Planetizen's Top Planning Issues of 2008

Planning web site Planetizen has put out their list of the top planning issues from 2008. A couple of them in particular are issues that make up a lot of Fort Worthology:

Return to the City

In addition to the foreclosure blight that has hit both cities and suburbs, 2008 saw thousands of suburban residents leaving the comfort of their spacious subdivisions and moving back to the city. Rising oil prices and concerns about the environment also contributed to this new trend, with legions of people ditching far-off homes and long commutes for the convenience of being closer to their jobs.

But just being a big city in America doesn’t mean the jobs will come. Places as diverse as Detroit, Reno, Cleveland, and Vallejo, California saw huge drops in job growth. But at the same time, employment opportunities increased in cities like Denver, Chicago, and Seattle. Some have focused on the relationship between job growth and the “creative economy” — such as tech-based jobs like web development and software design. But the return of the city isn’t purely utilitarian. Urban areas are also coming back because people, especially those in their 20s and 30s, are increasingly attracted to places that are walkable, diverse, and that offer environmental and cultural amenities.

Re-investment in Transit

The sharp rise in global oil prices in 2008 led to at least one outcome many would have thought impossible just a few years ago: a reduction in the number of vehicle miles traveled in the U.S. Americans drove 100 billion fewer miles between November 2007 and October 2008 than the same period a year earlier. Indeed, it was the first decrease in VMT in nearly 30 years.

Equally dramatic: sharp increases in public transit ridership. Figures for cities like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. showed increases of 15 to 25 percent compared to the prior year. But as ridership increases across the country, many transit systems are becoming overwhelmed and don’t have enough buses or trains to handle the demand.

The importance of providing funding for public transit has become clearer to millions of Americans, and they took this new conviction with them to the polls this past November. Election day saw voters in cities and counties across the country give the green light to public transit, both for new projects and improvements to existing systems.

With a new president entering office in 2009 and a congressional majority behind him, many transit advocates are hoping America is entering into a renaissance of public transportation.