'10 Ideas that are changing the world'

Reconnecting America CEO Shelley Poticha was quoted in Time magazine's March 23 cover story on "10 ideas that are changing the world." The story noted that the global economy is being remade before our eyes, and that an increasing number of people are focusing on how to make better use of existing infrastructure - including the 47,000 miles of highways that make up this country's interstate highway network. The interstate is extremely important because the right of way has been developed over centuries at great cost, it's strategically located, and it's available for use without having to purchase more land. But instead of just enabling more driving, fossil-fuel consumption and suburban development, the interstate's right of way could become "the backbone of a larger network of railways, broadband cables and even a new, more efficient electrical power grid," Time reporter Richard Lacoya wrote. "Envision a system in which you drive to a light-rail station along the interstate, plug into a smart grid at the parking lot and ride the train to work while your car recharges." Reconnecting America CEO Shelley Poticha noted that many people are re-envisioning the use of our highways, passenger rail and goods movement networks, and that making these ideas work will require an unusual degree of coordination among states, regions and regulatory bodies. She said she thinks the solution is a bipartisan federal commission "like the commission that oversaw military-base closings, so that we can have a strategy for the highways." Reconnecting America, a national nonprofit organization, is co-chairing a national campaign to rethink federal transportation policy, which has barely changed since the interstate highway system was built in the early 1950s. The campaign, which includes 225 organizations ranging from the National Association of Realtors to AARP (the American Association of Retired People), believes that federal transportation policy should be updated to reflect 21st century concerns about climate change, economic and energy security, global competitiveness, health, and affordability. Reconnecting America is a national nonprofit organization that is working to integrate transportation systems and the communities they serve, with the goal of generating lasting public and private returns, improving economic and environmental efficiency, and giving consumers more housing and mobility choices. Reconnecting America is based in Oakland, California. For more information, contact Jeff Wood at 510-268-8602, or Gloria Ohland at 323-222-5508.

• Time cover story "10 Ideas That Are Changing The World"