(New York, NY) Regional Plan Association supports the Port Authority's new efforts to break the deadlock with Silverstein Properties, Inc. over the construction of the World Trade Center site. RPA urges all parties to bring these protracted negotiations to a swift and successful conclusion. At the heart of the issue is whether the Port Authority should back financing for two of Silverstein Properties' planned commercial towers, rather than the one tower the Port Authority has already agreed to help finance.

The City of Bridgeport and Bridgeport Regional Business Council today celebrate the release of BGreen 2020, a Sustainability Plan that outlines the policies and actions to be implemented in the next decade to improve the quality of life, social equity, and economic competitiveness of the city while reducing carbon emissions and increasing the community's resilience to the effects of climate change and increasing energy costs. The program management team, led by Regional Plan Association, convened the efforts of more than a hundred stakeholders in a Community Advisory Committee and working groups to develop strategies to address brownfields and land use, pedestrian and transit access, renewable energy production, and environmental protection while supporting the growth of green jobs in the region.

Mayor Bloomberg today announced members of the upcoming Charter Revision Commission, which will include RPA Center for Urban Innovation associate director Hope Cohen.  Hope's extensive experience as both an analyst and activist on New York City development issues will bring unusual expertise and energy to the commission.  The Commission was given responsibility to "review the entire City Charter and propose to City voters any possible amendments that would improve it." Dr. Matthew Goldstein, current CUNY Chancellor, will chair the effort. For more details on the announcement, visit NYC.gov.

(New York, NY) RPA has released maps by county of the most recent round of MTA subway, bus and commuter rail service cuts. The cuts are part of a larger set of gap-closing actions, including reduction in Paratransit service, elimination of student Metrocards, worker layoffs and salary reductions, which the MTA is undertaking to close an estimated $750 m operating shortfall brought on by state cuts and loss in revenue.

The maps show cuts by State Senate and Assembly district. RPA and the Empire State Transportation Alliance are urging the state and city to address the MTA's operating budget shortfalls as well as fund an estimated $10 billion gap in the upcoming 2010 - 2014 rebuilding and repair program.

The maps are released as the MTA begins a series of public hearings around the region to gather public input on the proposed service reductions.

A Monmouth University Poll released today finds that 95 percent of New Jersey residents think it is important to pay to maintain and improve the NJ transportation system, yet almost half of NJ residents don't know the Transportation Trust Fund - the primary source of money paying for road, bridge and transit repairs - is going broke.

Read the Press Release and Poll Results

Recently released housing data compiled by HUD shows the differing housing needs challenges faced by Connecticut households. While many of the state's households face high housing costs, small non-family households pay the highest share of their income towards housing, especially in communities closest to jobs and transit.

Regional Plan Association and Brooklyn Greenway initiative are pleased to issue this request for qualifications for design development services for the Naval Hospital Cemetery Memorial Landscape at Brooklyn Navy Yard. Responses to this Request for Qualifications must be received by Brooklyn Greenway Initiative by 4:00 PM Friday March 12th, 2010. Notice of Intent to Respond, by email (to mpuryear@brooklyngreenway.org) must be received by March 1st, 2010 in order to receive any addenda to this RFQ.

Regional Plan Association applauds the decision by the Mayor's office and New York City Department of Transportation to make permanent a pilot pedestrian project along Broadway at Times and Herald Squares. "Times and Herald Squares have been iconic public spaces of New York for over a century but in reality they have never lived up to the glitz," said Bob Yaro, president, Regional Plan Association. "To many, the areas have been auto-oriented traffic jams that worked neither for pedestrians or drivers. The decision to permanently reclaim part of the pavement for safer streets and more free-flowing traffic is an idea RPA has been pushing for over forty years. This move should be embraced by New Yorker's and tourists alike."

Amidst ever growing deficits facing the New York region's transit system, Empire State Transportation Alliance members descended on Albany Monday to raise concerns over major shortfalls in transit funding. The group released a letter, met with key legislators and staff members and testified at the Transportation Executive Budget hearing. 

Read now:
News Release (click through for HTML version) 
Letter from ESTA
Testimony by Kevin Corbett

Sometime in the not too distant future, John wakes up in suburban Chicago on a Saturday morning and heads to a White Sox game...in Detroit. Join him on a 300 mile journey to Detroit's Comerica Park as he experiences the transportation options of the future: a neighborhood electric car share program, smart phone ticketing, high-speed rail, and connecting light rail. This clip is brought to you by America 2050 as part of its "A Better Tomorrow" project to visualize America's future communities and transportation systems.

Head on over to America 2050 for more on our national initiative to meet the infrastructure, economic development and environmental challenges of the nation as we prepare to add about 130 million additional Americans by the year 2050. 

Transit for Connecticut, a 30-member transportation advocacy coalition, has released a new report by RPA outlining steps to expand bus service. Missing Links- Prioritized Bus Service Expansion Plan proposes thirteen new routes where transit service could best replace vehicle travel. The study analyzed trip data from the Connecticut Department of Transportation that shows that adding these routes could replace up to 64,000 car trips. Karen Burnaska, Coordinator for Transit for Connecticut, believes that the new routes are "part of the solution for highway gridlock and pollution, and a way to not only improve our overall quality of life, but also make the state's transit network viable for the long term."

Download the Report (PDF 1.6MB)

Regional Plan Association applauds the arbitration ruling between the Port Authority and Silverstein Properties, Inc., (SPI), which settles the dispute firmly in the public's favor. While SPI's stated purpose for seeking arbitration was to force penalties and reduced rent from the Port Authority, the real goal was to force the Port Authority to finance a private development plan. RPA has long maintained that public funds should be dedicated to building public spaces and improving infrastructure, while commercial development should be financed and paced by the private sector. Both sides should now quickly reach agreement on a construction schedule and move ahead. Silverstein should now commit the financial resources and identify a feasible development program, while the Port Authority should focus on building the 9/11 memorial, PATH terminal, and public spaces.