Regional plan shows way to future

It’s no secret that the long-term success of the Greater New York Area is going to require vision, physical and cultural change, particularly in the realm of transportation.

We are clogged. In our world, it is to New York City, a la Rome, that all roads lead. And as a newly released report rightly declares: “Transportation is the backbone of the region’s economy.”

And whatever the road — be it of rails or asphalt — we have to figure out how to make it more efficient.

The stultifying volume and pace of progress on the asphalt roads in particular, already discourages growth and new jobs and will drag them to a halt if we don’t change prospects for the future. Improved mass transit and a dedication of sites for housing along rail lines are just two keys to reducing the number of cars on the road.

The Regional Plan Association, the nonprofit research and planning agency for the Greater New York Area, this week released its Fourth Regional Plan, a sweeping 400page report that considers and makes recommendations on topics as critical — and diverse — as reducing reliance on local property taxes, creating regional school districts, rebuilding the New York City subway system, re-engineering mass transit and concentrating housing along public transit lines, and mitigating the effects of extreme weather, like a Hurricane Sandy, among a score of other suggestions.

“Solving such daunting problems will require public officials and citizens to reassess fundamental assumptions about public institutions,” the report notes.

From five years of interviews, research and analysis, the authors came away with many facts, impressions and conclusions. Among them was this: “We learned that despite the flourishing economy, future growth is far from guaranteed. The region gained 1.8 million jobs over the past 25 years, but is likely to grow by only half that number over next quarter century. And the growth we’ve experienced has failed to lift the standard of living for far too many households.”

Other metropolitan areas around the world, according to the report, are taking on the issues of infrastructure improvement and visionary action.

Yet we’ve been slow to make the tough decisions, the report aptly noted.

“Transit-oriented development” is one of the keys to the future. Building affordable housing along rail lines, particularly in some of the vast parking lots, will eventually unclog the roads and open opportunity for residents of all incomes.

But rigid land-use and building regulations, and zoning laws stifle that possibility, according to the report.

At 400 pages, the report is a behemoth and there is plenty of room for debate and dissension. But the essence of this monumental project is indisputable. We are slowly choking ourselves and prospects for the future if we stick with business as usual.

For an ambitious adjustment of course, these RPA proposals make a compelling case.

Take a few minutes to read at least the executive summarty at http://fourthplan.org/about/executive-summary.