A New England/Northeastern infrastructure authority

[jprepass]

I am a new member, so forgive me if I do not do this smoothly...

I would like planners (especially transportation and energy) to comment on our organization's --- the National Corridors Initiative's--- proposal to create a New England/Northeastern Infrastructure Authority (New York, New England, Eastern Canadian Provinces) to plan, design, build, fund, and operate large infrastructure projects that the states by themselves are too small or too disorganized to tackle. The purpose is to make the region economically competitive again in world markets. A White Paper on this subject is available at www.nationalcorridors.org, as is information about a series of Transportation Infrastucture Conferences (Boston Oct. 11 is next, being organized for Mass LG Tim Murray who is a superb transportation leader, and featuring Michael Dukakis).
I would appreciate feedback; I am a businessman and journalist, not a planner, but have been heavily involved in transportation advocacy, especially rail, for nearly two decades. Thank you.

[Gotta Speakup]

In general regionalism makes a lot of sense and this is an excellent idea.

But looking at the list of who runs the organization and the invited speakers for the Boston conference, I have to ask: where are the community people? the people of color who usually end up getting hit by infrastructure improvements (ask the people of Chelsea MA what they think of being the designated port area for oil imports?).

If the group can't expand, it will get mauled when it tries to implement a project.

Take this as being from a person who wants them to succeed.

[hilldweller]

Is this a front for a regional rail initiative or something? What's the overall objective- environmental, transport, economic? I don't see the big picture here.

[jprepass]

In general regionalism makes a lot of sense and this is an excellent idea.

But looking at the list of who runs the organization and the invited speakers for the Boston conference, I have to ask: where are the community people? the people of color who usually end up getting hit by infrastructure improvements (ask the people of Chelsea MA what they think of being the designated port area for oil imports?).

If the group can't expand, it will get mauled when it tries to implement a project.

Take this as being from a person who wants them to succeed.

I couldn't agree more. That's why the public is invited. Sign up and come

Jim RePass

[jprepass]

Is this a front for a regional rail initiative or something? What's the overall objective- environmental, transport, economic? I don't see the big picture here.

You actually nailed it: enviro/transport/ec dev are indeed the objective(s) . We are not a front for regional rail, but rail is one of the elements of infrastructure badly neglected in NE (and elsewhere), and we want to correct that.

Jim RePass

[Gotta Speakup]

I couldn't agree more. That's why the public is invited. Sign up and come

Jim RePass

But again, just saying the public is invited does not mean there is public participation. That comes from involving them in your programing, in your idea development, making sure you have consulted them in developing plans and agendas. You need to ask what their priorities and issues are, consider involving them in developing solutions and perhaps, compromising.

For example, local accessibility, the ability to reach grocery stores, schools, health care, churches, etc. is a major concern among low income and non-White people in Boston. The MBTA sees itself as facilitating commuting, not facilitating accessibility. So how does a regional plan really address these problems? How is your proposed plan different than the Big Dig? That was sold as a regional solution to a regional problem. But the local people of Roxbury got nothing out of it and probably never use it.

I want to stress that these are the concerns that ultimately need to be addressed if your worthy goals are to be reached.

[hilldweller]

You actually nailed it: enviro/transport/ec dev are indeed the objective(s) . We are not a front for regional rail, but rail is one of the elements of infrastructure badly neglected in NE (and elsewhere), and we want to correct that.

Jim RePass

Why is it that the region was defined as it is? Why are PA and NJ excluded?