First Robert DeNiro and Kate Beckinsale, now National Train Day. New Haven's elegant Union Station will host the "only National Train Day celebration between New York & Boston" this Saturday from 4:00-5:30 PM, on the 2nd Floor Balcony. See here for more photos courtesy Herbert S. Newman and Partners.
The press release notes that "sticker shock at the gas pump is matched by increasing congestion on the roadways and in the air, and that polls, referenda, and ridership data on train systems across the country (including those in New Haven) all point to a demand for more trains, the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) and its local affiliates are sponsoring events at stations across the country that highlight the role of passenger trains in a networked transportation system." In addition to discussing plans for the future of Union Station and the opportunities for the national rail network, the New Haven event is also likely to focus on multi-modal transportation, such as bicycle access on trains. The speaker-driven event will include a number of local and state officials and state environmental advocates, and several members of the media are expected. For more details, see the press release.
3 comments:
Now that Peak Oil seems to have arrived, the time for a state and national push for all kinds of multi-modal transportation has come.
New Haven is well literally well-placed to take advantage of its transportation links. We are between New York and Boston, have a major rail station, and a working port. Our city is pedestrian-friendly with small neighborhood business zones sprinkled about.
What would greatly aid us would be to reinstall the trams we had in early 20th century, completely re-write the Zoning Ordinance as a Form-Based code, and create an office of sustainability. Lastly, the Board of Aldermen should declare New Haven a Post-Carbon City as other cities around the country have done and prepare to re-localize the economy for the 21st century.
What does "rewriting the Zoning Ordinance as a Form-Based code" mean?
A form-based code places the primary emphasis on building form (not style) and placement and secondary emphasis on use. Current zoning (called Euclidean) places primary emphasis on use, not form.
Buildings in the different areas of the city (downtown, main streets, neighborhood residential) should complement each other in terms of scale and mass. In other words a large building should not be placed next to a small one: like goes with like. Buildings should line the streets and form the public space (streets), and should be designed to accommodate many different uses throughout their life: office, retail, residential. I would suggest going to CNU.org to learn about this new method of zoning.
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