Yonah Freemark tackles the big question, as House Republicans deliver an agenda to reduce federal spending that proposes deep cuts to transit spending.
The answer? Rural and non-urban districts tend to elect Republicans, and urban centers elect Democrats:
"The two parties generally fight it out over the suburbs. In essence, the base of the two parties is becoming increasingly split in spatial terms: The Democrats' most vocal constituents live in cities, whereas the Republicans' power brokers would never agree to what some frame as a nightmare of tenements and light rail."
Freemark has some excellent graphs over at The Transport Politic showing just how split the nation is on urban/rural lines and how that correlates to political party preferences.
Freemark writes, "Republicans in the House of Representatives know that very few of their constituents would benefit directly from increased spending on transit, for instance, so they propose gutting the nation's commitment to new public transportation lines when they enter office."
FULL STORY: Understanding the Republican Party’s Reluctance to Invest in Transit Infrastructure
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Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing
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New Park Opens in the Santa Clarita Valley
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U.S. Supreme Court: California's Impact Fees May Violate Takings Clause
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