Many communities owe their existence to the routing first, of the railroad, later, of the highway, and then of the interstate. Transportation is fundamental to land values and the way communities grow.
This week's guests are deeply involved in challenging old notions about transportation. Jeffrey Lubell is executive director of the Center for Housing Policy who argues that transportation costs should be considered in junction with housing costs to calculate the real cost of housing choices.
Diane Legge Kemp is designing transit facilities in and around Chicago to link them more intimately with the neighborhoods that surround them to encourage more people to take public transportation. Diane is principal and founder of DLK Design in Chicago.
Smart City is a syndicated, weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life: the people, places, ideas and trends that affect us all. Host Carol Coletta talks with national and international public policy experts, economists, business leaders, artists, developers, planners and others on the pulse of city life for a penetrating discussion on urban issues.
In Memphis, Smart City is broadcast on WKNO FM, 91.1, at 9 a.m. Sundays. It is also webcast and podcast at the Smart City website. Listen live on the Web Saturdays at 8 a.m central and Sundays at 9 a.m. and noon central. For a listing of times in other cities and to sign up for a weekly newsletter, please click here.
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4 comments:
"transportation costs should be considered in junction with housing costs to calculate the real cost of housing choices."
Interstates dont just serve the suburbanites. Without I-40 and I-55, do you think FedEx would be in Memphis? Even your article admitted this in the opening paragraph. So why does this blog persist in trying to assign the costs of interstates only to suburbanites?
FedEx would just be the first in a long series of companies running from Memphis if I-40 and I-55 were removed.
Yes, some people take advantage of the interstate to move their family further away from the crime of Memphis' thug mentality.
However, those same interstates provide life to Memphis through commerce. Memphis gains more than it loses with interstates - maybe it should be paying a larger share of the costs.
Actually, I-40 and I-55 had relatively little to do with FedEx locating here. It was Memphis International Airport that led to the company leaving Little Rock to move here, and nothing at all to do with the interstates. Actually, the costs of new interstates, as most research shows, is being driven by suburbanites. Why else would they be needed, for God's sake?
And we suspect that you didn't actually listen to the interview to learn why calculating the real cost of housing choices makes imminently good sense.
It's so masturbatory to turn all conversations into how bad Memphis is and how good the suburbs is. Let's talk about real issues, facts and trends, not just exorcise ourselves on our personal pet opinions.
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