The Southside neighborhood, a 10-acre revitalization project, is one of Greensboro’s first significant mixed-use, infill projects.Key to its success was transforming Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard—which previously cut the neighborhood in half—into a pedestrian friendly “grand urban boulevard” that knits the community together.The project also includes a centralized neighborhood park, 30 single-family homes, 10 two-family homes, 50 townhouses, 10 restored historic homes, and 20 live/work units.Demonstrating this project’s success, tax revenues generated by the neighborhood grew from the predevelopment average of $400,000 to over $10 million.The project also won the EPA’s 2004 Built Projects Smart Growth Achievement Award.
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Albuquerque’s transportation authority, known locally as ABQ RIDE, has recently introduced Rapid Ride buses to the city. With three new lines, the Rapid Ride system connects neighborhoods of the city that previously were not serviced by public transportation.In addition to being powered by a diesel electric hybrid engine that has an extremely low level of emissions, Rapid Ride buses also provide passengers with free wireless internet access. ABQ RIDE is also considering a Bus Rapid Transit plan for the city that is now under public review.
Robert Hickey, Jeffrey Lubell, Peter Haas and Stephanie Morse
The Center for Housing Policy and the Center for Neighborhood Technology’s new report by Robert Hickey and Jeffrey Lubell measures how combined housing and transportation costs burden moderate-income households.Looking at the 25 largest metro areas in the United States and using newly available data, the report finds that the problem has not only gotten worse in the last decade but also that moderate-income households are disproportionately saddled by these heavier costs. Notably, transportation costs vary greatly and influence the overall affordability of metro areas significantly. Moderate-income homeowners also carry heavier cost burden than renters. The report offers policy implications of these trends and highlight promising approaches available to local and state governments that help make the combined costs of place more manageable for moderate-income.
The Jacksonville Transportation Authority was founded in 1971 and is an independent state agency. The Kings Avenue Station, which broke ground in 2008, is the first planned transit-oriented development project in Jacksonville. The $60 million development plans to include two 8-story hotels and mixed-use developments that will feature residential, retail, and restaurants. The area is expected to have an urban design within two walkable city blocks. Other transit-oriented development project sites in the pipeline, include the Bay Street Station, Laura Street, and 200 Riverside. The agency held $649 million in assets and generated revenue of $126 million in 2010.
In this report, Reconnecting America focuses on creating complete communities – places where people can live, work, move, and thrive in a healthier, more equitable, and more economically competitive way — and identifies opportunity areas — the places within our cities and regions where we can get a jump-start on this vision.Rating all 366 U.S. Metropolitan Statistical Areas based on indicators in four categories: Living, Working, Moving and Thriving, the authors offer examples of successful policies and strategies for “completing” communities — from zoning changes and suburban retrofits to community benefits agreements.
The Transit 2020 Coalition is a direct result of the 2007 Growing Smart with Transit report, which promotes the development of a robust transit system for the Greater Providence Metropolitan Area and advocates for policy that supports transit-oriented development. The coalition proposes a transit system that provides easy links between modes, develops pedestrian and bike roots, as well as a unified fare system with high priority that would connect Providence with greater Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Northeastern public transportation systems. Read more about Transit 2020...
The Urban Land Institute is a nonprofit research and education association. Founded in 1936, the institute now has more than 40,000 members worldwide representing the entire spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines. In recent years, ULI has published a number of studies on implementing transit-oriented principles in development. Read more about Urban Land Institute...
The Surface Transportation Policy Project is a nonprofit organization that leads a diverse, nationwide coalition working to ensure safer communities and smarter transportation choices that enhance the economy, improve public health, promote social equity, and protect the environment. Read more about Surface Transportation Policy Project...
Reconnecting America is a nonprofit organization that focuses on reinventing the planning and delivery system for building regions and communities around transit and walking rather than solely around the automobile. Read more about Reconnecting America...
Congress for the New Urbanism is a Chicago-based non-profit organization founded in 1993. The group works with architects, developers, planners, and others involved in the creation of cities and towns, providing technical assistance to implement new urbanism principles, such as regional planning and walkable neighborhoods, within a framework that supports mixed-use (commercial-residential) and transit-oriented development. Read more about Congress for the New Urbanism...
The Center for Transportation Excellence (CFTE) is an advocacy group that aims to: (1) defend the merits of transit and (2) equip local leaders with the information they need to be successful with their public transportation initiatives and ballot measures. Read more about Center for Transportation Excellence...
