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Show Make communities more walkable and livable; Provide meaningful transit options; Connect all residents with job opportunities; Mitigate growing congestion and maintain reasonable mobility on the highway system; and, Encourage land use and transportation planning. Such a community consensus provides a powerful "subjective rationale" regarding the vision of the region, its urban and environmental sensibilities in support of big initiatives that help achieve the stated consensus goals. The plausibility of big initiatives is certainly increased by the recent Luther Forest Technology Campus actions, the catalytic effect of ongoing investment by Metroplex in Schenectady and the commitment of state funding for a convention center in Albany. If over one billion dollars of public incentives in Malta alone is able to leverage many times that amount in private investment, the public is able to see the potential gain from major public investments - such as transit systems or riverfront development, technology or urban revitalization. Community values and broad consensus are evident not only through the discussions of the various community leaders but also through the public surveys. In the recent Siena survey, 83% of Capital District respondents favored the use of public funds to create parkland and protect farmland; 64% supported greater funding for sidewalks, bike lanes, paths and crosswalks over building new highways; and 68% supported greater funding for trains, buses and light rail over building new highways. Such a community consensus is also evident through the products of recent Linkage planning studies and through the local response to transportation project solicitation. In short, the temperament of the Capital District is one that is receptive to "green" concepts; more interested in preservation and restoration than large-scale new development; and quite appreciative of local heritage and quality of the environment. Under any growth scenario, the benefits of concentrated development patterns are significant for the transportation system and for regional quality of life. The New Visions Plan supports and encourages concentrated development in the Capital District. Yet, there is much uncertainty in forecasting and there are many market forces that continue to encourage low density sprawl development patterns, and in many cases a planning framework that is not empowered to achieve the kinds of quality communities and urban reinvestment called for in the New Visions Plan. The urgency for coordinated, high quality planning is even greater under a scenario of high growth. This urgency will be necessary because the impacts of a high growth scenario with dispersed development patterns would threaten to make the region's quality of life unsustainable. The opportunities for big ticket initiatives and for the Capital District to achieve the many attractive attributes of a quality region are greater under the high growth scenarios. Achieving the benefits of the concentrated development scenarios will require continued strong public support and much concerted regional and community leadership. The opportunities presented by the big ticket initiatives will also require proactive leadership and determination, as well as development of the prerequisite conditions discussed in this paper. Additional public dialogue is warranted and will be pursued to review and confirm or modify the findings of CDTC's review of "big idea" and "big ticket" transportation initiatives and the vision for a quality region. 1/7/2010 Effects of Alternative Development Sc… cdtcmpo.org/policy/june07/wa-doc.htm 59/60 |
