Petra Todorovich - America 2050 from Steven Skemp on Vimeo.

View America 2050 Director Petra Todorovich's recent presentation on the benefits of high-speed rail to regional economies and where high-speed rail works best. The presentation was given at the conference of the U.S. High-Speed Rail Association in Hollywood, California on June 17, 2010.

By Ethan Seltzer.
Cascadia, the megaregion located in the upper left corner of the United States and crossing the border into southwestern Canada, has long been known as a place of mountains, trees, and fish.  This association with the landscape has led us to propose viewing this megaregion not as a megalopolis in the making, but as an ecolopolis: networked metropolitan areas separated by working and wild landscapes.  It's a reflection of our brand, really of our aspirations, both at the local and state/provincial scales.

By Yoav Hagler. Reprinted from RPA's Spotlight on the Region.

My train pulled out of a shabby, non- descript rail terminal operating at capacity in a major world city. This particular train was designed for speeds of up to 140 miles per hour but regularly operates at only 125 mph. An hour and twenty minutes later, I arrived at my destination, a city of a couple of million people about 100 miles away. The railroad right-of-way recently underwent a major upgrade, including electrification and a new signaling system.

Sound familiar? Have you traveled between London and Birmingham on a Virgin Pendolino train recently too? Surprised I wasn't describing my recent trip to Philadelphia out of Penn station? There are great similarities. England is far away from the Northeast and its rail challenges, but the experience and choices made across the water have lessons for us.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made waves last week with a speech he gave at the National Bike Summit in which he declared a new policy that will "treat walking and bicycling as equals with other transportation modes."

America 2050 Director Petra Todorovich hailed the announcement as a "win-win-win-win." You can read her commentary on the National Journal Transportation Blog here.

The National Journal Transportation Experts Blog moderator Lisa Caruso asked this week, "Is Obama Spending the High-Speed Rail Money Wisely? Read America 2050 Director Petra Todorovich's response here, along with other responses from a panel of transportation policy analysts and professionals. 

America 2050 hailed this week's high-speed rail announcement as the first step toward a sustained federal commitment to build a national high-speed rail network. But the skeptics at Fox Business had another take. Watch the clip.

Throughout history, our nation's leaders have made ambitious investments in America's infrastructure. The Eerie Canal, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Interstate Highway System are examples of ambitious, far-reaching visions that transformed America and fueled economic growth. These plans were implemented by the government and the private sector working together. Without them, our country would not have enjoyed the unrivaled prosperity, mobility, and opportunity that made us the envy of the world.

America 2050 Director Petra Todorovich discusses how the New York region may fare in a jobs bill being considered by President Obama and Congress and the importance of fully funding the New York MTA's five-year capital plan.