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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 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.