Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
None of the post war residential communities are built to be for mass transit or to be walkable
No one remembers that none of the suburbs existed when Buffalo had 2x - 3x the population. Buffalo was once a dense walkable urban area and it was safe
I have relatives that remember the Beltway. They remember taking the Beltway to the factories, and the Beltway to the Zoo, etc
They remember taking the street trolleys to go downtown or to go shopping
If more people move downtown, we can bring back that city
Personally, I cant wait until later this year when the Blue Print for High Speed Rail from Buffalo to NYC gets released.
In case you didnt know the intention is for the Northeast to compete with California for High Tech Industries. They started with Centers for Excellence in future High Tech Areas and now they want to link NYC, Boston Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany into a giant High Tech Corridor capable of competing not just with California but Europe and Asia.
Re: Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
Quote:
Originally posted by lcm
Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
I agree. I think a serious energy crunch would very much work to Buffalo's advantage.
California is one big house of cards waiting to fall. Their entire high-tech economy is built on an endless web of highways and sprawl--all of which is contingent on a never-ending flow of cheap oil.
As our country will face some grim energy realities this century, we are all going to have to return to a economic model of dense walkable cities lnked by high-speed rail. In each of these cities there will be decent rapid transit systems.
High tech industries will have to locate to areas like Buffalo that are capable of sustaining limitied-energy economies. Being practially next to one of the world's biggest renewable energy sources will certainly work to our advantage.
Quote:
Originally posted by lcm
Personally, I cant wait until later this year when the Blue Print for High Speed Rail from Buffalo to NYC gets released.
I would be very interested in seeing this myself.
Re: Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
Quote:
Originally posted by lcm
Personally, I cant wait until later this year when the Blue Print for High Speed Rail from Buffalo to NYC gets released.
Heck, I already know the route; I just need to know how much it will cost! Is that "later this year" in normal time, normal government time, or NYS government time?
If you want a reason Buffalo's streets are dead, think about this: we used to have 600,000 people, now we have less than 300,000 with basically the same street setup.
Re: Re: Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
Quote:
Originally posted by crlachepinochet
If you want a reason Buffalo's streets are dead, think about this: we used to have 600,000 people, now we have less than 300,000 with basically the same street setup.
But Buffalo does have a few neighborhoods that in theory should have alot of acitivty in the commerical area.
The neighborhoods flanking Elmwood ave certainly have the density to support a healthy commerical district. I'm not saying that Elmwood doesn't have alot of successful commerce, but in comparison to livlier cities,it looks like a ghosttown often. Allen St. is busy at night with barhoppers, but during the day there is hardly anyone out.
Re: Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
Quote:
Originally posted by lcm
Personally, I cant wait until later this year when the Blue Print for High Speed Rail from Buffalo to NYC gets released.
This is cool, but i would not get your hopes up too high. Other cities like Chicago have been planning high-speed rail for many years and they aren't close to building anything either. (and Chicago has much better rail infrastructure that's still being used) The Blueprint is just another study and we've got a library of them gathering dust. When the shovels hit the ground, then I'll get excited.
As far as gasoline prices boosting the city... I wouldn't be so sure of that either.
I would think people living out in the burbs with their families and jobs out there will most likely buy fuel efficient cars... NOT move into the city. If they moved downtown, they'd still have a job in Amherst... and Aunt Edna is still in Lockport... they won't be saving any gas that way.
Heck, I already live in the city and I have to drive 12 miles to work one way. If I really wanted to walk to work I'd move out to Amherst.
Re: Re: Maybe when gas is $4 or $5 a gallon you will see a difference
Quote:
Originally posted by 300miles
As far as gasoline prices boosting the city... I wouldn't be so sure of that either.
I would think people living out in the burbs with their families and jobs out there will most likely buy fuel efficient cars... NOT move into the city. If they moved downtown, they'd still have a job in Amherst... and Aunt Edna is still in Lockport... they won't be saving any gas that way.
That is assuming that jobs will continue to remain in far-flung office parks.
When transportation becomes more expensive it becomes economical for office-oriented business to cocentrate in a centralized district.