Reducing car dependence could save $6.2 trillion (right); Rahway unveils new mural; DIY bus infrastructure; MA budget chief wants $1 billion for MBTA; BC’s oldest city gets new TOD (left top-to-bottom)
Article of the Week
Report: Confronting Car Dependence Won’t Just Help with Climate Change; It’s a $6.2 Trillion Opportunity
Kea Wilson, Streetsblog USA, October 30 2024
Policies reducing American auto-dependence could decarbonize the transportation sector and save $6.2 trillion more than by just focusing only on vehicle electrification, according to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists. The report states that a 27 percent reduction in vehicle miles traveled between 2035-2050 would save $201 billion in new energy infrastructure, $128 billion in health costs related to tailpipe emissions and vehicle crashes, and $5.9 trillion in car-related expenses like fuel, insurance, and payments. Titled “Freedom to Move,” the report envisions cities designed to allow Americans choice among diverse transit options, rather than reliance on driving.
NJ TOD News
RAHWAY—Rahway Unveils 1,500-Square-Foot Mural Celebrating Innovators with Ties to the City
Staff, N.J. Community News, October 29 2024
Rahway has unveiled a new 1,500 sq. ft. mural celebrating Nikola Tesla, Carl Sagan and Jeannette E. Brown, three innovative scientists with strong ties to the city. Created by DISTORT, the mural is located along the NJ TRANSIT train line, offering riders a captivating experience that highlights Rahway’s rich history. Representatives from NJ TRANSIT, the Rahway City Council, Merck Research Labs, and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority gathered to celebrate this new addition to Rahway’s Special Improvement District.
RED BANK—Facing New Housing Quota, Red Bank Eyes Adding Units to Complex
Brian Donohue, RedBankGreen, October 29 2024
Red Bank plans to meet its 154-unit quota mandated by the 4th round of Affordable Housing Obligations by redeveloping two aging publicly subsidized complexes. The 40-unit Montgomery Terrace complex, which opened in 1960, and the 50-unit Evergreen Terrace senior housing complex, completed a decade later, have long been identified as needing upgrades. Now, officials propose utilizing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) resources to help fund a 90-unit redevelopment, which will include converting the rent subsidized complexes to HUD’s voucher-based system.
BELMAR—Mixed-Use Condos Slated for Belmar’s Main Street
Gianna Mehes, Star News Group, October 24, 2024
The Belmar Planning Board has unanimously approved an application to construct a mixed-use condominium building in the Seaport Redevelopment Area. The development will include 585 sq. ft. of first-floor commercial space and four three-bedroom condominium units on the second and third floors. Located at 606 Main Street, the planned development will be within one-third mile of Belmar Station, which provides access to NJ TRANSIT’s North Jersey Coast Line. In 2023, the New Jersey Department of Transportation designated Belmar as a NJ Transit Village.
Transit and Equity News
NEW YORK—Midtown South Mixed-Use Plan to Use New Zoning Tools to Create Approximately 9,700 New Homes Across 42 Manhattan Blocks
Press Release, NYC Department of City Planning, October 31 2024
The NYC Department of City Planning released an updated Midtown South Mixed-Use (MSMX) plan, which takes advantage of the recent lifting of the State’s “FAR Cap” to facilitate the construction of 9,700 new housing units, including up to 2,800 permanently income-restricted affordable units. With Midtown South facing commercial vacancies and changing work patterns, the City has decided to transform the previously commercial-oriented area into a dynamic mixed-use, transit-rich neighborhood. Midtown South has access to transit at Penn Station, the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Herald Square, and Bryant Park, and the rezoning detailed in the plan would allow for the transit-oriented, affordable housing that the City needs to address its current affordability crisis.
No Bus Stop Seating? No Problem. (Actually, There Is Definitely a Problem.)
Asia Mieleszko, Strong Towns, October 29 2024
In response to inadequate bus station seating, riders nationwide have been gathering to construct and install low-cost benches to address gaps left by local transportation agencies. Inspired by their experiences waiting for buses without seating or shelter and similar efforts on social media, these guerrilla installations provide practical solutions for riders and send a message to local decision-makers. However, despite widespread approval, some towns have removed these benches due to red tape and bureaucratic guidelines. Activists are now seeking new tactics to circumvent these obstacles and continue enhancing public transit infrastructure.
To Fix Inclusionary Zoning, Fund It
Dan Bertolet, Sightline Institute, October 28 2024
According to Dan Bertolet, Senior Director of Sightline Institute’s Housing and Cities program, traditional inclusionary zoning methods can hinder new construction by reducing revenue from mandated affordable units. He proposes funded inclusionary zoning as a solution. Cities like Portland, Baltimore, and Shoreline, WA, have started implementing policies that fund inclusionary zoning through property tax exemptions for compliant new developments, achieving significant success. Transit-oriented development initiatives utilizing funded inclusionary zoning could maximize value capture while ensuring the creation of new affordable units.
