With a new plan called "Connecting El Paso", the Texas city is on track for a transit-oriented future. Kaid Benfield says the plan is "nothing less than a comprehensive guide to smart growth design and implementation."
The plan emphasizes that the El Paso still has a backbone of transit-orientation from a long history of streetcars running through the city.
Benfield writes:
"Now, with a new bus rapid transit (BRT) system and possibly a new streetcar in the city's future, there is the opportunity to restore lost urban fabric and concentrate on a human-scaled smart growth strategy."
Benfield says the report is "meticulous on such subjects as walkability, street connections, public spaces, complete streets, environmental remediation, green stormwater infrastructure, community character, further transit investment, historic preservation, public policy needs, and even the application of LEED-ND. "
Lots of great images from the report are available over at the NRDC blog.
FULL STORY: Could El Paso become a model of thoughtful smart growth planning?
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research