BALTIMORE (Business Wire) -- What do the economic crisis, the environment, extreme commutes, fluctuating fuel costs and Gen-Y/Millennial influence have in common? They are all central to President-Elect Obama's 2009 – 2012 agenda. Now, as we prepare for the first urban Presidency in decades, there are major changes afoot in urban planning and infrastructure. Urban planner Douglas McCoach, Vice President of Planning and Urban Design at RTKL, one of the largest design, planning and architecture firms in the world, and himself a former Big City Planning Director, says US towns, metropolitan areas and “edge cities” can expect to see major changes over the next four years. Among them:
Urban President, Suburban Gain. Barack Obama is the first truly urban president that this country has sent to the White House since John F. Kennedy came to Washington from Boston. As such, some people may assume that Obama's infrastructure plan will mostly benefit the largest cities. On the contrary, suburbs and small towns may have the most to gain. While big cities will see some revival, it is really the perimeter suburban and ex-urban areas surrounding America's large cities that stand to gain the most from new infrastructure funding. Tired of long commutes and keen on sustainability and community, suburban citizens have already expressed interest in transforming their areas into densified microcities by building town squares and mixed-use spaces and incorporating public transportation. Obama's support of community and connectivity offers a great opportunity for these microcities to evolve more rapidly across the country.
Transformation through Transit. Over the last few decades, U.S. commuters have shunned rail in favor of superhighways. As a result, America's infrastructure includes a vast network of abandoned rail rights-of-way that offer the potential to regionally reconnect cities and suburbs. Today, there is growing momentum around putting more resources and focus into the transit oriented design (TOD) principles that are the backbone of our evolving smaller cities and suburban or small town downtowns. By developing areas around rail systems, trolleys, subways and more, our downtown areas become more livable, walkable, sustainable and community oriented. The infrastructure plan should explore the necessary funding to revive rail transit and consider other forms of public transportation that are better suited towards today's needs.
Clean Up the Old, Bring in the New. Cities across the country are recognizing the untapped potential of redeveloped brownfield sites. The U.S. has hundreds of former industrial sites and buildings that are now obsolete, contaminated and/or grossly inefficient, and many of these are in premier waterfront locations—prime areas of re-development. It is important to consider cleaning up and re-using these sites and structures—from the ground up. Ultimately, huge benefits for everyone will be accrued from moving forward with cleanup, renovation and adaptive re-use.
Revamp and Integrate Schools and Public Buildings. America's inventory of public buildings has suffered from decades of neglect. These schools, community buildings, parks and recreation facilities are the center of our communities and a vital link between public and private interests. Obama has pledged to focus a portion of the infrastructure budget on modernizing schools and public buildings to both reinvigorate usage and aesthetics, while making them energy efficient. Taking this plan a step further, through good urban planning, there is also a great opportunity to position these buildings as the focal points of their communities, rather than outlying properties.
RTKL is a worldwide architecture, engineering, planning and creative services organization. Founded in 1946, the firm specializes in providing its services across the full development cycle to create places of distinction. With projects around the globe, RTKL is an idea-driven firm providing innovative customized business solutions and seamless delivery to clients in commercial, cultural and government realms. RTKL has been part of the ARCADIS network since 2007. For more information, please visit www.rtkl.com.
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