All posts in “Featured Work”

High-Speed Rail Meets High-Speed Growth

December 8, 2016 / Comments Off on High-Speed Rail Meets High-Speed Growth

California’s proposed high-speed rail (HSR) system has the potential to spur dramatic economic growth throughout the state. While public attention is largely focused on the benefits of three-hour commute from Los Angeles to San Francisco, the biggest beneficiaries of HSR might be California’s smaller towns and cities. At this year’s Rail~Volution Conference, HR&A Principal Judy Taylor examined how stronger connections between California’s major economic hubs and its mid-sized cities will drive economic growth.

 

  1. Access will attract new residents, but mid-sized cities must revitalize their downtowns to remain competitive. Palmdale and Bakersfield are mid-sized cities within a two-hour drive of Los Angeles that will benefit from high-speed rail. These cities will automatically attract new residents by offering shorter commutes and more affordable housing options than the suburbs of Los Angeles. However, each city can drive additional growth by reorienting commercial and residential development around new rail stations to draw regional economic growth from the periphery to the city center.

 

  1. Targeted development strategies and public improvements around station areas will go a long way. Many smaller cities face physical barriers to growth due to decentralized economic activity; these challenges are often compounded by years of under investment in their downtowns. Through targeted investments around station areas, and land-use policy prioritizing density and infill development, these cities can create competitive urban environments that offer desirable housing, jobs, and connectivity.

 

  1. The creation of a new type of central coordinating body would help drive additional growth. With the termination of California redevelopment agencies and their broad range of redevelopment powers, there is a need to establish a new type of independent entity, likely a public-private partnership, with the ability to coordinate investments. In addition to managing current growth, such a body could also help to advocate for future investment and provide a precedent for future high-speed rail stations to serve as economic anchors for these cities.

 

HR&A is advancing station area planning high-speed rail in both Bakersfield and Palmdale, California. Currently, we’re identifying market opportunities to develop competitive, transit-supportive amenities with the goal of transforming station areas into attractive downtown destinations with new residents, businesses, and visitors from around the region. Learn more about HR&A’s approaches to transit-oriented development across the nation.

Great River Passage Parks Master Plan Approved

June 27, 2012 / Comments Off on Great River Passage Parks Master Plan Approved

 

The St. Paul Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously passed the Great River Passage master plan on June 28, 2012. HR&A prepared the management, funding, and implementation strategy portion of the plan, which was developed by Wenk Associates. The central recommendation of the plan is to unify 17 miles of parkland along the Mississippi Riverfront (an area totaling 3,500 acres) to create a more connected, more natural, and more urban park. The plan also suggests creating an “urban promenade” along portions of the downtown riverfront, offering additional tourism and river-oriented recreation opportunities.

 

When implemented, Great River Passage will remake the Mississippi Riverfront as a world class amenity for St. Paul’s residents, workers, and visitors, and will transform the city as a whole by sparking economic development in downtown and in surrounding residential neighborhoods. It will be managed by a new division of the Parks Department, implementing one of the key outcomes of HR&A’s work on the project.

 

The City and County will review the master plan in the next stages of the approval process, expected to conclude in December 2012. The full master plan is available here.