Nationally recognized transit expert Scott Bernstein details the benefits of transit expansion in southeastern Wisconsin
Transit improvements key to building local wealth
and improving our national market perception
See opinion Editorial by Scott Bernstein
Nationally recognized transit and community development expert, Scott Bernstein, Founder and President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, Chicago, delivered a presentation, Building Wealth - Creating and Capturing the Benefits of Investing in Transit in Southeastern Wisconsin, that illustrated how transit investment strategies spur sustainable development and economic vitality, and build thriving neighborhoods and lasting value. He urged that the time is now for SE Wisconsin to get the area on the right track, setting priorities for transit investing that will reduce the cost of living for households by up to 20%, reduce the risk of foreclosures, improve local tax bases, and create new jobs and wealth by providing viable transit options.
Download PowerPoint (64 MB)
Ken Yunker, Director, Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, bridged the big picture to our local and regional challenges and opportunities. He painted a picture of urgency in gaining vital dedicated funding source for local transit systems that are facing dire financial crisis that will result in cuts in service of slashing service by 1/3 in 2010 in Milwaukee, and 20-25% in Racine and Kenosha. KRM Commuter Rail project cannot go forward without a dedicated local funding source for the local share of capital and operating costs. The time is now to gain the critically needed dedicated funding source and a permanent RTA.
Download PowerPoint (1.6. MB)
The event was sponsored by Transit NOW and the South Suburban Chamber of Commerce.
It was hosted by the Milwaukee Area Technical College. Co-sponsors included Northwestern Mutual Foundation, The Greater Milwaukee Association of Realtors and the Associated General Contractors of Greater Milwaukee, SC Johnson and Wisconsin Energy Corporation Foundation.
About Scott Bernstein
Scott Bernstein is President of the Center for Neighborhood Technology, an urban sustainability innovations laboratory which develops resources and systems to promote healthy, sustainable communities by helping local leaders understand and use their hidden assets; and publisher of (1978-1998) The NeighborhoodWorks, winner of the Peter Lisagor Award for Public Service Journalism, and most recently (12/08) Creating and Capturing Value in Mass Transit: a Best PracticesWorkshop. He studied at Northwestern University, taught at UCLA and was a founding Board member at the Brookings Institution Metropolitan Center. He co-founded the Surface Transportation Policy Partnership, a national coalition which shifted federal policy toward greater local control and currently serves as Chairman. He co-founded the Center for Transit Oriented Development, which created the nation’s first National Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Database, covering all 4,000 existing and developing TOD sites in the U.S.