With another hurricane shutting down oil refineries along the Gulf of Mexico (about 25 percent of total US capacity), experts are predicting gas could hit $4.00 a gallon or more within a couple of weeks. The newsletter of Regional Plan Association of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut has a great summary of exactly what needs to be done in light of the fact that gas will never be cheap again:Auto dependence is expensive, and it’s hard to find a way to pay for it that’s not regressive. That’s why it’s vital to choose the right investments. This region should focus on improving the accessibility and capacity of its transit-oriented places. There are three large scale projects that would go a long way toward accomplishing that goal: the Second Avenue Subway, a Long Island Railroad connection to Grand Central Terminal, and a new passenger rail tunnel under the Hudson. At the same time,
more mixed-use development should be focused on transit villages in towns along train lines in Long Island, Connecticut, the Hudson Valley and New Jersey.
I have written about a transit-oriented developer, Eric Anderson of Urban Green Builders, who has undertaken redeveloping Bridgeport, perhaps one of the most significant projects underway in the Tri-State region. It is exactly the sort of place that will become highly desirable as it's transformed into a mixed-use transit village. If I had two nickels to rub together, that's where I'd be investing.
