• America 2050 Releases New Report: Where High-Speed Rail Works
Best
• Register Now for Texas Megaregion Forum Sep 24-25!
• Megaregions
and America's Economic Recovery
• Exciting Follow-Up to the Piedmont
Atlantic Megaregion Forum
Defining
the corridors in America that are most appropriate for high-speed rail service
is critical to the long-term success of America's high-speed rail program. A new
report by America 2050 offers one mechanism for assessing which potential
high-speed rail corridors will have the greatest ridership demand based on
population size, economic activity, transit connections, existing travel markets
and urban spatial form and density.
Download the full report. (PDF 3.2MB)
View an interactive map of America 2050's proposed phasing plan.
Register Now for Texas Triangle Megaregion Forum
Megaregions and MetroProsperity: Sustainable Economics for the Texas Triangle, the next in a series of America 2050 megaregion forums co-hosted with Houston Tomorrow, will be held September 24-25 at the Crystal Ballroom at the Rice Hotel in Houston, Texas. The Texas Triangle is one of the most dynamic urban regions in the US. More than 70% of all Texans live there. Its major centers - Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, and Fort Worth - are 5 of the 20 biggest cities in the nation. The emerging megaregion is a growing, economic powerhouse.
Will the infrastructure for food,
water, energy, and mobility keep pace with the high-speed growth? Will we be
able to conserve green infrastructure for ourselves and for future generations?
For the first time, leaders from the metro regions, big and small, that make up
the Texas Triangle will come together to work toward a shared vision for the
region's future. They will also seek common ground among regions in the Texas
Triangle on programs and policies to meet core infrastructure challenges. For
more information about the conference and to register, visit
the conference website.
Megaregions and America's
economic recovery
A new article appearing in the September issue of
The Urbanist by Petra Todorovich addresses the role of megaregions in a national
infrastructure plan and stresses the importance of regional cooperation around
issues such as high speed rail, large scale water infrastructure, and reviving
regional economies. The article argues that a national infrastructure strategy
that emanates solely from Washington would be deeply unpopular. However, one
that is built on collaboration between states and regions, and could identify
the needed investments for a more productive economy, healthy environment and
inclusive society, is critical to address the country's current and future
infrastructure needs. The article cites precedents, both historic and current,
of megaregion scale cooperation to address shared challenges and discusses how
this national infrastructure strategy could take shape at the federal level.
Click here to read the full article.
"Part of my passion is planning for the
future. If you wait to act, then you've waited too long." So said Charlotte
Mayor Pat McCrory about the importance of long-range planning. On Tuesday,
August 11, 2009 McCrory, Mayor Shirley Franklin of Atlanta and other mayors in
the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion met with utility executives, planning officials
and civic leaders in Charlotte, NC. Their goal: to engage in discussions on key
issues in the area, including growth management, environmental preservation,
social equity, infrastructure and economic competitiveness; and how to work
together toward solutions that are mutually beneficial. View
pictures from the PAM Summit and read news coverage here.
