El Paso Stays the Course

Leak Binkovitz writes of the efforts of El Paso to improve walkability, bi-national connectivity, historic preservation, tourism, and air quality, through the implementation of its 2012 comprehensive plan, Plan El Paso. According to Binkovitz, Plan El Paso sets an ambitious target of creating an entirely new kind of city, built from models provided by the city's own past.

Big-ticket items in play in El Paso include a recently opened bus rapid transit line, plans for three additional BRT lines, and a streetcar line, currently under construction in the first of three phases. Plan El Paso "also includes the possibilities of light-rail, commuter rail and intercity rail projects, all of which would be part of transforming the city," writes Binkovitz.

In detailing Plan El Paso's components and the details of the transit projects proposed within, Binkovitz tells a much more positive story about the ambitions and accomplishments of Plan El Paso. Astute readers will recall, however, a much more critical take on Plan El Paso, written by Alana Samuels for The Atlantic in January 2016.