Regional Plan Association Gives Amazon HQ2 a Thumbs Up

A Regional Plan Association white paper makes that case that New York City and Amazon have mutually beneficial goals with the decision to located the tech company's second headquarters in Long Island City.

1 minute read

November 28, 2018, 5:00 AM PST

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Queens, New York City

Ivan C / Shutterstock

The Regional Plan Association (RPA) released a report Monday that lends conditional support to the deal that will bring Amazon's second headquarters (HQ2) to the Long Island City neighborhood in New York.

Matthew Flamm characterizes the new RPA white paper as supportive of the idea that HQ2 could make progress in three areas of need in Long Island City: "affordable housing, expanding mass transit and protecting Long Island City from sea-level rise."

"Tom Wright, the RPA's chief executive, compares the Amazon deal to Disney's mid-1990s agreement to purchase the New Amsterdam Theater on 42nd Street and invest in Times Square," according to Flamm. "Eventually, he said, Disney and the city had the same goals."

The article includes more details on the report's findings and recommendations on each of the three targeted policy areas.

Monday, November 26, 2018 in Crain's New York Business

Young Professional

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban and Environmental Planner

Get top-rated, practical training for planners

Overlapping highways

The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin

People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.

September 8, 2026 - Benjamin Schneider

The Hoover Dam blocking the Colorado River. The river's water level is noticeably low. The cliffs surrounding the blue water are brown and jagged.

US to reduce Colorado River water deliveries to Mexico

A new Colorado Treaty amendment reduces Mexico’s Colorado River water allocation by 250,000 acre feet.

September 11, 2026 - The Arizona Republic

Skyscrapers in Jersey City.

New Jersey’s second-largest city bans standalone data centers

Jersey City will continue to allow co-location facilities, such as those meant for research institutions that store their own data.

September 4, 2026 - The Cool Down

A New Jersey train approaches people waiting at the station.

Amtrak not solely to blame for New Jersey commuter rail's unreliability, report finds

A new study from the Garden State Initiative found that NJ Transit’s budget grew 20% across a 4 year period, but reliability declined significantly over the same period.

September 15 - Mass Transit

A tall, gray power plant billows smoke into a blue sky.

EPA erases limits on planet-warming pollution from power plants

Under Monday’s plan, power plants would still have some limits on how much mercury, arsenic and other contaminants they can emit.

September 15 - New York Times

A white RAPID bus. The lower half is light blue, and says RAPID in purple text. The bus is half visible, appearing from the left side of the image.

Phoenix announces new on-demand transit service, more frequent RAPID buses

Both new services will launch in October, and are part of Phoenix's Project Effective Access Solutions for Easing Congestion.

September 15 - KJZZ

FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?

After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.

Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold

The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.