Regional Plan Association seeks a GIS Specialist to work in our New York office. Our research, advocacy and planning projects cover regional and national issues including sustainability, open space and ecosystems, transportation, economic development and governance. To support that work, we're looking for a capable professional with the skills and flexibility to provide raw data, thorough analysis and high-quality mapping.
What is the Federal commitment to rail service in the Northeast Corridor? How can we overcome the barriers to funding for intercity rail in the Northeast? When can we expect major funding to begin to flow to the corridor for true high speed rail?These are the types of questions that the Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility would like addressed in a Congressional hearing this fall. The Business Alliance recently sent a letter requesting such a hearing to Chairman Oberstar (D-MN) and Ranking Member Mica (R-FL) of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.
A hearing on rail service in the Northeast Corridor would produce a constructive dialogue between federal lawmakers, the business community, and other stakeholders along the corridor, about ways to overcome barriers to funding an implementing true high speed rail in the northeast.
A collection of maps produced by RPA illustrates the variation in commuting patterns across Connecticut. The maps show the home locations of commuters to Connecticut's largest employment centers. In the case of Hartford, Connecticut's largest center of employment, workers come from all directions, with the heaviest concentration of workers living west and south of Hartford. In contrast, Greenwich's workforce lives primarily within the towns of Greenwich and Stamford along the heavily populated I-95 corridor.
A new groundbreaking study released today by Regional Plan Association shows how the Access to the Region's Core project (ARC), the new trans-Hudson passenger rail tunnel being built by NJ TRANSIT and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, will significantly increase New Jersey and New York home values near train stations on the NJ TRANSIT system and MetroNorth's Port Jervis and Pascack Valley lines by $19,000 on average if homes are within two miles of train stations and by $29,000 for homes within walking distance. Cumulatively, this increase in home value will be an astonishing $18 billion, creating a higher tax base and relieving pressure to increase tax rates in communities across New Jersey and New York. The report also shows that, because ARC shortens commuting times, the number of people who live west of the Hudson River within a reasonable (50-minute) commute of Midtown Manhattan will double when ARC is completed, expanding the workforce for New York City's highest-value businesses.
The City Planning Commission held a hearing on Wednesday, July 14th on a proposal to clearly define car sharing in the City's Zoning Resolution. RPA supports the amendment as a step that would help improve the efficiency of automobile use and parking space, help reduce carbon emissions and acknowledge a service on which many New Yorkers increasingly rely.
Regional Plan Association is pleased to announce the formation of the Better Airports Alliance - a coalition of business, civic, labor and environmental organizations committed to restoring, maintaining and expanding New York Metro region airports. The Alliance aims to build a consensus for major improvements to JFK, Newark Liberty and LaGuardia airports, which rank as the country's most congested airports.
Regional Plan Association executive director Tom Wright testified at hearing on the Access to the Region's Core project and use of eminent domain, expressing support for the project. Once opened, ARC will double commuter rail capacity into the region, provide better access to higher paying jobs and be an economic boon to the region improving New York businesses access to the New Jersey labor pool.
Click through for full testimony.
The Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility sent a letter to Secretary LaHood in support of the Northeast Corridor Multi-Modal High Speed Rail Improvement Plan.
This proposal, submitted to the FRA on behalf of eleven northeastern states and Amtrak, seeks federal funding for an $18.8 million four-phased planning study. The study will explore investments needed to meet travel demand in the Northeast Corridor, including both incremental improvements and investments in dedicated tracks for true high-speed service.
The Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility strongly supports this proposal, which represents an historic collaboration among 11 states and Amtrak to plan for the future of the nation's most congested intercity and commuter rail corridor.
Read the full letter here.
The Federal Railroad Administration is currently preparing a long term national rail plan due to congress this October. As part of this process they are accepting comments in the Preliminary Rail Plan published last year.
Such a plan is needed to establish U.S. policy for passenger and freight rail investment and provide clarity to states and regions about the federal government's role in passenger and freight rail investment.
Read America 2050's full comments on the preliminary rail plan and recommendations on the long range national rail plan.
Last month, eleven northeastern states and Amtrak submitted a planning proposal to the Federal Railroad Administration. The proposal seeks federal funding for an $18.8 million four-phased planning study.
The study will explore investments needed to meet travel demand in the Northeast Corridor, including both incremental improvements and investments in dedicated tracks for true high-speed service. This proposal, the result of collaboration among 11 states and Amtrak to plan for the future of the nation's most congested intercity and commuter rail corridor, represents an historic collaboration and a necessary step to bring the Northeast's rail infrastructure into the 21st century.
The proposal strikes a needed balance between short term necessity and ambitious long term planning, and is worthy of support by anyone who cares about rail service in the Northeast. A decision by the FRA about whether to fund this three-year planning process is expect by the middle of July.
The complete proposal can be found here: www.njtransit.com/highspeedNEC
Through our work with the Business Alliance for Northeast Mobility, Regional Plan Association has been supporting planning efforts in the Northeast Corridor.
Amtrak and the Northeastern states are about to embark on a new round of ambitious planning for upgraded rail service in the corridor. This PowerPoint presentation provides context for this process with a brief history of planning efforts on the corridor over the past four decades and a snapshot of where the corridor is today.
It can be downloaded and used a resource by Business Alliance members or other interested parties.
Video footage and workshop presentations are now available from the first-ever "Municipal Summit on Climate Action" held at Yale University on March 13, 2010.
Annual Report 2009
Download (PDF 2.3MB)
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