which would award grants on a competitive basis to communities that plan for transit-oriented development. Other proposals would address the impacts of property tax dependence and would enable interagency policy consistency.

To read the Connecticut Economic Strategic Plan click here.

Click here for RPA's comments on the ESP

On Wednesday September 9th, 2009, L. Nicolas Ronderos, Director of Urban Development Programs for Regional Plan Association, presented a statement on the Western Rail Yard Rezoning to express our support for the actions under review. The rail yard is one of Manhattan's largest developable parcels, bound by 33rd St. on the north, 30th St. on the south, 11th Ave. on the east and the Hudson River on the west.

The proposed actions would have an overall beneficial effect on neighborhood character at the development site, additional housing sites, and the areas surrounding them. As we expressed in our seminal 2004 report "Urban Development Alternatives for the Hudson Rail Yards", a mixed-use development on the yard is more desirable than other options and would better connect the waterfront to the district, promote urban development throughout the area and provide a significantly larger rate of return for public infrastructure investments.

A preliminary study released by the Regional Plan Association issues recommendations for how to revive water-dependent maritime uses and highlights their importance to the Region's economy and quality of life. The 47-page draft report for discussion, Making Waterfronts Work, lays out four major areas where steps can be taken to support maritime uses. These include preparing a regional inventory of such maritime uses; assessing maritime economic impacts and contributions; convening a regional forum of key decision-makers; and developing a toolbox of financial incentives and land use protections for local and state governments to employ to ensure the viability of this sector. Summarizing current research and synthesizing interviews with nearly 50 stakeholders, the report also found that port facilities throughout the region have declined significantly over the past six decades. The report was conducted in partnership with University of Rhode Island's Coastal Institute IGERT Project.

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Download Study (DOC 4.7MB)