A Look at the State of Affordable Housing in the U.S.
Drew Desilver, Pew Research Center, October 25 2024
With affordable housing as a key concern in the 2024 election cycle, the Pew Reseach Center examined the current state of housing affordability in the United States and found that many Americans struggle to afford a place to live. Using the metric that no more than 30 percent of household income should go to housing costs, over 31 percent of households are cost burdened, including 49.7 percent of renters. Significant factors contributing to unaffordability include rising interest rates, which began in 2022, and a lack of new construction. However, this trend may soon reverse as interest rates have started to decline, and 2023 saw a rapid increase in the construction of new multifamily housing.
Regional and National TOD News
MICHIGAN—New (and Old) Mixed-Use Building Breaks Ground on Broadway
Robin Runyan, Urbanize Detroit, October 28 2024
Construction began this week on the Rockmeyer Residences, an 80-unit mixed-use development that will offer 20 percent of its units to residents earning 60 percent of the area median income. Located near Detroit’s Broadway People Mover Station and featuring ground-floor retail, it is one of three major projects aimed at revitalizing the block. The $38 million project, funded by Independent Bank, the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, and the City of Detroit, and designed by Kraemer Design Group, is slated for completion by late 2025.
Dustin Batt | Wikimedia Commons
MISSOURI—Project Profile: How Adaptive Use Can Help Solve Affordable Housing Shortage, Environmental Issues
Joel Fuoss, Urban Land, October 25 2024
Adaptive reuse, especially in urban areas, offers an effective approach to addressing housing affordability and climate change. The Victor, a 384-unit mixed-use building located two blocks from the historic St. Louis Union Station as well as the present MetroLink Union Station, repurposes a 735,000 sq. ft. former warehouse distribution building constructed in 1906. This redevelopment created 384 new housing units, 25 percent of which are affordable, while preserving 23,988 short tons of embodied carbon from the original construction. Opened in 2023, the success of The Victor has prompted a new developer to begin reusing an adjacent historic building as a 50-unit mixed-use complex.
MASSACHUSETTS—Budget Chief Wants to Direct $1B toward MBTA, Transportation Improvements
Sam Drysdale, NBC Boston, October 24 2024
In Massachusetts, a four percent surtax on income over $1 million has generated over $1 billion in new revenue, and the state’s budget chief, Aaron Michlewitz, proposes investing it in transportation. This funding would help address the MBTA’s $700 million budget shortfall, which threatens to bankrupt the agency by early 2026 without additional revenue. Michlewitz emphasizes the benefits the MBTA provides for residents and local businesses, such as facilitating worker commutes and the movement of goods statewide. Previously, revenue from the surtax had been allocated between transportation and education.
International TOD News
CANADA—Transit-Oriented Developments Set to Usher in a New, New Westminster
Howard Chai, Storeys, October 31 2024
New Westminster, British Columbia’s oldest city, passed a Transit-Oriented Areas Amendment Act earlier this year and is already seeing promising results. While the city previously had many developments clustered around New Westminster and Columbia stations that could be considered TOD, a new surge of projects has been recently planned or proposed. The largest project to date is the Columbia Square redevelopment, set to transform an open-air market into a mixed-use community featuring eight towers with 3,800 residential units, commercial space, public space, and a new school. Additional projects are a redevelopment of a former hotel, which will be replaced by two apartment buildings, and a development northeast of Columbia Station proposed to include 633-units, with over half designated as market rate or below market rate.
CANADA—How to Fix Canada’s Traffic Problem
Reece Martin, Maclean’s, October 29 2024
Without proper investment in public transportation and transit-oriented development, traffic in Canadian cities continues to worsen. TomTom, a digital mapping company, released a traffic index and ranked Toronto as having the worst congestion in North America, with Vancouver not far behind. Reece Martin, creator of RMTransit, a YouTube channel dedicated to public transit systems worldwide, suggests that Toronto and other Canadian cities could alleviate traffic by implementing congestion pricing. Case studies in London and Singapore demonstrate that congestion pricing reduces vehicles entering city centers, eases traffic congestion, and provides economic benefits like improved goods movement and a new revenue stream for the city.
Khadim Un Nabi Rao |Wikimedia Commons
PAKISTAN—The Unwalkable City of Karachi
Marvi Mazhar and Zahra Hirji, Asia News Network, October 28 2024
Karachi’s footpaths, vital to urban life and cultural and economic activity, suffer from neglect, poor maintenance, and motorization-focused planning that sidelines pedestrian and public transit facilities. More than just pathways, these footpaths act as bustling hubs filled with commuters, hawkers, and food carts. Yet, recent actions by city officials have either ignored necessary improvements or replaced footpaths in favor of car-centric urban renewal projects, disrupting the city’s social fabric. To cultivate a walkable Karachi, the city must address public transit shortages and adopt planning principles that prioritize complete streets over auto-centric designs.