Cascadia Prospectus

Reposted From Discovery News

From Philly to Seattle: America's Waterfronts are Urban Development Issue of Decade
BY Bruce Chapman

Call it "On the Waterfront" Meets "Philadelphia Story." The remake of the famous harbor of Philadelphia is the major development issue of that big city today. Three thousand miles away, the impending replacement of the Alaska Way Viaduct in Seattle has opened the opportunity and necessity of redesigning the waterfront there. Many other cities have similar issues in front of them as industrial era usages in central locations are being replaced by new interests in recreation and tourism and less unsightly transportation.

In a recent visit to Seattle, Harris Steinberg of PennPraxis at the University of Pennsylvania, explained to a Seattle citizen planning team how his group and the William Penn Foundation, backed by the City of Philadelphia and local media and civic groups, have redesigned the general plan for the riverfront along the Delaware River, a deteriorating area of old piers and warehouses and "big box stores".

The Central Delaware region includes 1146 acres along seven miles of waterfront. Until three years ago its development was dictated largely by private deals brokered by local politicians and bureaucracies. What Steinberg and his associates accomplished was a professionally led participatory process that built trust that "public good, not private gain" would prevail in the future. The idea is not to substitute the private sector, of course, but to provide a reliable vision and predictable standards.

Discovery Institute's Cascadia Center hosted the Steinberg presentation, in conjunction with former Seattle Mayor Charles Royer and businessman Bob Donegan of the citizen waterfront teams that advise local government on how Seattle's central harbor might function once the Viaduct is demolished and through traffic is diverted to a new upland deep-bore tunnel. Architect and former Seattle City Councilmember Peter Steinbrueck helped arrange the meeting and Cascadia director Bruce Agnew presided.

Related Links:
"Keystone State Experts Share Insights for Seattle's Waterfront," Cascadia Prospectus

Reposted from Discovery News

Congratulations, Canada!
BY Bruce Chapman

Reserve used to be a characteristic trait of Canadians. Not patriotic. Defined by what they weren't--that is, not Americans.

No more. Canadians these days can't stop singing, "O, Canada" and painting their faces red and white. They shout and carry on like, well, I can't help noting, Americans.

Tonight they deserve congratulations and thanks. They have staged a magnificent Winter Olympics in the fabulous world city of Vancouver and the superb modern resort of Whistler-Blackcomb. They could have been stumped by the unseasonably warm weather, but they weren't. They could have been undone by the pressure of media and transportation. They weren't. Their guests are flying out of town feeling happy and grateful.

Especial praise goes to our Cascadia ally, British Columbia. What incredible strides the province has made in a generation or so!

Some said that Canadians should feel chagrined that they didn't win as many medals as the U.S., or even the Germans. Nonsense. Canada is a fraction of the population of the U.S. (even if you only count the states that have winter sports), and yet they managed a huge haul, including, of course the men's hockey gold, which was about all they seemed to care about this sunny Sunday afternoon.

Well, let them have it. We, in turn, are fortunate to have such fine, fun neighbors. They are excellent hosts and friends.

House approval of the Jobs Bill (H.R. 2847) on March 4 by a vote of 217-201 has put an end to the series of temporary month-to-month extensions and placed the federal surface transportation program on a solid financial footing for the rest of the year. The bill, which extends the federal transportation program through December 31, 2010, transfers $19.5 billion from the General Fund into the Highway Trust Fund and restores an earlier $8.7 billion rescission of contract authority. These resources, when added to the expected revenue stream from the gas tax, should allow the Trust Fund to support highway and transit programs at the levels authorized for Fiscal Year 2009 through the end of 2010 and into 2011. Because the House altered the measure somewhat, the bill has been returned to the Senate for another vote before it is sent to the President for signature.

Photo Source: The Independent

Andrew Adonis, Britain's Secretary of State for Transport, penned today in The Times a forceful argument in favor of what he describes as a "21st-century transport revolution -- high-speed rail." Read it for yourself, but his article presents strong arguments countering what some in Britain see as insurmountable obstacles to developing a more robust high-speed rail network for the country, including cost, the relative proximity of major cities, and the question of the practicality of long-term planning amidst the recession.

As the United States for the first time in decades seems to be seriously wrestling with the idea of how, when and to what extent to further invest in rail, it's instructive to see a comparative debate happening across the Atlantic pond. In Britain, of course, it is more a question of improving upon a system that most American tourists who have visited the country would probably say seems pretty good. Here in the U.S., however, we'd need to do a lot more building of new and improving of old lines. And that's just a start. With apologies to the The Beatles (and Lord Adonis), it is here that we'd really be talking about a revolution.

