America 2050

Nine Midwestern governors and the premier of Manitoba, Canada met November 16 to sign a regional greenhouse gas reduction accord, which will create a multi-sector cap-and-trade program for greenhouse gases. This multi-state agreement joins similar efforts, such as the 10-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) in the Northeast and the 5-state Western Climate Initiative Partnership that includes California, New Mexico, Arizona, Oregon and Washington.



In the absence of national leadership, these large regions (in the Northeast and Midwest they correspond with the geography of the megaregions) have set their own goals for greenhouse gas emissions and are in the process of developing cap-and-trade programs. Does the multi-state or megaregion framework lend itself to climate change leadership? The governors may be motivated by the positive peer pressure of their neighboring states and a similar set of energy and climate conditions born by their proximity that allow for setting comparable targets. In any case, we are encouraged by the leadership and collaboration of these groups of governors and hope it will set a precedent for collaboration on other pressing issues.

Some of these governors also produced a commercial sponsored by Environmental Defense urging congress to take action on the Lieberman-Warner climate change bill. View the commercial on YouTube above.

Regional Plan Association, the CEO Council for Growth of Select Greater Philadelphia, the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, the Connecticut Technology Council, the Newark Regional Business Partnership and many other groups have established the Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility to develop and advance a long-term vision for mobility in the Northeast Corridor. The Alliance is working to secure multi-year funding authorization and appropriations for Amtrak in Congress to bring the NE Corridor to a state of good repair and build support for major transportation policy issues and funding issues of interest to the Northeast megaregion.

The Alliance has hosted four regional meetings since October to engage business organizations and individuals in the Alliance's goals and advocacy. The meetings were hosted by Select Greater Philadelphia in Philadelphia on October 12, the Connecticut Technology Council in New Haven on October 29, DMJM Harris in New York City on November 12, and the Boston Foundation on November 15.

In the coming months the Alliance is focusing its efforts on shaping Amtrak legislation in the House that will serve as the companion bill to the recently passed Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act in the Senate. 

Business Alliance Rail Policy Goals 101607.DOC

 

To join the Business Alliance's email list, email Petra@rpa.org

Photo: Boston; Karusel/flickr.com

 

The latest "Urbanist", a monthly news publication by San Francisco Planning & Urban Research (SPUR), discusses in length the concept of megaregion planning and the Northern California megaregion.  Specifically, the article examines the consequences of an emerging megaregion that is expected to add 10 million people by mid-century.  SPUR, a research and advocacy organization, suggests megaregion planning is critical to addressing some of the most pressing issues for northern California - "how should human settlement be arranged over the land? And what kind of infrastructure is necessary to support those land use patterns?"

The article provides several recommendations for the Northern California megaregion: 1) a northern California rail network to facilitate daily commutes and reduce pollution from driving; 2) protecting natural landscapes in the Central Valley; 3) promoting equity by creating "good jobs and affordable housing throughout the megaregion" and more.

 

Click here to access the report. 

For additional SPUR publications, click here.

The Works Progress Administration, created while President Franklin Roosevelt was in office, built 78,000 bridges and viaducts, and improved 46,000 more, all during the Great Depression.  The economic crisis called for a massive expansion of our infrastructure and more importantly, displayed vision, leadership, and commitment from federal government to bring the nation out of disrepair.  A recent New York Times opinion piece sheds light on current crises - deficient bridges and Atlanta's severe drought - that have many officials concerned about the future of the nation. The opinion piece suggests presidential candidates should be campaigning on these issues, and is urging our government to establish long-range public investments once again.   

 

New York Times opinion piece.pdf

The Journal of Planning Literature has recently published the article authored by Margaret Dewar and David Epstein.  To download the updated report, click on the link below.

 

Download the Paper. (pdf)

A new report by RPA warns that the future of the Northeast Megaregion is threatened by lagging job growth, rising housing costs, increasing air and road congestion, and threats to our environment and quality of life. The report recommends creating cross-border partnerships to address mobility, carbon emissions, sprawl and environmental protection. With the proper investments and concerted action, the Northeast Megaregion can turn its incredible concentration of people, skills and transportation infrastructure into strategic advantage in an era of climate change and oil uncertainty.

The report comes on the heels of a Senate vote last week to authorize nearly $2 billion a year for Amtrak service and capital investments, and reports that Amtrak ridership is up 6.3% nationally and nearly 20% on high speed lines in the Northeast. Next week, the New York region will focus on the bigger picture at the NYU Rudin Center's conference on "Thinking Bigger: New York and Transportation in the Northeast Megaregion." Meanwhile, RPA is partnering with the CEO Council for Growth, the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, the Connecticut Technology Council, the Boston Foundation, and many others, to convene regional meetings about the future of the Northeast Corridor as part of a new, Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility.

Download the Report
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