The idea has failed before, most recently in 2016, but the attempt at wooing Amazon has the idea of a regional approach to public transit back on the table in Detroit.
"A coalition of 23 metro Detroit CEOs representing most of the region's largest companies are making a public push to get political leaders to coalesce around a regional mass transit plan to put before voters in the November general election," reports Chad Livengood.
The latest germ of a regional transit plan had sprung from the city of Detroit's attempt to woo Amazon for the site of its second headquarters. Though Amazon passed on Detroit, the city's CEOs are calling for the regional transit to persist. The concept of a regional approach to transportation in Southeast Michigan most recently failed in the summer of 2016.
Though the letter did not endorse any specific plan, there is one already out there—a $5.4 billion, 20-year regional transit plan Wayne County Executive Warren Evan that would rely heavily on frequent buses and would develop a commuter rail line between Ann Arbor and Detroit.
The article includes more detail about the politics of regional plan, and how the CEO's letter could be used leverage in the debate about regional planning.
FULL STORY: CEOs push for vote on regional transit
Final Public Comment for Portland Area's $42 Billion Regional Transportation Plan
Oregon Metro's Regional Transportation Plan sets policy and project goals through 2040.
Underwhelming FasTracks Plan Inspires Transit History Lesson in Denver
FasTracks, one of the most ambitious long-term transit plans in the U.S., has been underway for over 15 years. With the finish line in sight, some locals wonder how useful the new hub-and-spoke system (regional routes connecting to downtown) will be.
Philadelphia Leaders Dream Big With New Transit Plan
The plan, which looks more than two decades into the future, seeks to modernize the city's transit system, address inequities, and improve regional connectivity.
The state-sanctioned urbicide of Austin
People don’t kill cities. Freeways do.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Eagle County Government
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
Nashville Planning Department
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello
Journal of the American Planning Association