Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Economics

If Gridlock Sam Was President…

By Ben Fried | Oct 28, 2008 | 2 Comments

A bit of pre-Election Day fun: Here’s a mock state-of-the-union speech drafted for the next President by "Gridlock" Sam Schwartz. Combining some ideas from Barack Obama’s platform with some that no candidate would utter during a presidential campaign, he lays out a plan for infrastructure investment and how to pay for it: The National Infrastructure […]

In New Report, RPA Reinforces Link Between Transit and Growth

By Brad Aaron | Oct 16, 2008 | 10 Comments

Following yesterday’s Build for America launch and last night’s presidential debate, the Regional Plan Association released a major report today recommending an array of public transportation improvements for New York City and northern New Jersey, adding its name to the ever-growing list of orgs and officials calling for federal investment to spur and sustain economic […]

Jim Kunstler on the Bail Out and What’s Next

By Aaron Naparstek | Sep 29, 2008 | 9 Comments

Jim Kunstler, author of The Long Emergency, has been predicting today’s financial catastrophe for a few years now so it’s no surprise that his blog is loading slowly this morning. The people want to know: What’s going to happen next? What the mainstream is truly missing here en masse is that another tsunami is building […]

What Does Summer Streets Mean for Business?

By Brad Aaron | Aug 11, 2008 | 21 Comments

All this relaxed foot traffic surely brought a smile to the face of many a retailer and restaurateur While press coverage of Summer Streets has been generally positive, tales of the miffed muffler shop owner and complaining cabinet maker are bound to continue, as reporters hunt for naysayers to "balance" out their stories. But what […]

Measuring the Value of Livable Streets

By Ben Fried | Jul 31, 2008 | 2 Comments

Ever wonder how much New York stands to gain by making its streets more livable? Transportation Alternatives has been gathering evidence measuring the economic and social benefits that accrue when cities put pedestrians first. Their report is coming out next week, but the Observer published a sneak preview (headline: "The Woonerf Deficit") this Tuesday: The […]

The U.S. Wants to “Borrow” From Transit to Pay for Highways

By Aaron Naparstek | Jul 29, 2008 | 17 Comments

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said yesterday that due to declining gas tax revenues, the Highway Trust Fund would need to borrow money from its mass transit account to pay for road projects. Today’s big news story was buried at the bottom of page A17 in the New York Times: Gasoline tax revenue is falling […]

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