I’ve long been of the opinion that smart transit policy is a key part of a comprehensive urban policy, something the Washington Post takes note of in yesterday’s paper.
Cheap oil, which helped push the American Dream away from the city center, isn’t so cheap anymore. As more and more families reconsider their dreams, land-use experts are beginning to ask whether $4-a-gallon gas is enough to change the way Americans have thought for half a century about where they live. – Washington Post
Gas prices were simply a catalyst to further propel a renewed desire for urban living throughout America. Part of the push back into the near suburbs and urban centers has to do with the availability of good transit. Cities like Washington, St. Louis, Seattle, Cleveland, Minneapolis, etc.. all have that.
It’s a key component that’s missing from Milwaukee’s urban renewal plan however.
People are starting to think twice about the prospect of buying homes in places like Oconomowoc due to the high price of driving to and from work every day. Milwaukee would be able to close the deal with many more of them if we had the ability to offer the missing transit component in addition to all the other things that make Milwaukee and it’s near suburbs like Shorewood, Wauwatosa, and Bay View great places to live and raise families.
I live in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Milwaukee, WI with my wife Jen, our daughter Emerson, and sons Carter and Colton.
