If local officials don't come together with a workable plan, Detroit may just blow its last chance to implement a regional transportation system.
"Detours and dead ends have blocked the road to mass transit in southeast Michigan for decades. I thought about listing our history of transit troubles in this column, but you've heard it all before. Besides, there's not enough Prozac in the world to get me through it.
We need a success to build on -- desperately -- or resign ourselves to second-class status while watching our federal tax dollars go to new transit systems in regions like Denver, or even Grand Rapids, that have their acts together.
John Hertel, the new CEO of the Regional Transit Coordinating Council, hopes to do what no one else has done: Develop a transportation plan that all of southeast Michigan will get behind. For now, he and his deputy, John Swatosh, are publicly saying little and listening a lot.
So far, Hertel has met with the leaders of 50 of the 132 cities, villages and townships in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb Counties. He plans to meet most of the rest by year's end, when a consultant hired by Hertel's group will recommend a transportation plan, including how to pay for the system. My guess is that it will be a combination of light rail, bus rapid transit and basic bus service, funded by a regional sales tax."
Thanks to Jeff Wood
FULL STORY: Region needs a first-step success on transit
East Link Light Rail Plans Provoke Controversy in Seattle Suburb
A proposal to link local and regional buses with the East Link light rail expansion in Mercer Island, already under construction, threatens to boil over into the courtroom.
Two Studies Show How Light Rail Benefits Houston
Finally, the city seems to be reaping benefits from a major investment in public transportation.
Riverview Corridor Streetcar Passes Major Hurdle, Still a Long Way Off in the Twin Cities
An oversight committee has approved the Locally Preferred Alternative for the Review Corridor Streetcar project that will connect Downtown St. Paul to the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
Planning for Accessibility: Proximity is More Important than Mobility
Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
World's Largest Wildlife Overpass In the Works in Los Angeles County
Caltrans will soon close half of the 101 Freeway in order to continue construction of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing near Agoura Hills in Los Angeles County.
Eviction Looms for Low-Income Tenants as Rent Debt Rises
Nonprofit housing operators across the country face almost $10 billion in rent debt.
Brightline West Breaks Ground
The high-speed rail line will link Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area.
Colorado Bans No-Fault Evictions
In most cases, landlords must provide a just cause for evicting tenants.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
