Blame Portland. Before Oregon's biggest city had the gall to spend its own money constructing a streetcar line running through downtown, few were particularly interested in bringing back what was considered, for better or worse, an antiquated mode of transportation....
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This issue of Community Investments explores the growing practice of transit-oriented development (TOD) and its implications for community development. The articles provide an introduction to basic TOD concepts and also explore issues such as how transit affects economic opportunities for LMI workers and the interrelationship between transit and schools...
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Will Wilkinson smartly observes that whether or not you favor homeownership subsidies they're as American as apple pie and this reality undercuts the notion that there's some inherent opposition to public sector activity in the American psyche... Read On

JUST WHEN it's becoming clear that the state's demand for more "affordable housing" needed to be revamped, the rigid hand of a regional bureaucracy rises again, this time in Novato. That city is facing a laundry list of new developments propelled by mandates from the Association of Bay Area Governments that each municipality build more housing. A systematic examination demonstrates that ABAG's command-control model has outlived its usefulness... Read On

A revolt is building against what some public officials mistakenly consider high-speed rail.  You can't blame anybody who has experienced riding aboard bullet trains for being completely unimpressed by the current goal to have passenger trains traverse the Midwest at top speeds of 110 mph, up from 79 mph on Amtrak today...Read On

"The projects' much lower density and townhome configuration could potentially create a constituency that may make it difficult to build out the Dublin Transit Center as (originally designed).".. Read On

This issue of Community Investments explores the growing practice of transit-oriented development (TOD) and its implications for community development. The articles provide an introduction to basic TOD concepts and also explore issues such as how transit affects economic opportunities for LMI workers and the interrelationship between transit and schools. We also examine equity issues in TOD and transit funding, and highlight models for protecting the interests of LMI communities affected by TOD...
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A decade ago, the Pearl District in Portland, Ore., was a dicey warehouse area. A streetcar line that opened in 2001 helped transform it into a lively neighborhood with boutiques, condos and restaurants...
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