Environmentalists and smart-growth advocates want transit officials to encourage transit-oriented developments, but suburban commuters want parking facilities and not much else.
The debate in Massachusetts has risen as commuter rail expansion necessitates new stations. "Pressure has intensified on the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority to consider not just moving passengers, but how its system influences development and choices people make on how to live...Concentrating development around train stations, of course, is an old idea; it was the basic founding principle for most cities and towns in Eastern Massachusetts. Today, the train station is a centerpiece of redevelopment, not only in older urban areas like Salem or Fall River but in suburban towns seeking to reduce reliance on the car."
Thanks to Christian Peralta
FULL STORY: Development debate focuses on local train stations

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