The HIRE Act (Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act, H.R. 2847, P.L 111-147), signed by the President on March 18, has placed the federal surface transportation program on a firm footing and taken the pressure off the lawmakers and the White House to come up with a more permanent solution -- at least for a while. While efforts to develop a long-term transportation strategy are expected to continue for the remainder of this year, Congress and the White House are likely to take their time enacting a multi-year legislation. This is the near-unanimous judgment of informed congressional observers and Washington insiders.

In addition to extending the authorization of the surface transportation program through December 31, 2010, the HIRE Act transfers $19.5 billion from the General Fund into the Highway Trust Fund (to reimburse the Fund for interest payments not received since 1998); restores an earlier $8.7 billion rescission of contract authority; and allows the Highway Trust Fund in the future to collect interest on its deposits. The General Fund transfer, when added to the projected revenue stream from the gas tax, is expected to support highway and transit programs at the levels authorized for Fiscal Year 2009 through the end of Fiscal Year 2012 and into FY 2013, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Our interpretation of CBO's latest projections (Highway Trust Fund Projections, March 19, 2010) suggests that both the Highway Account and the Transit Account of the Trust Fund could remain solvent as long as the second or third quarter of Fiscal Year 2013 (i.e. mid-2013). 

Lack of Adequate Long-Term Funding. The main obstacle standing in the way of enacting a multi-year bill continues to be the inability to come up with adequate funding. To close the gap between the projected revenue into the Highway Trust Fund (estimated by CBO to be $234 billion from 2010 through 2015 ) and the program needs, as estimated by Chairman James Oberstar (D-Minn.), ($450 billion for highways and transit) would require an extra $216 billion over the life of the next authorization. (One-hundred and forty-five billion if only to cover outlays, according to the estimates of House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee staff.) Adding a proposed $50 billion for the high-speed rail program would raise the total unfunded six-year shortfall to over $200 billion. Where is this money to come from? No one has yet found an answer.

Gas Tax Increase No Longer Considered. The most obvious option--to increase the gas tax--has been taken off the table for the immediate future. The Administration's unwillingness to consider this option was forcefully reaffirmed by Transportation Secretary LaHood at the recent AASHTO Briefing. "It's easy for people who are not elected to talk about raising the gas tax," the Secretary observed. "They don't have to face the voters." He left no doubt that the Administration remains unalterably and unequivocally opposed to this option--at least as long as the country finds itself in an economic recession.

Source: Amtrak Cascades

What began as a short term pilot project to increase daily Amtrak service between Seattle and Vancouver through the 2010 Winter Olympic and Paralympic games, has been extended for almost another six months. If it goes through September, as now scheduled, regional transportation leaders will have just over one year of ridership and other numbers to analyze for the service. The inaugural second train first ran on August 19, 2009.

Cascadia Center of Discovery Institute has long led and supported the effort to increase passenger service not only between the two major Northwest cities, but along the entire Cascadia Corridor. Though it wasn't the entire focus of the agenda, last May, as part of its Cascadia Rail Week, Cascadia raised considerable awareness about the issue of making sure a second train was a part of the service mix as a pilot project through the Olympics.

The pilot project was held up almost indefinitely when the Canadian government's Border Services Agency wouldn't drop a $1,500 per day fee it said was required for the increased immigration and customs inspections for a second train. It eventually dropped the requirement for the pilot project. (Cascadia Center and others led an effort urging the waiver of the fee.)

Whether or not this fee will remain an obstacle for a more permanent, increased service beyond September is unclear at this point. Given the need for better, more efficient, and increased connections in the Cascadia Corridor for economic and other reasons, we certainly hope not.

With an agreement announced today at the New York International Auto Show, Ford and Microsoft will, according to the Associated Press, "work together on a computerized link between houses, electric cars and utility companies to help manage energy use."

The system would start with the all-electric Ford Focus compact car that is scheduled to go on sale late in 2011. Called "Microsoft Hohm," it will allow utilities to vary electric rates based on the time of day. A computer would determine the best time to recharge the car at the lowest cost and the least burden on the utility's generating system.

With this deal, the two companies are taking a major step toward addressing how to blend technology, vehicle advancements and energy. This is an issue that Discovery Institute's Cascadia Center has addressed as part of its "Beyond Oil" conferences in the last several years. At the 2009 conference, the all-electric Ford Focus -- appearing for the first time in the Northwest -- was among the key attractions for regional leaders.

"Ford is the first automaker announcing the use of Hohm..." according to the company's press release about the announcement. "Hohm will help owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. It also should help utility companies manage the added demands of electric vehicles on the electric grid."