LaHood to Detroit: Don't Worry About High-Speed Rail

Speaking to the Detroit Economic Club recently, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood addressed high-speed rail, Detroit's bus crisis, and the economic future of the area.

1 minute read

October 16, 2009, 8:00 AM PDT

By Alek Miller


"'Michigan's economic picture has begun to brighten a bit,' he told the audience of 225 people. 'The pace of job losses has slowed, efforts to stabilize many low-income neighborhoods are under way, and new home-building permits are in the rise in the southeastern part of the state.'

LaHood also referenced the proposed Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, an effort by Michigan and Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa and Minnesota to develop a high-speed rail network that would include a Detroit-to-Chicago link as one of is primary elements.

'(High-speed rail) is another choice for Americans,' he told the audience of 225 people. 'High speed rail is not competition for cars.'"

Tuesday, October 13, 2009 in Crain's Detroit Business

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

Nithya Ramen talks to an older man. She is smiling and wearing a yellow dress. They are both outside.

Los Angeles just elected an urban planner as its mayor

Transportation analysts are optimistic that Raman will be more aggressive in addressing transit issues than Bass.

30 minutes ago - Los Angeles Times

Mamdani behind a microphone, in front of a snowbank

Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax survives legal challenge

A panel of judges found that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate injury as a result of New York City's implementation of the tax.

November 6 - CNN

A road in north eastern Nebraska with power lines on either side, and grassy fields.

Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity

Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.

November 6 - Grist

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.