How Can Light Rail Transform a City?
In a recent article in High Country News, Jonathan Thompson wrote about how the rail build out in metro Denver catalyzed development and growth. Can light rail transform other cities into vibrant and economically bustling places?
The article, Transportation Transformation, compares Denver and Phoenix and how these cities in the West are funding and building infrastructure necessary for economic development, job creation and new housing choices. Transit oriented development is only one way Denver is recovering from the recession, with Union Station as the largest redevelopment that includes hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space and more than 3,000 new residential housing units.
ULC Board Member, Tom Gougeon is quoted in the article noting the importance of Denver’s new transit hub, ” In the 1980’s, the world ended in Union Station. Now it’s the epicenter of the region.”
With 3 new rail lines opening in 2016, Union Station will only grow as an important transportation hub for metro Denver. It is important that transit oriented communities are developed along these rail corridors that can provide opportunities for all residents in the region including housing, jobs, health and education.