Op-Ed: Denver: Make transit-oriented living possible for everyone

The Denver region has an unprecedented opportunity to lead the country in shaping a more sustainable, livable and affordable metropolis. The public elected to invest over $6 billion into one of the largest rapid transit systems in the country, including 122 miles of light rail and 18 miles of bus rapid transit (1). The return on this investment will be measured not just by how many riders the system attracts, but by the social and economic backgrounds of those riders. Public transit cannot become luxury good only available to those who can afford to live near it. We need to demand smart and aggressive public policy to ensure housing around transit stations remains affordable to a wide range of people. Otherwise, we will continue to compound the inequities that stifle the social mobility of so many of our citizens.

Op-ed: Land Use and Transportation planning should be integrated

What has shaped our built environment? Is it the land use planning or is it the transportation planning? I argue that both of them are critical to our built environment yet in most cases the planning and decision making processes are usually separate and there are times the two groups don’t even talk to each other to put plans together.

A Utah Transit Authority Front Runner Train leaves the South Jordan  Station on its way to Downtown Salt Lake City and Ogden. The area around the station is not designed to be pedestrian or transit friendly in anyway shape or form. 

In March, my neighborhood had its meeting and one of the speakers during the meeting was from the Portland Department of Transportation who was talking about the Barbur Transportation and the Barbur Concept plans that are in the process of being studied and approved. However, the most interesting statement he made, or actually should I say the most disturbing statement that this person made during the meeting was that the transportation planners and the land use planners don’ t often talk. Seriously?